Our digital lives and the global pandemic have created a touch-hungry world. Social media research undertaken by Firmenich found that, between January and November 2020, of humans’ five senses, the lack of touch was discussed the most online, dominating 72% of the conversation. Despite being at home together during lockdowns, our research found that 28% of consumers claim to have had less physical intimacy with their loved ones.
People are also online more than ever – the average daily time spent consuming digital content now totals six hours and 59 minutes (source: Double Verify). Unsurprisingly, the limitations of no-touch living are elevating consumers' other senses. In a 2020 Firmenich global study, 56% of people agreed, ‘Since the global health pandemic, I appreciate scent more,’ while major news outlets such as The New York Times have dedicated column inches to people's sense of smell and a growing respect for it.
At a time when the fragrance industry is exploring how we can experience scent digitally, people are turning to scent to ‘re-touch’. This supposed dilemma, however, is ultimately its strength. Because while scent does not live digitally for most of us, it has the power to reconnect people physically.
Anticipating that our physical lives will blur even more with our digital selves and experiences, the question for the fragrance sector is how can it positively augment our hybridised lives? Scent was always a form of touch that transcended time – now it is becoming a form of connection to bridge digital gaps.
For younger generations keen to reconnect, have serendipitous encounters and get back out into the world, brands have an ideal opportunity to position scent to make people memorable and form vital bonds. Indeed, the notion of ‘vibes’ – ‘a medium for feeling, the kind of abstract understanding that comes before words put a name to experience’ – is central to digitally native Generation Z’s dialogue online, and in turn how they experience real-life events.
As we venture out again, event and community spaces could drive up meaningful hedonism through scented animations at clubs, bars and music venues. Scent will help consumers to connect, disconnect and reconnect in physical spaces. Called ‘fragrance zoning’ by Glamour magazine, different spaces will be scented with different fragrances to create varied ambiences.
