Applying Effective Sensory Marketing to Sustainable Coffee Shop Business Management

Abstract

This study focused on sensory marketing that appeals to the five senses of coffee shop customers (“sight,” “smell,” “sound,” “taste,” and “touch”) to provide a sustainable growth model for the saturated coffee shop market. The study identified the relationships among coffee shops’ sensory marketing factors, the “PAD” emotions (pleasure, arousal, and dominance), flow, and behavioral intentions. It employed an online survey of coffee shop customers aged 20 years and older. A total of 608 surveys were used for the final analysis. The results showed that there are statistically meaningful relationships between “sight” and dominance, “sound” and arousal, “taste” and dominance, “taste” and arousal, “touch” and dominance, and “touch” and arousal. In addition, it was confirmed that there are significant relationships among the PAD emotions; pleasure also has positive effects on flow and behavioral intentions. Finally, this study found significant moderating effects of hedonic and utilitarian usage motivations on the hypothesized relationships. Based on our findings, several important academic and business implications are provided, which can contribute to the sustainability of coffee shops.