Everything you need to know to boost your fragrance knowledge, as well as your sales. Welcome to fragrance essentials. In this 2-part training, we'll share everything you need to know to boost your fragrance Knowledge, as well as your sales. We know that Reps who complete fragrance training have average sales of up to 115% more!
Understanding fragrance. Everyone likes to smell good, and just like getting dressed, putting on fragrance has become a habit in preparing ourselves for the day. It not only makes us look good, as it boosts our confidence, but feel good as well. Marketing psychology. The global fragrance market is huge! Did you know that globally it's worth over £33 billion and rising, and in the UK alone its worth £1.6 billion. For Avon, it's our 3rd top selling product category, after skincare and toiletries. If you think about all the fragrance adverts you see on TV with top movie stars, you can begin understand how much companies are willing to invest to make their fragrance stand out above the rest. Marketing perfume is more than just selling a fragrance. It's about desire, glamour, femininity and masculinity. It's about evoking emotions and imagination in the potential buyer, which is why most of the adverts you see on TV are quite raunchy in nature. But, it's not just about desire, other touch points include sport, strength, freedom, beauty and happiness. When advertising digitally, the eye-catching storyline, iconic bottle shapes and branding, all make up the personality of the fragrance by painting a picture of how the customer would feel when they use the product, rather than describing the actual scent.
Personal reasons for wearing fragrance. One of our most powerful senses is the sense of smell. A fragrance can trigger both positive and negative states of mind of deep-rooted memories and familiar remembrances. Scents are valuable in building personal identity, and therefore, finding your signature fragrance is something most of us like to invest a little time and money into. Fragrance is such a personal choice, and research shows that 79% of women who use fragrance own between 2 and 10 bottles of perfume, which they tend to switch up depending on their mood, or occasion. Let's look at the top 10 reasons why wearing a fragrance can be so personal. Perfumes can evoke feelings of love, energy, power, happiness, sensuality and peace. Perfumes trigger memories that can send you back in time to a particular moment in your life. Perfumes can last all day, making you feel great for longer, compared to regular body care products. It can form part of your identity if you stick to one scent - your signature scent. We all have our favourite! It can act like a superpower - The scent fills you with confidence, boosting your mood for the day. Perfumes can attract attention - they act as pheromones making you more desirable to others. They can make a unique lasting impression on others. Some perfumes contain natural ingredients which have unique benefits when inhaled. Perfume has mood-enhancing abilities which can impact your well being You can match your fragrance to your outfit.
Top 10 perfumes. With so many amazing perfumes under our hat, it can be tricky to know which ones to recommend to your customers. To make that decision easier for you, we have our list of Top 10 Fragrances. This is great, because these are the ones that we know are loved the most by our customers. Up to July 2021, we sold over 408,000 bottles of our top 10 fragrances, and just those top 10 make up 25% of all our fragrance line-up. That's one powerful line-up to boost your sales!
Selling fragrance. Now you have a better understanding of Avon's fragrance history, and the reasons why we love fragrance so much, let's take a look at how you can bring this to life with your customers. We learned from the marketing psychology of fragrance that brands evoke emotions and imagination to attract customers to the fragrance. There is another way you can help spark your customers imagination as to what a fragrance smells like, and that's by bringing to life the three types of notes and placing the fragrance into a scent family.
Fragrance notes. Top notes. These are the initial impression when you first spritz the fragrance and sets the tone for what's to come. They evaporate fast, typically only lasting up to 15minutes on the skin. You can be turned off from a fragrance straight away if the top notes don't lure you in. Common fragrance top notes include citrus (lemon, bergamot), fruits (grapefruit, berries) and herbs (clary sage, lavender). Heart notes. Once the top notes fade, the heart notes start to come through. These form the core of the fragrance and give character, typically lasting up to 1 hour. Common fragrance middle notes include geranium, rose, lemongrass, neroli and jasmine. Base notes. These notes last the longest and leave a memorable impression. They can take up to an hour to really come through and last the longest, typically over 6 hours. If you're trying out a new perfume, it's always advisable to let it settle on the skin for up to an hour to allow the true scent to come through before you make your decision. Common base notes include cedarwood, sandalwood, vanilla, amber and musk.
The fragrance wheel. The fragrance wheel displays different scent (olfactive) families. The scents are grouped together based on their similarities and differences to show their relationship to one another. This fragrance classification was developed by fragrance expert Michael Edwards in order to help retailers suggest perfumes to customers more efficiently. Each family consists of a prominent scent, while the subfamilies are blended versions of these fragrances. Scent families are broken into four main categories: Floral, Oriental, Woody and Fresh. Each scent family also has their own subfamily. Individuals tend to gravitate towards one of the scent families, so if you find out from your customer which one they tend to prefer, it starts to narrow down the recommendations for you. You'll notice in the brochure that we always refer to the scent family, as well as the notes, to help the customer visualise the scent. Much like color, certain fragrance families go together well. The scent wheel makes it easy to see this. Fragrance sub-families that are side by side on the fragrance wheel will almost always blend well. You can also pick a sub-family to start with and see which note appears across from it on the fragrance wheel. This means that those notes are complementary to one another. For example, floral oriental will complement aromatic, and fruity will complement woody. Once you know your preferences, you can start to research which fragrances contain these scents.
