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Thank you for the music – or not? The effects of in-store music in service settings
Abstract
Managers believe that in-store music has positive effects on customers' responses; consequently, it is widely used in different service settings such as supermarkets and coffee shops. However, prior research shows inconclusive results about the effects of in-store music – namely positive, non-significant and even negative effects. To shed more light on the actual effects of in-store music, the authors provide a systematic literature review of journal articles to explore such effects in six frequently studied service settings: supermarkets, retail, restaurants, bars, cafeterias and banks. The present literature review has three objectives. First, the authors develop a conceptual framework to provide structure and guidance to the research stream about in-store music in service settings. Second, the authors take a closer look at the existence of in-store music (i.e., whether the presence of in-store music helps, has no effect, or ‘hurts’) as well as on the design of in-store music for each service setting separately (i.e., how in-store music has to be designed to have beneficial effects). Third, after elaborating the status quo (what do we know?), this review identifies areas for future research (what do we need to know?).
... Several studies' findings indicate that background music, or certain aspects of it, can influence consumers emotionally, cognitively, or behaviorally (e.g., Anderson et al., 2012;Beverland et al., 2006;North et al., 2015;Vida et al., 2007;Yalch & Spangenberg, 1990). Although research indicates that background music affects consumers, the findings are inconsistent, highlighting the need for further investigation into this topic (Garlin & Owen, 2006;Joy et al., 2023;Michel et al., 2017). ...
... These were affective variables (such as arousal or pleasure), financial returns (such as value of sales or items purchased), attitude and perception (such as liking or brand loyalty), temporal effects (such as perceived versus actual waiting time), and behavioral variables (such as store choice or impulse behavior). Several researchers have tried to grasp this complex and often unconscious process, that is impacted by musical elements, the consumer, and the service setting in general (Joy et al., 2023;Michel et al., 2017). ...
... According to Michel et al. (2017), musical volume has mixed impact of customers, potentially due to service settings. For example, Morrison et al. (2011) report positive effects on consumer satisfaction in clothing store whereas North et al. (2020) reported that loud music impacted service setting evaluation negatively. ...
This chapter focuses on the impact of music on customers' shopping experiences, both in physical and online luxury retail service settings. It highlights the strategic importance of music in enhancing luxury brand experiences, underscoring the need for congruity between music and brand to avoid unfavourable outcomes. It builds on earlier research on the impact of background music in service settings. Two exploratory studies show how consumers understand the power of music to enhance brand image. The discussion emphasises the strategic role of music in luxury brand experiences, contributing valuable insights for luxury brand management.
... Several studies' findings indicate that background music, or certain aspects of it, can influence consumers emotionally, cognitively, or behaviorally (e.g., Anderson et al., 2012;Beverland et al., 2006;North et al., 2015;Vida et al., 2007;Yalch & Spangenberg, 1990). Although research indicates that background music affects consumers, the findings are inconsistent, highlighting the need for further investigation into this topic (Garlin & Owen, 2006;Joy et al., 2023;Michel et al., 2017). ...
... These were affective variables (such as arousal or pleasure), financial returns (such as value of sales or items purchased), attitude and perception (such as liking or brand loyalty), temporal effects (such as perceived versus actual waiting time), and behavioral variables (such as store choice or impulse behavior). Several researchers have tried to grasp this complex and often unconscious process, that is impacted by musical elements, the consumer, and the service setting in general (Joy et al., 2023;Michel et al., 2017). ...
... According to Michel et al. (2017), musical volume has mixed impact of customers, potentially due to service settings. For example, Morrison et al. (2011) report positive effects on consumer satisfaction in clothing store whereas North et al. (2020) reported that loud music impacted service setting evaluation negatively. ...
... Background music is an important environmental cue which affects consumers' emotions, attitudes, and purchasing behaviors (Alpert and Alpert, 1990;Andersson et al., 2012;Michel et al., 2017). Whether we step into a shopping mall or a restaurant, we are likely to hear the background music played by the merchants. ...
... Music is an essential element in modern marketing practices. Extensive research has explored how background music in marketing environments affects consumers' emotions, attitudes, and behaviors (Alpert and Alpert, 1990;Bruner, 1990;Areni, 2003;Andersson et al., 2012;Michel et al., 2017). Music consists of structural features such as rhythm, melody, timbre, and tempo, which significantly influence the emotional and semantic conveyance of music (Scherer et al., 2001). ...
