How do you ensure each shopper remembers her visit? What makes your brand stand out? Sue Phillips, āScentrepreneurā and founder and CEO ofĀ
Scenterprises, has made it her job to answer these questions for fashion brands. Attended theĀ
Womenās Wear Daily CEO Summit, Phillips heard industry leaders discussing the issue in depth. And knew that she had the answer. āEvery single presenter was talking about experiences, interactivity, customization, personalization,ā she said. āIt was music to my ears because thatās what we do.ā A veteran of the beauty and fragrance industry, Phillips began her career at Elizabeth Arden conducting Beauty Training Seminars before joining LancĆ“me as Marketing Director of Fragrance. Next, Phillips joined Tiffany and Co. as Vice President of Fragrance Marketing to develop the houseās first iconic Tiffany perfume. Phillips went on to launch perfumes for Burberry, Lagerfeld, Chloe, and Trish McEvoy. In 2008, observing the rise of celebrity fragrances, Phillips smelled the next great opportunity. āI saw the saw that customization was going to happen. Today, it is the biggest trend in fragrance.ā
Ā (Learn more:Ā Making Underwear an Experience ā and Other Examples of Experiential Marketing)
āSensplorationā and Digital Natives
Experts in the retail industry believe the next big trend in consumer goods isĀ
āsensplorationāĀ ā when brands take shoppers on a multi-sensory journey to create a stronger experience and a better emotional connection with the product. At a time whenĀ
omnichannel retailersĀ strive to deliver personalization on every channel, that connection is important. Phillips delivers on both online and offline personalization by mixing individual perfumes for each and every client. Clients can visitĀ
Scenterprises.comĀ or theĀ
Scentarium, an appointment-only perfumery in New York, andĀ create custom fragrances by answering questions on Phillipsā carefully constructedĀ
āScent Personality Quiz.āĀ 
Ā The results of the quiz have been so accurate that, out of more than 20,000 personalized perfumes, only one has ever been returned. āAnd that was because her name was Sean and we had made her blend lean more masculine,ā Sue says with a smile, āBut we fixed that and she was very pleased with it.ā Ā
āA Fragrant Oasisā
Ā But for Phillips and the lucky clients whoāve entered the New York City-based Scentarium, itās the in-person ācustom scent experiencesā that takes personalization to the next level. āRetail is not dead,ā says Phillips, āItās just going through a transition. Brands have to turn the ship around and start to offer experiences. It canāt just be transactional.ā Decades after her time as a beauty training director at Elizabeth Arden, Phillips has kept her best tactics and taken them to the next level. āI always incorporated beautiful sensory aspects to my training seminars,ā she explains. āI would set up my schools with lovely ambiance ā lovely music and beautiful visuals. The idea was that the trainees would be so motivated by the beautiful ambiance that theyād be motivated to go out and sell. And that stayed with me.ā Outfitted with plush furniture, cozy fabrics, and eye-catching art, the Scentarium is a perfume-loverās dream. Here, Phillips uses sensory strategies to sell custom fragrances. With Phillips herself leading most appointments and interviewing each client to get the right scent, it also builds brand loyalty through a unique, interactive and in-person experience. Ā
A Journey Through Scent
Moving into 2018, Phillips is strategizing on how to expand Scenterprises.com as an e-commerce platform and bring the Scentarium, along with her expertise, to a larger audience. Phillips plans to draw once again from her early days as a Training Director at Elizabeth Arden.
Ā 
Ā āNow the question I get asked the most is, āHow do you clone Sue?āā Phillips says with a smile. āBut with my background in beauty training, weāre ready to expand. Weāre so excited to be at the forefront of this amazing trend of interactive, personalized experiences.ā Omnichannel retailers of all sizes planning 2018 marketing campaigns can learn from the Scentrepreneur. While in-store and online experiences go hand-in-hand, brick-and-mortar can still engage customers in ways that the online experience, simply canāt. And if done well, the result is the sweet smell of success.
Ā The results of the quiz have been so accurate that, out of more than 20,000 personalized perfumes, only one has ever been returned. āAnd that was because her name was Sean and we had made her blend lean more masculine,ā Sue says with a smile, āBut we fixed that and she was very pleased with it.ā Ā
Ā But for Phillips and the lucky clients whoāve entered the New York City-based Scentarium, itās the in-person ācustom scent experiencesā that takes personalization to the next level. āRetail is not dead,ā says Phillips, āItās just going through a transition. Brands have to turn the ship around and start to offer experiences. It canāt just be transactional.ā Decades after her time as a beauty training director at Elizabeth Arden, Phillips has kept her best tactics and taken them to the next level. āI always incorporated beautiful sensory aspects to my training seminars,ā she explains. āI would set up my schools with lovely ambiance ā lovely music and beautiful visuals. The idea was that the trainees would be so motivated by the beautiful ambiance that theyād be motivated to go out and sell. And that stayed with me.ā Outfitted with plush furniture, cozy fabrics, and eye-catching art, the Scentarium is a perfume-loverās dream. Here, Phillips uses sensory strategies to sell custom fragrances. With Phillips herself leading most appointments and interviewing each client to get the right scent, it also builds brand loyalty through a unique, interactive and in-person experience. Ā
Ā āNow the question I get asked the most is, āHow do you clone Sue?āā Phillips says with a smile. āBut with my background in beauty training, weāre ready to expand. Weāre so excited to be at the forefront of this amazing trend of interactive, personalized experiences.ā Omnichannel retailers of all sizes planning 2018 marketing campaigns can learn from the Scentrepreneur. While in-store and online experiences go hand-in-hand, brick-and-mortar can still engage customers in ways that the online experience, simply canāt. And if done well, the result is the sweet smell of success.
