Marketing and Senses: The Influence of Scent and Color Cues on the Affective Costumer Experience of Food e-Tailing

This study aimed at identifying the influence of scent and color cues on the affective consumer experience of products in the food e-retailing atmosphere. This investigation was an applied research based on a semi-experimental method (between-subject design). The population included the customers of online food retailers, who were selected through a non-probability sampling method. The sample size was 384 people selected by using Cochran formula.  The data collection instrument was a questionnaire developed by the researcher. Finally, 400 clear questionnaires were collected. The present research was conducted in two parts in such a way that in each part, the subjects viewed the images of the desired products (an orange juice and a cup of coffee) in two groups and answered the questions. For data analysis, the structural equation model was utilized in Smart PLS2. The results of the two parts of the study showed that the congruent background colors of the products and the dynamic product scent imagery had more positive effects on the sensory (vision and olfaction) responses, feelings, and emotions, thus providing affective consumers' experiences of the products in the online retail atmosphere.