Part 1: Waft Sets Out to Master Online Fragrance Customization

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It comes as no surprise that at the start of 2017, ecommerce is king. While beauty brands have started implementing ways to make buying cosmetic products online easier for consumers (i.e. virtual try-ons via smartphones and subscription boxes), brands in the fragrance industry are still trying to hit their stride.

According to an article written by Rachel ten Brink, co-founder and CMO of Scentbird, consumers perceive prestige fragrance as a luxury product and are not willing to shell out $90 or more without having sniffed the product first.

Waft is an online fragrance company that specializes in creating and selling customizable fragrances by analyzing the favorite moods, scents and social activities of the customer. So, while one may not be able to smell the fragrance until it arrives on their doorstep, the idea is that they should have been able to flawlessly customize a scent that is tailored uniquely for them.

How it Works:

Type: Users are directed first to the Waft Lab where they are able to choose the type of fragrance that they want to create: masculine, feminine or unisex fragrances, which have been gaining popularity over the last few years. After selecting the fragrance type, customers can choose between designing a crisp scent for the day or a bolder scent to be worn at night. They then narrow down the exact activity that they will be doing while wearing their fragrance. These activity selections include sport, social, work and dating.

We selected a feminine fragrance to be worn at night while socializing.

Mood: Customers are then prompted to choose the mood that their fragrance will convey and what their personal style aesthetic can be described as. Choices include fresh, sexy, elegant and relaxed followed by classic and trendy.

We selected an alluring, sexy mood with a trendy aesthetic.

Waft: Customers are then able to select the “waft” or how strong they want their scent to be. Choices include subtle (lightly fragranced), balanced (medium fragrance) and daring (bold fragrance).

We selected the “balanced” fragrance which is said to be “a scent that encompasses you and entices only those in your close proximity.”

Ingredients: This optional step allows customers to select ingredients, from a list of 35, that appeal to them when used in a fragrance. Choices include fig, leather, ocean, caramel, rose, green tea, amber and oud, just to name a few.

We selected amber, leather and sandalwood.

Finish: During the last step customers can review the fragrance that they have created. There is also an option to add a brand name fragrance that they like in order for Waft to craft a similar scent.

The finished product can be named and inscribed with a personal message, if the customer so chooses. The end result comes in a 100ml bottle and is accompanied with two free 15ml mini fragrances, selected by the company, which can be layered over the fragrance to freshened up the scent or give it a little edge.

A customizable Waft fragrance retails for $99. There is also an option to purchase a 5ml sample spray of the fragrance for $19. This allows customers to try out and change fragrances if need be or cancel the order all together.

Be sure to check back and read Part 2 for a full review when our finished fragrance arrives.

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