Men need some guidance when it comes to buying fragrance
‘Tis the time of year when many a hapless man finds himself assailed by slinky lingerie, bedazzled by jewellery and perplexed by perfumes while shopping for the missus. Indeed, according to new research, 81% of chaps have perfume high on their Christmas shopping lists, but one in every three are utterly clueless about which fragrance to pick for their partners.
Thankfully help is now at hand, as The Perfume Shop has today employed Living Scent Models in its stores: actual people wearing perfumes who let shoppers smell their bodies to their hearts’ content.
Normally, approaching a stranger and sniffing them would be seriously frowned upon, but today it was merrily encouraged in order to better help male shoppers out of their Christmas perfume predicaments. Each Living Scent Model wore a best-selling Christmas perfume at key ‘pulse points’ on their arms, wrists, shoulders and necks for customers to smell. And smell they did, as the scent mannequins found themselves surrounded by a mob of desperate festive fragrance shoppers within minutes of the shop opening.
Shopping shockers
The Models were dreamt up as a foolproof solution for blokes, after the study revealed some of the most common fragrance-buying fails of British men when shopping for their partners. This included:
1. Men spraying women’s perfume on themselves
2. Spraying multiple perfumes onto the same tester card
3. Not bothering to smell a perfume at all and choosing products based purely on packaging or bottle
4. Spraying perfumes into the air and walking under it
5. Asking a stranger to try the perfume on themselves and sniffing them
6. Buying perfume based solely on whether the model or celebrity promoting it was attractive
Will Shaw, 25 from London, a customer at The Perfume Shop today, said: "I'll be honest, I am guilty of all those, I didn't even realise you were meant to smell the perfumes before you bought them. And I never expected to find myself sniffing at a stranger’s neck, but now I understand why you should actually test a perfume on skin too. It's made a massive difference, I feel like an expert after today! I'm pretty certain my girlfriend is going to absolutely love the gift I've picked out for her this year."
While female shoppers are more adept perfume-purchasers, they don’t all come up smelling of roses, with 62% nonetheless admitting they feel overwhelmed by the number of fragrance options available for men. These ladies need not fear, however, as The Perfume Shop has their needs catered for too, with male Living Scent Mannequins also standing in-store whose bodies are laden with aftershaves for women to get a good whiff of.
Michelle D’vaz, Brand & Marketing Manager from The Perfume Shop commented: “Despite some shoppers’ confusion we have found that three quarters of people do feel it is the perfect gift for a partner. At The Perfume Shop we are all about helping customers make the perfect choice, whether it’s for themselves or somebody else, and the Living Scent Mannequins at our Stratford Westfield Concept Store are an extension of that.
“Customers visiting any of our stores across the UK will always find friendly, down-to-earth experts who can guide them through the process and ensure they make the perfect gift for their loved ones. We’d encourage people not to be shy about asking for help!”
Foolproof Fragrance Buying Guide for Blokes
Experts at The Perfume Shop provided some helpful tips for making sure Brits’ Christmas gifts are guaranteed to make a splash with their recipients this year:
· Channel your inner detective and do your homework Look at what she already likes, as in-store experts can use this information to find new fragrances your partner will love. If you have trouble remembering their favourite brand, take a quick snap of the dresser or bathroom cabinet on your phone
· Sniff Around! Don’t buy blind - try a few different options. And if your nose gets “tired” when testing too many perfumes in a short space of time you can rest it (similar to cleansing your palate) by taking a deep breath on the inside of your elbow or another familiar, clean smell
· Don’t be shy. Ask for help, it’s what all those trained up staff are there for!
· Take your time… Scents take time to develop as the base notes come to the fore, so come back to tester cards after 10 or 15 minutes
· If (still) in doubt, a gift card is always a safer option.
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