Did you know that the sense of smell is linked to the systems in the brain that evoke emotions and memory more directly than any other sensory system combined? What does this mean for marketers? It means that we can use smell to influence emotion and purchase intent. This therefore increases purchasing. In 2023, the USPS is offering a 5% postage discount if you integrate scent into your mail piece so you can not only drive additional sales, but you can also save money on postage. The purpose of this USPS promotion is to encourage sensory engagement with physical mail pieces. This is my favorite promotion that the USPS is running because you can only provide a tactile experience with direct mail. No other marketing channel can do this! Interesting Scent Facts: 75% of the emotions we generate on a daily basis are affected by smell. 81% of consumers would choose a product they can smell and touch over one they can only see. 65% of consumers can remember a memory associated with scent after a period of one year. 90% of respondents indicate the scented advertisement stood out from the clutter

Ace Hardware’s full-year revenue growth was fueled by its digital business growing 27% from the year prior. The company has been working to grow its brick-and-mortar presence. Ace added 106 stores to its footprint this year, ending fiscal 2025 with 5,250 locations across the U.S. It currently has more than 8,800 stores worldwide.  Along with growing its store count, Ace Hardware has been building out its fulfillment operations. Last summer, the retailer opened a 1.5 million-square-foot retail support center in Kansas City, Missouri, from which it can quickly ship products to its stores across the U.S. The facility marked a “significant investment in our long-term growth,” Travis Thomas, Ace’s retail support director, said at the time.

Amazon.com Inc. has agreed to pay $2.5 billion and overhaul its popular Prime membership program after federal regulators accused the company of using deceptive tactics to lock millions of consumers into subscriptions and then making it intentionally difficult to cancel. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced the deal Sept. 25, calling it one of the largest consumer protection settlements in its history. The order requires Amazon to pay a $1 billion civil penalty — the largest ever tied to a violation of an FTC rule — along with $1.5 billion in refunds to an estimated 35 million customers who were charged for unwanted Prime subscriptions or faced obstacles when trying to leave the service. FTC chair Andrew Ferguson described the outcome as “a monumental win for the millions of Americans who are tired of deceptive subscriptions that feel impossible to cancel.” He said Amazon’s enrollment and cancellation flows were designed as “subscription traps,” steering consumers into sign-ups without consent and frustrating efforts to exit.