... Frontiers in Psychology 10 frontiersin.org on consumer emotion and behavior, most articles focused on the mediating role of emotional valence (Areni, 2003;Michel et al., 2017), with limited consideration of arousal. This study revealed that arousal is the underlying mechanism through the effect of background music tempo on consumers' variety-seeking behavior rather than affect valence, enriched the literature on arousal. ...
Diversified purchases of consumers can help companies balance sales and inventories, which is of great significance to company profits. While existing research has explored the internal factors and external factors that influence consumers’ variety-seeking behavior, little is known about the impact of background music, an important environmental cue in retail establishments, on consumer variety-seeking behavior. The present research investigates the influence of background music tempo on consumer variety-seeking behavior, along with its underlying mechanism and boundary condition. Five experiments revealed that background music tempo affects consumers’ variety-seeking behavior (Study 1a, 1b & 4). Specifically, fast-tempo background music increases consumers’ variety-seeking behavior (Study 1b). Arousal mediates the main effect (Study 2), as fast-tempo background music increases consumers’ variety-seeking behavior by enhancing consumers’ arousal. Moreover, participants’ familiarity with the background music moderates the impact of background music tempo on consumer variety-seeking behavior (Study 3). Only when consumers have a high degree of familiarity with the background music they listen to, the tempo of the background music will have a significant impact on their variety-seeking behavior. These findings provide important theoretical contributions and management implications.
... Although these studies focus on the characteristics of sound, such as its source (Sayin, Krishna, Ardelet, Briand Decré, & Goudey, 2015), volume (Mehta, Zhu, & Cheema, 2012), complexity (North & Hargreaves, 1999), or tempo (Milliman, 1982), silence appears as a control condition in which additional sonic stimuli, such as background music, are suppressed. In their review of research on in-store music in service settings, Michel, Baumann, and Gayer (2017) show mixed effects of music and silence on customers' affective states and behaviors, but more importantly, underscore that only less than half of the studies include a no-music condition. ...
... Considering the affective functions of consumption soundscapes, Michel et al. (2017) report mixed effects of the presence versus absence of background music and suggest that these variations might be explained by the choice of musical design or by the situation customers find themselves in. For instance, Andersson, Kristensson, Wästlund, and Gustafsson (2012) showed that consumers' enjoyment was higher in a no-music condition during utilitarian activity, and gender played a moderating role in hedonic activities, for which females preferred silence or slow music. ...
... Along the same line, empirical research is needed to better refine our framework and understand how individual variables affect consumers' experiences of silence and moderate its effects. Although existing experiments on background music effects do not systematically include customers' individual moderating variables (Michel et al., 2017), research suggests that demographics such as age (Drolet, income (Meng & Kang, 2013) influence people's general attitude toward sound, their evaluations of soundscapes, and their reactions to them. In addition, Shepherd, Heinonen-Guzejev, Hautus, and Heikkilä (2015) demonstrate that personality traits have an independent effect on individuals' level of tolerance to sound. ...
Despite the pervasiveness and ambivalence of silence in consumption experiences, consumer research on silence is still scarce and draws mostly on a static and organizational perspective of the consumer experience. Drawing on the review of existing perspectives in the multidisciplinary literature, the contribution of this article is threefold: first it extends current knowledge by offering a comprehensive definition of silence and building a typology of silence experiences. Second, this article develops a framework identifying the functions of silence and highlighting the potential factors affecting its effects. Finally, this article proposes an agenda to stimulate future research on silence in view of the consumer experience.
... Classical, familiar, and highly recognizable music generally leads to positive effects. Nevertheless, in contexts in which they are inappropriate, the literature shows adverse consequences in terms of purchase intentions (Michel et al 2017). ...
... Background music and creative support systems and their effects on consumers' purchase intentions are fundamental to music literature (Michel et al. 2017). A great number of empirical studies have been undertaken to obtain improved understanding of such effects in every field. ...
... The sustainable management logic also relates to an improvement in the congruency between in-store background music and the purchase experience that sellers want their customers to have. The literature highlights the importance of the correlation between advertising, music, and all other stimuli and environments in which purchasing takes place (Michel et al. 2017). In fact, the correct combination of music and advertising can be useful for changing brand perceptions. ...
