Fragrance Shop to open 15 new ‘Sniffbars’

The Fragrance Shop has announced it is to open 15 new ‘Sniffbars’, which will allow customers to smell a wide variety of fragrances and speak with perfume consultants.

Opening as concessions in shopping centres, the standalone outlets are aimed at creating a retail experience for customers, merging both physical and digital retail. Customers will be able to order perfumes they like, or if they are pushed for time the outlets will offer testers with a QR code which when scanned will take customers to the product page on the retailer’s website.

The retailer will give ordering customers a free sample bottle for use while they are waiting for their purchase to arrive. The new concept has attracted 66% more new customers according to the perfume retailer, which added that its direct online sales had seen a 15% rise as a result of the ‘Sniffbars’.

The new concept has seen a 30% higher conversion rate than in its standard stores, with customers said to be interacting three and half times more at the outlets.

The retailer is currently looking for locations for the new stores, with three announced so far in Trinity Leeds, Birmingham New Street and Merry Hill Shopping Centre. The Trinity Leeds outlet is the first new ‘Sniffbar’ earmarked for opening on 5 November.

Fragrance Shop CEO, Sanjay Vadera said: “Following a strong performance from our new Sniff Bars, I am looking forward to rolling out our new disruptive digital fragrance bars to various locations across the UK in 2019.

“We are currently looking for suitable locations and cannot wait for people to experience the variety and quality on offer, and the expertise of The Fragrance Shop team.”