dr lindsey carey dr barbara jenkinson susan walkinshaw
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Smelling of roses: Issues surrounding mature female consumers decision-making in the fragrance industry. Dr Lindsey Carey Dr Barbara Jenkinson Susan Walkinshaw. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Smelling of roses: Issues surrounding mature female
consumers decision-making in the fragrance industry
Dr Lindsey CareyDr Barbara Jenkinson
Susan Walkinshaw
Glasgow Caledonian University 2
Perfume
“ A fragrant liquid typically made from essential oils extracted from flowers and spices used to give a pleasant smell to one’s body.”
Oxford English Dictionary
“When a woman buys perfume, she buys much, much more than simply fluids. The perfume image, its promises, its scent, its name and package, the company that makes it, the stores that sell it – all become a part of the total perfume product.”
Cant et al., 2006:192
Glasgow Caledonian University 3
UK market
Market worth £1.1bn (worldwide £16bn)Growth rate of market is estimated at
16.5%68% of fragrances are geared towards
women85% of women use perfume dailyProfitable 25-34 yr old female consumer
segment is in declineMature segment (over 44) is growing
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UK Market
New product introductions are a regular occurrence
Often led by celebritiesCharacterised by gift purchases (mainly
by women)Spend has not reduced even in times of
economic recession
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Market segmentation
According to the % of concentrated oils the fragrance includes (Perfume, Eau de Parfum, Eau de Toilette, Eau de Cologne)
By fragrance categories (Floral/Oriental/Woody and Fresh)
By manufacturer (4 multinationals own 45% of brands)
By category of fragrance “premium” and “mass market”
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Theoretical framework
Mature consumer behaviour (Fox et al., 1984; Lunsford & Burnett, 1992; Gilly & Zeithhaml, 1985; Moschis & Mathur, 2006; Uncles & Lee, 2006; Lambert-Pandraud & Laurent, 2010) Innovativeness (Laukkanen et al., 2007; Manning et al.,
1995; Wang & Zhou, 2008)
Relationship theory (Fournier, 1998; Chaudhuri & Holbrook, 2001; Thomson et al., 2005; Park et al., 2010; Grisaffe & Nguyen, 2011) Attachment (Ball & Tasaki, 1992; Kleine & Baker, 2004;
Mugge et al., 2006; Belaid & Behi, 2011; Patwardhan & Balasubramanian; 2011)
Nostalgia/heritage (Belk, 1990; Holbrook & Schindler, 1991; Holbrook, 1993; Divard & Robert-Demontrond, 1997)
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Research Problem
Previous research Nostalgia has little influence Strong brands facilitate attachment Innovation intense in the perfume market
Investigate issues surrounding the purchasing of fragrance brands by mature women with particular reference to nostalgia and attachment within the UK market
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Methods
Qualitative interviews with fragrance consultants (n=10)
Qualitative interviews with industry experts (n=4)
Survey distributed to women (age 44+) at point of sale of a specialist fragrance retailer (n =117)
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Descriptive results
3 age groups 44-60 (61%) Mature 61-75 (31%) Old Mature 76+ (8%) Grand Mature
Ownership of 3 bottles (as age increases number of bottles owned decreases)
High users of fragrance (84% use it daily)
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Attachment
Fragrance/brand builds a significant emotional relationship with customer
“passion, happiness, love, completely love vs upset, very upset, distraught, quite gutted, great disappointment, totally disappointed, devastated”
Enhances and helps create self concept and identity/ through brand engagement, scent (inc. signature scent), personality and association
“because perfume is a personal thing, I could walk into a room and know someone through the perfume they are wearing”
“you can associate characteristics with fragrances, for example, I would associate a stronger more pungent smell with a confident person and sweeter fragrances with someone who is more bubbly”
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Association“I think it’s an image thing so they won’t be embarrassed if someone asks what fragrance they are wearing, they wouldn’t want to say something like Kylie Minogue, they would rather say YSL or Dior”
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Nostalgia
Memories of events and emotional attachments create nostalgia (including displaced or removed attachments)
“ I wouldn’t show someone at twenty years old L’Instant de Guerlain but she might come in and ask for it because her grandmother wore it “and I just adore my grandmother and I want to wear it and I love it”. I’m not going to say she can’t”
“they say that reminds me of blah, blah, blah times, they are emotionally attached and they start telling you stories about the times they have worn the fragrance”
The older the consumer the preference for long established heritage brands increases
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Other determinants related to fragrance purchasing
Age related when associated with gift/occasion purchases
“if someone came in looking for a gift the question of the age of the recipient would be one of the first questions I would ask”Incentives are important in this market (price
promotions/free gifts)Celebrity endorsement is dominating for new
launch of fragrancesHeritage/luxury/classic brands are being re-
launched
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Conclusion
Perfume is in a product category of its own
Consumers purchase on association, emotional connection and self-image construction
Ambivalence of segmentation of consumer market related to age