Music is the background of life, representing an international language that connects different cultures. It is also significant with respect to economies, markets, and businesses. The literature in the music field has identified several issues related to the role of digitalization in the revolution of music, the distribution of music products, the management and organization of music events, music marketing strategies, and the position of musicians as entrepreneurs. This paper comprises a systematic literature review of the most recent articles discussing the numerous connections between music, business, and management (2017–2022). Through a rigorous protocol, this research discusses the effects of the digital revolution on the music industry, with particular reference to the persisting oligopoly of major labels and the new business models that integrate music streaming and social networks. The findings show the renaissance and relevance of live music events, the fundamental role of segmentation strategies for managing festivals, and the limited presence of sustainability as a priority during festivals and events management. Furthermore, the literature highlights the relevance of discussions concerning musicians’ identity, especially in light of the complex relationship between the bohemian and the entrepreneurial nature of their profession. This is followed by numerous reflections on future research opportunities, recommending theoretical and empirical in-depth studies of music industry competition, futuristic management philosophies and business models, and the roles of technology, sustainability, and financial elements in fostering artists’ success in the digital era. Finally, the paper discusses business models and strategies for musicians, festivals management, stores, and sustainability.
... Environmental music is an artistic element that acts as an external stimulus affecting emotions, perception of time, behaviour and particularly consumers' behaviour [15]. The influence on consumer's behaviour has been investigated by several experimental studies carried out in natural settings to analyse in-store traffic flow [16], sales volumes (i.e., [17,18]), product choices (i.e., [19]), time elapsed in a commercial area (i.e., [20,21]) and perceived waiting duration [22] or shopping time [23]. ...
... The influence on consumer's behaviour has been investigated by several experimental studies carried out in natural settings to analyse in-store traffic flow [16], sales volumes (i.e., [17,18]), product choices (i.e., [19]), time elapsed in a commercial area (i.e., [20,21]) and perceived waiting duration [22] or shopping time [23]. In particular, the marketing literature has shown how the structural components of music (musical tempo, volume and mode), the preferential dimension (liked or familiar music, high level of fit, popular music) or genre (e.g., classical, jazz) have an influence on the evaluation and satisfaction of a store or a service, the time spent in the store, purchase intentions, sales volume and patronage behaviour [15]. In particular, classical music has been associated with more consumers' spending [18,[24][25][26]. ...
... The theoretical framework for the study of the effect of music on consumers' behaviour and spending derives from environmental psychology [39], which indagated the stimulusorganism-response relationship. Overall, the presence of in-store music has a positive influence on sales volumes [15], product choices (i.e., [40]), time elapsed in a commercial area (i.e., [20,21]) and perceived waiting duration [22,41] or shopping time [19]. ...
Psychological research has long demonstrated that preferences can be influenced by stimuli coming from the environment. Music, as an external stimulus influencing people behaviours, purchasing processes and spending, has been widely analysed in consumer behaviour and marketing literature. Here, we focus on the effect of music genres on preferences and willingness to pay for selected ecosystem services of a Nature Park when they are elicited with a Discrete Choice Experiment. This aspect is important in non-market valuation because music can represent an element of context-dependence for the assessment of individual choices, so that the assumption of preference stability does not hold, and welfare estimates may be biased. The results of a generalized mixed logit model evidenced a significant effect of music on preferences. If elicited preferences depend on the context on which the survey is implemented, wrong information to decision makers is provided when the choice context is altered by an uncontrolled external stimulus. This result is particularly important for applied researchers and policy makers. First, the use of protocols and guidelines that instruct respondents about the ambient background when answering a questionnaire is highly recommended, particularly for online surveys. Second, specific genres of music should be used in educational and ecosystem services conservation campaigns and also piped in visitor centres and virtual tours to encourage nature conservation and improve visitors’ sensitiveness for the environment.
... Although considerable attempts to synthesize this contradictory body of research have been made, the vast majority of them are narrative (e.g., Allan, 2008;Bruner, 1990;Herrington & Capella, 1994;Jain & Bagdare, 2011;Magnini & Parker, 2009;Michel et al., 2017;Oakes, 2000;Oakes & North, 2008). Extant music-related meta-analytic reviews are either not specified for customers and service settings (e.g., Behne, 1999;Kämpfe et al., 2011) or are limited to only one dimension of music (Roschk et al., 2017) or to specific outcomes (Garlin & Owen, 2006). ...
