E-books: Does The Nose Know?

This has an intriguing smell to it. CaféScribe.com is trying to nose ahead in the e-book market by introducing a method of making their e-books smell like hard copy books. The premise behind it is that customers will move towards digital books if they have the smell of hardcover books.

3 in 10 of the surveyed students associated “mustiness” with the books they most loved, although 16% — possibly those most likely to hit the books early in the day – associated best-loved books with the smell of “freshly-ground coffee.” Other smells mostly failed to bring books to mind, although respondents were more likely to associate pleasant smells (cut grass, freshly baked bread, cookies baking) with books than unpleasant ones (sweat, mildew, grease).

So, when you buy an ebook you get a scratch and sniff sticker to put on your computer to give you that musty smell when reading.

Next up, stickers that allow you to get ink all over your fingers when reading your news on-line.

Via Craig Pringle