Key points
Measure perception
How tenants, visitors and agents describe the arrival experience.
Track over time
Compare before and after, and over successive surveys.
Be honest about cause
Scent is one factor among many; isolate it where you can.
How to measure what scent does for a building
Owners rightly ask how to measure the return on a scenting programme. The honest answer is that scent works through the experience of the building, so the most reliable measures are measures of perception, tracked over time.
Leasing outcomes such as viewings, renewals and rents depend on many factors, so no single amenity can be credited with them. What can be measured is whether the arrival experience improves, and whether occupiers and visitors notice.
Practical measures for owners
Add questions about the lobby and arrival experience to tenant satisfaction surveys. Ask leasing agents for feedback from viewings. Run short visitor surveys before and after the programme starts. Over time, track satisfaction alongside renewal rates. Together these show whether the experience the asset is priced on is improving.
What to measure
Measures that matter to REITs and landlords.
Tenant satisfaction with the arrival experience
Leasing agent feedback from viewings
Visitor perception before and after
Renewal rates, tracked over time
A simple measurement plan
Three steps that fit into existing reporting.
Baseline
Survey tenants and visitors before the programme starts.
Repeat
Ask the same questions after three and twelve months.
Review
Discuss results with us at each programme review.
Frequently asked questions
1. How do you measure scent marketing ROI in a building?
Through perception: tenant and visitor surveys and leasing feedback, tracked before and after, alongside renewal rates over time.
2. Can scent be credited with higher rents?
No single amenity can. Scent supports the experience that leasing and retention depend on.
3. What is the quickest measure?
A before-and-after visitor survey on the arrival experience.
4. Do you help with measurement?
We review the programme with you regularly and can include survey results in those reviews.
5. What about dwell time?
Dwell time matters in retail. In office buildings, perception and satisfaction are more useful measures.
6. Where can I read about the value case?
Get started
Start with a baseline
A lobby scent tier audit records where your building’s scent stands today.