... The structural dimensions of music are the objective and observable qualities of a musical composition, such as tempo, volume, mode, pitch, rhythm, and harmony (Herrington & Capella, 1994). Affective/preferential dimensions include liking of or familiarity with the music, its fit to the service context, and its popularity (Michel et al., 2017). These dimensions are primarily described on the basis of listeners' affective evaluations and relate to emotions, feelings, moods, and preferences associated with the music by the listener (Jain & Bagdare, 2011). ...
... Second, we checked the references of previous review articles (e.g., Allan, 2008;Bruner, 1990;Garlin & Owen, 2006;Herrington & Capella, 1994;Jain & Bagdare, 2011;Kämpfe et al., 2011;Magnini & Parker, 2009;Mari & Poggesi, 2013;Michel et al., 2017;Oakes, 2000;Oakes & North, 2008;Roschk et al., 2017;Turley & Milliman, 2000;Vieira, 2013). We included unpublished papers via searches in Google Scholar, ProQuest, and ResearchGate. ...
Music is a key and heavily researched stimulus in tourism and hospitality service settings. However, the growing body of research has produced contradictory results in terms of direction, strength, and statistical significance, rendering conclusions and evidence-based decisions questionable and precarious. This meta-analysis of 56 studies and 209 effects quantitatively synthesizes empirical evidence of the influence of music in tourism and hospitality service settings. We consider five dimensions of music and assess their effects on a wide range of customers’ organismic reactions and behavioral responses. The results indicate that it is not so much the presence as the design of music that influences customers. In addition, the preferential dimensions of music have a much stronger influence on customers than the physical dimensions of music. The large number of relationships examined offers practical guidance to professionals on the effective use of music in tourism and hospitality settings.
... Studies show that when people go to a hot spring, the atmospheric music seems to be able to enhance the relaxing effects (e.g., Loureiro et al., 2013;Wang et al., 2018). Michel et al. (2017) also suggested that hot spring hotel managers should consider to design and integrate atmospheric music with hot spring elements in every individual service space, such as lobby, restaurants, and public thermal pool within their hotels to have positive effects on customers' responses. However, compared with many researches focusing on service environments including supermarkets, restaurants/cafeterias/bars, shopping malls/department stores, banks, and coffee/wine shops (e.g., Areni, 2003;Jeon et al., 2016;Mandila & Gerogiannis, 2012;Meng et al., 2018;North & Hargreaves, 1998;Teng & Lin, 2006), only a few studies have mentioned the use of atmospheric music in spa environments (e.g., Lo et al., 2015;Loureiro et al., 2013). ...
... This study found that there is a higher tendency for the four selected hotels to broadcast music in lobby and catering area. Studies show that atmospheric music can be used as an aid for defining, forming or enhancing hotel image (Herrington & Capella, 1994;Michel et al., 2017). Therefore, most hot spring hotels tend to broadcast music in public spaces. ...
The survey purposes are to preliminarily understand the current situation of atmospheric music broadcast in hot spring hotels and why these choices of music were made. We reviewed literatures regarding applied music and music types, and applied questionnaire, participant observation and unstructured interviews with hotel staff who broadcast music in the unique, famous and historic Guanzihling hot spring region of Taiwan. Results show that music is often broadcast in public areas, such as lobby and restaurants. On the contrary, there was no music broadcast in private areas, such as guest rooms and private thermal baths. Light music is the primary music choice. Music types is chosen without rules by staff who have no basic trainings in music. Possible marketing strategies for future studies include the staff trainings and construction of hotel’s own hot spring music database, and better marketing of hotel’s unique multi-sensory brand image through its distinctive and pleasant music.
... Although intangible, another example of an atmospheric element present in a retail store is music. Music affects shoppers' mood (Furnham & Milner, 2013) and has both negative and positive impact to customers' emotions and behavior depending on what type of music is being played (Michel et al., 2017). However, this type of environment must only be used for customers who are recreationfocused (Vieira & Torres, 2014). ...
... In fact, customers' choice of products and ease of remembering the product increase due to the influence of music compatible with customers' characteristics and, in turn, amplifies the customers' amount of willingness to pay (North et al., 2016). Interestingly, the study of (Michel et al., 2017) revealed that customers show positive emotions (i.e., arousal level) and express intention to buy when fast and loud music is being played. Michel et al. ...
