Sensory Triggers to Drive Sales- Creating Competitive Advantage Through Multisensory Consumption Experience in Restaurants

Abstract

When foreign fast food restaurants enter the Indian market, their sensory marketing strategies change based on language, culture and taste preferences. Southern India is known for cultural diversity, different languages, spicy taste preferences and varied music; these components directly impact sensory strategies and consumer behaviour. The objective of this paper is to analyse the relationship between time spent in the restaurant and sensory strategies used, leading more consumption. The purpose of the study is to find out whether the sensory cues (colour, music, smell, touch and taste) have any significant role in having customers spend more time at the restaurant leading more consumption. Data was gathered from consumers of Four international fast-food chain restaurants (KFC, McDonald, Domino’s and Subway) across four cities (Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad) of India. Chi Square test rejected the null hypotheses; there was statistically significant evidence of an association between time spent in the restaurant leading to more consumption and sensory strategies (the colour used, music played and variety of cuisine offered). However, for scent and touch cues, the results were statically insignificant. This study result has important implications for the fast-food industry in understanding how to create and manage their sensory marketing strategies to attract people who love sitting and spending quality time at the restaurant which ultimately leads to more sales.