Determining criteria in the purchase of a perfume
- Eloïse Niklaus
- Nov 30, 2020
- 6 min read
The study was carried out on the basis of 15 respondents, in order to analyse the determining factors when buying a perfume.
Of the 15 respondents, 10 are women, 5 are men. The majority of respondents (86.7%) are between 18 and 25 years old. The remaining 13.3% are over 55 years old. 73.3% of them live in urban areas.
46.7% of all respondents wear perfume every day, 40% of them several times a week, 6.7% once a week and the remaining 6.7% more occasionally. The majority of respondents (53.3%) prefer to keep the same perfume regardless of the occasion. In general, respondents tend to consider themselves more of an educated consumer.
We note that the respondents are mainly individuals between the ages of 18 and 25 living in urban areas, most of whom are students or just starting out in the working world, and thus suggest that this study will mainly analyze the factors influencing the purchase of millenials with similar lifestyles.
The most auspicious occasions for wearing perfume according to respondents are at work, to go out in the evening or in afterwork, or on romantic dates. 53.3% of them also feel that there is no particular occasion to wear perfume since they wear it daily.
The majority of respondents (33.3%) believe that their usual perfume lasts about 3 to 4 hours. On the other hand 26.7% estimate that their perfume lasts less than one hour. We can then suppose that the duration of the perfume on the skin and clothing is an important criterion of choice at the time of the purchase of a perfume. This hypothesis can be reinforced by the fact that 26.7% of them use pocket spray bottles, concrete perfumes and samples to perfume or reperfume themselves during the day.
The majority of respondents (73.3%) said they wear perfume to assert their personality but also for pleasure. 53.3% others say they use perfume to boost their self-confidence or in a seduction perspective, allowing them to feel more attractive.
The majority of the respondents consider the perfume in a more or less affirmed way as a true fashion accessory (approximately 73%).
The majority of respondents say they have a favorite brand of perfume and remain loyal to the fragrance they usually wear, since 66.7% of respondents prefer to keep the same perfume, compared to 26.7% of respondents who like to change their perfume regularly, with only 1 respondent liking to change very frequently; although the majority of them (60%) believe that perfumes have seasonality. It can thus be estimated that consumers alternate between two perfumes during the year: one for the summer season, one for the winter season, thus remaining faithful to their perfumes for these two seasons, each year.
Overall, respondents appear to be little influenced by their peers when buying a perfume. In fact, only 26.7% of respondents say they are rather influenced.
Respondents appear to be little influenced by advertising when purchasing a perfume. On the other hand, the media that nevertheless seem to be the most effective in making new perfumes known are the internet and street advertising (57.1%) and television (42.9%).
Also, the majority of respondents are not or only slightly influenced by the appearance of the container (80%), just as they are not or only slightly influenced by the color of the juice (73.3%).
The majority of respondents prefer strong rather than discreet fragrances (46.7%).
However 53.3% of respondents prefer amber (soft, powdery, oriental vanilla) and floral fragrances (composed essentially of flowers: jasmine, rose, violet). Then come woody fragrances (warm notes of sandalwood, patchouli, cedar), preferred by 40% of respondents, followed by eather (composed of dry notes of tobacco, smoke, burnt wood) and citrusy fragrances (composed of fruit zest: orange, bergamot, lemon) at 20%. Ferny (woody, lavender, oak moss) and chypre fragrances (oak moss, patchouli, bergamot accords) seem to be the least appreciated fragrances, liked by 13.3% and 6.7% of respondents respectively.
We therefore deduce that when respondents evoke a strong fragrance, they refer more to the character of the fragrance, to the imagination to which it refers, than to its composition.
Responses show that respondents are not very sensitive to the use of synthetic fragrances in the fragrances they buy, having little influence on their choices when making a purchase.
The brands most cited by respondents, and thus considered as "top of mind" brands, are : Chanel, cited 7 times, Guerlain, Jean Paul Gaultier and Hugo Boss each cited 3 times, Paco Rabane, Hermes, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and Armani cited 2 times.
60% of respondents said they wear perfumes of the brands they mentioned.