Fragrance strength. Fragrance also comes in different concentrations, which also counts toward how long the scent will last on the skin. A bottle of fragrance never contains pure fragrance, but is actually a blend of a scent and a base. The scent usually comprises of essences, aromatic compounds and oils, and the base is usually either a mix of ethanol and water or simply one of the two The alcohol acts as a stabiliser and also ensures the formula blends together to form accords. The higher the concentration of perfume oil, the higher the cost of the fragrance, and the longer it will last, with a Parfum being the most expensive and usually only a dab of the scent is required due to this higher concentration. Let's take a look at the different strengths.
Fragrance for any occasion. As we've mentioned previously, 79% of women own between 2-10 different perfumes. That's generally because they will have a favourite scent depending on the occasion; daytime or evening. This would be another question you should ask your customer to determine when they would be wearing the scent. Let's take a look at which scents are ideal for the occasion. At work. These tend to be more subtle, uplifting and fresh. Avoid overpowering scents that will envelope the office. Eau de Toilettes and aftershaves would be ideal with a citrus note. Keep a bottle in your bag to top up through the day. Day off. If you manage a day off then you can be a littler more brave and go for an Eau de Parfum or an Eau de Toilette/Cologne. Something with a bit more kick and staying power that evokes fun memories. Evening. An evening out, or a special occasion, deserves a special fragrance. There is something beautiful about having a fragrance you keep for best. This should be a fragrance that smells how you feel when you're at your best. Your instant boost of confidence that will leave a lasting impression. An Eau de Parfum or a Parfum is perfect here. That extra bit of indulgence for a celebratory occasion.
Where to apply fragrance. Wearing a fragrance requires a little more skill than you may realise. It's not just a case of spitz and go if you want to get the most out of your fragrance. Most of us have fallen into the habit of spritzing the wrists and then rubbing them together. This is a big no-no in the fragrance world! The friction created by rubbing, heats up the skin which produces natural enzymes that change the course of the scent. Another great tip to pass onto your customers to show you know what you're talking about! When applying fragrance correctly, you want to hit all the right spots. These tend to be the areas on the body that are all naturally warm - the pulse points. Your body heat will activate the fragrance throughout the day. Pulse points include the inside of elbows and wrists, back of knees, chest/decollete and the sides of the neck. Top tip. Only apply fragrance to clothing that can be washed, and avoid spraying silk, due to possible staining form the perfume oils.
Layering fragrance. Layering is a way to make a fragrance last longer on the skin by using products from the same scent family; E.g. using a shower gel, body lotion and then the perfume itself. This builds up a layer of the scent on the skin which is more likely to last longer. Layering is also a way to build a bespoke scent up by using products from different scent families. You can create a unique scent to suit your mood or the occasion. Refer back to the fragrance wheel to see which fragrances will compliment each other if used together. Offering the suggestion of layering products is also a great boost to your sales by selling a bundle of products, rather than just one.
Selling perfume to different customers. Not all customers are the same. Knowing how to sell to each type will ensure you maximise your sales and earnings. Let's take a look at who they are and what you need to do to meet their needs. The collectors. These customers love to try and talk about perfumes. You really need to spend time with them asking about their tastes and habits. Share any samples you feel they would love and talk about the complimenting products too. The loyals. These customers only wear one perfume. From what we have learned previously, we know that 79% of people own between 2-10 different perfumes. For this customer it's key to share the idea of wearing a perfume for different occasions Understand the notes of their favourite scent and recommend similar fragrances and strengths that can be worn at different times. The generous. These customers love buying fragrance as a gift. Recommend one of our most popular perfumes as they love a safe choice. Remember to refer to our Top 10 Fragrances for inspiration. Bundles also make a great gift for these customers. The luxury lovers. These customers only buy expensive perfumes. Share the Avon brand story and how Avon perfumes are developed by the world's most renowned perfumers who also create for high end brands. You can also share our blind testing results to show how we compare to luxury brands, and that we are the No.1 selling fragrance brand in the world!
Fragrance consultation. With so many fragrances to choose from, helping your customers find the perfect scent can feel a little daunting, but by offering a consultation you can find out valuable information that will help narrow down your recommendations. Consultations can be carried out face to face or digitally to suit the customers preference, and by using our Fragrance Consultation form, you'll be able to find the perfect scent in no time. Check out this consultation video and download the form to start offering 121 fragrance consultations. Your customers will love the personalised approach. Fragrance selling tips. Whether you choose to sell digitally or face to face, we've rounded up the best fragrance selling tips to boost your business.