The Scent Trunk Experience, Part 2: Unpacking the Trunks and More

by: Jodi Battershell

In Part 1, I talked to Scent Trunk founder Will Yin about what's happened with the service since its launch just under a year ago, and my husband joined the site to get the Scent Trunk Experience firsthand. In Part 2, Mr. NLS and I will unpack the trunks (yes, TRUNKS! keep reading!) and learn more about what Scent Trunk has in store for 2015 and beyond.

I noted in the previous article that the growing selection of Canadian perfume brands available in the Scent Trunk offering reflects the growth of the Canadian indie and artisan fragrance industry. We've recently featured Candian perfumers like Suzy Larsen Perfumes in our articles here on Fragrantica and Monsillage garnered a lot of attention when they won a 2015 Art and Olfaction Award. I took the opportunity to ask Will to describe the Canadian fragrance industry and fragrance culture.

"It's very similar in Canada to the States, the only difference is that we don't get a lot of the cool services you guys have, because they don't ship across borders," said Will.  "I also find in the US, a lot of companies have huge bankrolls, and are funded well by investors. We aren't. But I think one benefit of that is that we have a more intimate relationship with each customer. Most of our subscribers know me by name, or I've emailed them, or we've even had conversations over the phone!"

The Scent Trunk team actually appeared on Dragon's Den (the reality television series in which young entrepreneurs pitch ideas to a group of seasoned venture capitalists in an effort to obtain funding. Versions of the show exist throughout the US, Canada, UK and Australia as either Dragon's Den or Shark Tank.)  They made their pitch back in November 2014 and their episode aired in March 2015. Their pitch was successful and they got an offer from the dragons ... but they decided to turn it down! Will explains a little more in this clip from local network Station 14 Kingsford:

"They were very steep with their offer and they wouldn't have made good partners," Will noted. "They are very business-oriented and we were worried they were going to turn this into a Bay St. business [Bay St. is the center of Toronto's financial district and the hub of much of Canada's financial industry—jb]. We really care about our subscribers, and our vision and we didn't want them to ruin that."

That commitment to their vision and to their customers appears to be paying off. Even without the Dragons' investment dollars, the company has survived and thrived, with plans to improve and refine the content of its website and prepare for an important expansion of its services later in 2015.

UNPACKING THE TRUNKS

A couple weeks after Mr. NLS took the survey to learn about his preferences, the Scent Trunk based on his answers and Scent Profile arrived. His Scent Profile suggested a preference for Fresh and Woody fragrances equally, with moderate preferences for Oriental and Floral as well. This customizability is a chief advantage offered by Scent Trunk. "People can rate the fragrances they've tried and those ratings will change their profile," explains Will. "We also add a season factor, where we will offer lighter notes in the summer, for example. Our subscribers are all about experiencing more, trying new things, and being delighted. We knew we had to keep changing the Scent Profile to keep our subscribers on their toes."

Scent Trunk's printed informational material accompanying Yesterday Haze

The men's trunk we received based on his Scent Profile contained two Woody Aromatics (Roberta Andrade Essenceuality and Zoologist Perfumes Panda) and a Floral Woody Musk (Imaginary Authors Yesterday Haze). We're already fans of Haze but Essenceuality and Panda were new fragrances to us. The quiz did a good job of suggesting scents based on his preferences—he loves all three scents! 

Let's not forget, too, that a huge part of the fun with subscription boxes like Scent Trunk is the joy of receiving surprises in the mail each month!

Speaking of surprises ...

Just a couple days later, another box arrived from Kingston, Ontario, addressed to me this time instead of Mr. NLS. What could it be? A white (not black?) Scent Trunk box slid out of the package. Inside was the usual black velvet bag of vials, but the accompanying information cards featured images of women ...  YES! It's a WOMEN'S Scent Trunk!

Will confirms, "We are going to be launching our women's box this Summer, just in time for Mother's Day.  We get asked all the time when our women's box is coming out, so we're doing it!" Like the men's subscription, the women's subscription will also be available to give as a gift and the service will be officially launched on May 1.

The guys put together a special "preview" trunk just for me and they did a great job. My Women's Scent Trunk featured Parfums de Marly Safanad, Rancé 1795 Paulineand Zoologist Perfumes Panda. (And I haven't even taken the quiz and created my Scent Profile yet, which would help customize future selections according to my preferences.)

SCENT TRUNK: LOOKING AHEAD

Launching the Women's Trunk is a big step forward and is one of several enhancements and improvements planned as they cross their first anniversary as a company.

"I have learned a lot about the fragrance business," says Will.  "It's an experiential product. It's all about how it makes you feel. So we're really trying to build a customer experience which embraces what we stand for."

As accurate as Mr. NLS and I found it to be, updating the Scent Profile questions is at the top of the list. "It was originally for fragrance newbies, but we got a lot of interest from fragrance enthusiasts. The one thing the enthusiasts didn't like, however, was the fact that our survey was geared towards newbies," says Will. "We're glad to say that that's changing. Our first question is going to ask whether you are a newbie, or an enthusiast. And the following questions will be based on what you chose for the first question. So if you are an enthusiast, we will ask you more in-depth questions so we can give you exactly what you are into!"

The magazine portion of the site site will expand and grow, based on customer preferences and reflective of Scent Trunk's broader mission. "We wanted to provide a place where our community, people who believe in our vision, and what we stand for, could improve themselves. We are going to be doing a lot of surveys to determine what our subscribers want, so we can give it to them." 

The Scent Trunk site also features an online shop—something even many of their subscribers did not realize. It offers full-size bottles of many fragrances featured in the trunks. Will notes that further development of the shop is on the horizon as well: "There are a lot of grey market retailers; we want to be one that customers can really trust."

What will not change and what is first and foremost in all they do: Scent Trunk's commitment to its customers. Will's summary of his experiences in Scent Trunk's first year of business say it all.

"I have also learned a lot about being an entrepreneur. First of all, it's hard, but it's rewarding. And, it's all about the customer. Our customers have been so supportive of us and we really appreciate that. They have been giving us feedback and helping us grow. Running and growing a new business is a lot easier when you have passionate customers who are engaged with you."

Read more about The Scent Trunk Experience in Part 1. Visit the official Scent Trunk website to subscribe. The women's subscription service will launch on May 1, 2015. Shipping to Canada and the U.S. is free!

Thank you to Will Yin, Richard Smale and the Scent Trunk Team for sharing your story with our readers and for giving us the Scent Trunk Experience firsthand!

Images of Yesterday Haze cards, two trunks and women's trunk: Jodi Battershell; all others: Scent Trunk