The preferred channels for purchasing a perfume are major retailers (73.3%), such as Sephora, offering a wide variety of choices and the opportunity to test products before purchase, while being advised by sales professionals and the brands' physical stores (53.3%). Only 20% of respondents use the online channel. The other channels are factories (such as those of Fragonard and Molinard), Duty Free, but are much less used.
The vast majority of respondents say they spend between 75 and 99€ for their perfumes (66.7%). Only 13.3% of them say they are willing to pay more than €200 for a perfume.
They are thus little influenced by price, the quality of the perfume and the scent being the most important criteria. It is indeed a long-term investment and not a fast consumer good.
Overall, respondents report having as much confidence in major designer brands that also offer perfumery products as they do in specialized perfumery brands.
All respondents say they find the concept of custom-made perfumes interesting and would be willing to make their own (60%). On the other hand, the main obstacle appears to be the price. As for the motivations, it is a question of distinguishing oneself by wearing a unique fragrance.
During the questioning to know their opinions concerning the unisex perfumes, or unigenre as it could be rectified by one of our respondents, the opinions are rather divided. Some respondents appreciate the concept, some even wear it already, believing that the fragrance should not be gendered or can reveal both the masculine and feminine aspects of a personality, and thus corresponds rather to the current state of demand (particularly in light of the concerns and debates observable today in our society). Conversely, other respondents believe that a unisex perfume does not allow for sufficient differentiation, since perfumes are generally more feminine or masculine.
60% of the respondents affirm however to be ready to buy a unisex perfume, for the reasons previously quoted, the others out of curiosity, provided that the fragrance does not present an aspect too masculine or too feminine, and thus an accuracy in the proportioning.
This study thus reveals that the main factors influencing the choice of a perfume at the time of purchase, and more specifically for millenials consumers, are the fragrance itself, generally with a rather pronounced, assertive scent, which reveals their personality. The need to stand out, to distinguish oneself, seems to remain the predominant criterion, as is shown by the questions about classic perfumes, custom-made perfumes and unigender fragrances. The fragrance must last over time, throughout the day, even if it has to be offered in new formats, different from the traditional bottle, in order to allow consumers to modulate the way they perfume themselves and, above all, to re-perfume themselves as they wish. The image conveyed by the perfume also proves to be of some importance, all the more so as loyalty to one or two fragrances seems very strong.
Consumers generally prefer retail outlets to make their purchases, offering a wide range of choices, or branded shops especially when they are more in the product loyalty phase than in the discovery phase.
Nor is price a determining criterion for purchase, as perfume is a fashion accessory for which one invests over time and is chosen by consumers for more personal reasons, such as asserting their personality. They must feel that the perfume is made for them, that it suits them. On the other hand, these remarks must be nuanced since the main obstacle to buying custom-made perfumes appears to be price, this category of perfume appearing in the collective imagination as much more onerous than classic perfumes. We can therefore conclude that consumers determine the quality of a perfume according to the average price attributed for certain quantities, not being ready to spend less at the risk of obtaining a lower quality product.
Designer brand or brand specialised in perfumery, this does not seem to influence the purchase either. This can be justified by the complexity of the world of perfumery, which does not allow consumers to know all the ins and outs of it, but also by the quality of the products sold and the confidence given to fashion brands by consumers due to the image they convey, notably through their communication.
Advertising is not a major factor, although the communication channels with the greatest impact are the internet, street advertising and television. Although it does not influence the selection criteria, advertising helps to introduce new fragrances and new products to consumers and to increase brand notoriety. As proof, the brands cited by the respondents are mainly Chanel, Dior, Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, Hugo Boss, Jean Paul Gaultier or Paco Rabane, which are the brands that communicate massively on the channels mentioned.
An interesting aspect was raised during this study with regard to unisex fragrances, as the gender seems to be of decreasing importance. According to some of them, although the perfume serves to distinguish oneself, it is not necessary for the perfume to be gendered. The relationship of individuals to fragrance and smell is therefore the most essential and determining criterion when buying a perfume, which seems the clearest given the nature of the product.
By Eloïse Niklaus, 29/11/2020
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