The next time you consider something at the supermarket, could your nose play a big part in the decision?
University of Auckland Business School student Liam Smith said scent could become a powerful new tool for retailers.
His venture, Scentsation, won first place and NZD 30k in the 2026 Velocity NZD 100k Challenge, along with support from start-up incubator Venture Lab.
Smith is a supermarket duty manager, and the idea came to him one day at work.
“Eggs were cooking in the deli area, and the smell drifted into the next aisle. I watched shoppers’ behaviour change straight away. Most avoided that aisle completely,” he said.
“The few who did walk down it didn’t stop or browse; they just wanted out. That got me thinking: if one bad smell can empty an aisle, what could the right smell do?”
The third-year entrepreneurship, innovation, and international business student said retailers spend heavily on lighting, layout, signage, and promotions to influence what shoppers notice and buy. But he pointed out that smell, one of the most powerful senses, is largely left to chance.
Smith said research shows the right scent, matched to the right product, can make shoppers notice, linger, and buy more. Yet most retailers have no reliable, measurable way to use it.
“Scentsation creates a subtle scent zone around a single product display, so fresh bread smells the way you’d expect fresh bread to,” he added.
“For shoppers, that means a more enjoyable, more appetising shop. For retailers and brands, it’s a new way to bring products to life, backed by sales data rather than guesswork.”
Smith’s idea is one of three winning ventures in the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s annual competition, which supports students, staff, innovators, and researchers to turn promising ideas into businesses.
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