The powerful marketing mechanism behind Nest New York’s holiday collab

“Deck the halls with boughs of holly.”

But instead of ‘halls’, it’s a lengthy course of Fifth Avenue in New York City, stretching out from 46th to 61st Street. And instead of ‘holly’, it’s Nest New York’s popular seasonal home scent, Holiday.

The Holiday aroma — a festive blend of pomegranate, mandarin orange, pine, cloves, cinnamon, vanilla, and amber — was the number one luxury candle sold in America in 2022, according to research conducted by The NPD Group.

Now, in partnership with the Fifth Avenue Association and luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman, Nest has created an exclusive, olfactory shopping experience around its best-selling product.

Running from November 20 to January 4, Fifth Avenue’s lighted holiday tree displays will be scented with Holiday for residents and visitors to enjoy as they shop along the famous shopping avenue and check out the festive displays. 

The Christmas tree displays were built by Holiday Collective, a holiday design group focused on decorating for the commercial sector, and the scent is emitted by cold mist aroma diffusers from Scent Marketing Inc, a company specializing in scent and sensory experiences for retail and lifestyle brands like the Museum of Ice Cream and Baccarat Hotels. 

As New York City locals and tourists make their way down the stretch of Fifth Avenue, they can stop by Bergdorf Goodman, where a Nest Holiday-branded cart is parked outside the luxury retail store, or pop into a Holiday-themed express elevator to check out Nest’s complete collection. Consumers can also scan a QR code on the holiday tree display to shop Nest products online at Bergdorf Goodman directly on their phones. 

This initiative marks the first-ever scented collaboration for the Fifth Avenue Association, an organization launched in 1907 to ensure that “Fifth Avenue is the most iconic street in the world”. 

As Marie Boster, president of the Fifth Avenue Association, stated, “Innovative brand collaborations are central to The Fifth Avenue Association’s mission to make every visit to our corridor elegant and exceptional. Fifth Avenue is the premier home of holiday magic in New York City and attracts visitors far and wide to take in the sights and sounds and, this year, the wonderful scent of Nest Holiday.”

On the collaboration, Nest’s founder and executive chairman Laura Slatkin commented, “I am thrilled to have been selected by The Fifth Avenue Association to fragrance Fifth Avenue and partner with Bergdorf Goodman to celebrate this momentous occasion. As a pioneer in the home fragrance industry, it is a high honor to have been asked to fragrance Fifth Avenue with our Holiday fragrance during this magical season!”

Why retailers need to look into scented shopping experiences 

Fragrance has never been more powerful in the world of retail than it is today.

The multi-billion dollar fragrance market has been booming in recent years, with the rise of online fragrance shopping, in large part due to the influence of TikTok, #fragrancetok and experimental mindset of Gen Z consumers when it comes to trying new fragrance brands. 

Unlike previous generations, Gen Z consumers are less interested in finding a signature scent than they are in building a fragrance wardrobe, a collection of scents to fit different moods/occasions much in the way that people wear different outfits.

In comparison to previous generations of shoppers, Gen Z are particularly drawn to experiential retail in which all their senses are heightened. One great way to create a memorable experiential retail experience is to incorporate scent-based marketing, the strategic use of fragrance at specific consumer touchpoints. 

While the idea of using scent in-store may not have the same immediate impact as a colorful display or loud music, it can be a more influential method of engaging with the consumer 

In one study published in the International Journal of Marketing, scent marketing was found to have increased Nike customers’ intentions to purchase by up to 84 per cent. 

Scent marketing can also create strong memory impressions on consumers, and stores that have signature scents, such as Victoria’s Secret and Abercrombie & Fitch, may find it easier to stand out in a competitive market. 

With the new year and new season of shopping fast approaching, retailers may want to consider investing in a unique fragrance, or go the Nest route and create an unforgettable fragrance memory for consumers to enjoy. 

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