Smell That? It’s the Scent of Higher Direct Mail Response Rates

It’s time to add a new scent to your direct mail to increase your response rates. Our sense of smell is extremely powerful. A scent can elicit vivid memories that take you to your mom’s kitchen growing up, to the beach, or just about anywhere you’ve been before. In fact, research shows that people recall smells with 65% accuracy after a year, while visual recall is around 50% after just three months.
Our sense of smell is the most emotionally powerful sense, even above sight and sound. That’s because scent is processed in the limbic system; the part of the brain responsible for memory, emotions, and behavior. This neurological connection is why we react so strongly to fragrance and why it can make such a compelling impact in direct mail.
Marketers are leaning into sensory experiences now more than ever. In a study by the USPS and Temple University’s Center for Neural Decision Making, tactile and scented direct mail outperformed digital ads in terms of brand recall, engagement time, and emotional response. Scented mail pieces were especially effective at sparking memory retention and increasing time spent with the piece.
How to Harness the Power of Scent in Direct Mail
To unlock the full potential of scent in your next direct mail campaign, your messaging and sensory elements must work in harmony. If the scent doesn’t align with the visual and written message, it can confuse or repel the recipient instead of persuading them.
Here’s how to build a well-rounded scented mailer:
- Identify the message: What are you trying to say, both visually and verbally?
- Identify the emotion: What should the recipient feel? Nostalgia, excitement, safety, disgust?
- Create the call to action: Make it specific, compelling, and easy to follow.
- Choose the scent: Select a fragrance that amplifies the emotion and message while reinforcing the action you want recipients to take.
- Test with a focus group: Use outsiders—not just internal staff—to gather honest feedback. Misalignment in any of the four areas above can tank your results.
Fresh Scented Mailer Examples
- Food Product Launch: A company promoting a new brownie mix could include a chocolate scent that triggers hunger and comfort, driving immediate action to purchase.
- Floral or Garden Retailer: Add rose or lavender fragrance to flower seed mailers for a memorable, mood-enhancing experience.
- Pest or Odor Control Services: Even an unpleasant scent like skunk or mildew used sparingly can be highly effective when reminding people why they need your product.
- Vacation or Spa Packages: Tropical, citrus, or eucalyptus scents can instantly transport readers and help sell the experience.
- New Car Promotions: That iconic "new car smell" can be replicated to create a powerful sensory trigger in automotive mailers.
Scent Creates Connections
Scent doesn’t just grab attention — it extends dwell time and creates deeper emotional connections. People are far more likely to save, show, or even post on social media about a piece of mail that smells good (or interesting). This extends the reach of your campaign beyond the mailbox.
Scent also adds a layer of brand distinctiveness. When everyone is competing in the inbox or online, a multi-sensory print piece sets you apart. And with today’s technology, scents can be applied via scratch-and-sniff, microencapsulation, scent varnishes, and more, making it more flexible and cost-effective than ever.
The key to success is creativity and strategic alignment. By integrating scent into your direct mail strategy, you’ll not only boost ROI but also tap into one of the most powerful tools in your marketing arsenal, human memory and emotion.
Are you ready to stand out with scent?
The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions. Artificial Intelligence may have been used in part to create or edit this content.
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- Mailing/Fulfillment - Postal Trends

Summer Gould is Account Executive at Neyenesch Printers. Summer has spent her 31 year career helping clients achieve better marketing results. She has served as a panel speaker for the Association of Marketing Service Providers conferences. She is active in several industry organizations and she is a board member for Printing Industries Association San Diego, as well as the industry chair for San Diego Postal Customer Council. You can find her at Neyenesch’s website: neyenesch.com, email: summer@neyenesch.com, on LinkedIn, or on Twitter @sumgould.