Traditional retailing remains to be the most utilized platform for fast-moving consumer goods transactions. The need to understand the dynamics between the physical retail stores and how it affects consumer behavior is still of utmost importance. The study aims to determine retailing elements that are most influential in terms of increased spending. The study led to the following insights: on a non-controlled and controlled environment in terms of spending cap, the most prominent retailing element in terms of influence is the presence of directional signages with the degree of importance at 25.08 and 22.38 respectively, while in a controlled environment, high level of product assortment follows with the degree of importance at 16.47. As a point of parity between the two spending environments, presence of product bundle as a retail element, replacing the high level of product assortment, is influential on uncapped spending scenario with the degree of importance at 21.88, while being one of the least influential in capped spending with the degree of importance at 6.26. The results were gathered via conjoint analysis statistical method covering eight distinct retail elements through a nationwide sampling dispersal. Keywords: promotion, atmospheric, point-of-purchase display, value-added service, purchase behavior, conjoint analysis, fast-moving consumer goods, retailing
... Music plays a pivotal role in shaping the retail atmosphere, with many businesses curating licensed playlists to influence consumer behavior and enhance the shopping experience [7]. Music has been shown to improve product evaluations and behavioural results in retail when effectively used, both through music choice and volume levels [8]. ...
This paper presents an innovative exploration into the integration of interactive robotic musicianship within a commercial retail environment, specifically through a three-week-long in-store installation featuring a UR3 robotic arm, custom-built frame drums, and an adaptive music generation system. Situated in a prominent storefront in one of the world's largest cities, this project aimed to enhance the shopping experience by creating dynamic, engaging musical interactions that respond to the store's ambient soundscape. Key contributions include the novel application of industrial robotics in artistic expression, the deployment of interactive music to enrich retail ambiance, and the demonstration of continuous robotic operation in a public setting over an extended period. Challenges such as system reliability, variation in musical output, safety in interactive contexts, and brand alignment were addressed to ensure the installation's success. The project not only showcased the technical feasibility and artistic potential of robotic musicianship in retail spaces but also offered insights into the practical implications of such integration, including system reliability, the dynamics of human-robot interaction, and the impact on store operations. This exploration opens new avenues for enhancing consumer retail experiences through the intersection of technology, music, and interactive art, suggesting a future where robotic musicianship contributes meaningfully to public and commercial spaces.
... MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions, or products referred to in the content. negative, or neutral effects on customers' time spent in a location, money spent, and overall satisfaction or brand identification highly differentiated with respect to location, musical genre, tempo, next to others [25]. In an early study, classical compositions were rated as 'happy', 'sad' or 'neural' and correlated to musical features, where 'happy' pieces showed internal definiteness and uniformity in harmony, tempo, dynamics, and rhythm [2] and influenced the emotional response of subject when used as background music of commercials. ...
A labyrinth metamaterial wall with glass coverage is measured in a reverberating chamber and after its installation in a restaurant. Glass is used to meet two aims, namely acoustic absorption and visual design demands. The wall consists of five multiple labyrinth elements of 1.83 m each. Glass was taken to make the wall act as a room lightning device where a translucent cover material is needed. Absorption measurements show about four times improved absorption compared to typical glass. Due to the metamaterial behavior, absorption is high in the low-frequency range below 300 Hz where damping is problematic with traditional materials. Especially in this range, the glass metamaterial wall is an excellent compromise between room acoustic and visual design demands, as loud low-frequencies make visitors speak louder and experience less intimacy with additionally reduced speech intelligibility. For mid-frequencies, absorption is shown less effective and improvements are discussed.
... Research (Michel et al. 2017;Spence 2012;Turley and Milliman 2000) identified auditory cues impact consumers' internal processes, such as emotions (pleasure, valence, mood, and arousal). Different types of brand settings (e.g. a high-end fashion boutique or a budget warehouse store) require different blends and levels of an auditory mix. ...
This research investigates five sensory cues (i.e. visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, and taste) influencing sensory brand experience leading to brand loyalty through customer satisfaction, brand attachment, and customer lovemarks. It also investigates the role of employee empathy in moderating the effect of sensory brand experience on customer satisfaction, brand attachment, and customer lovemarks. Our investigation followed a mixed-method research design, a predominantly quantitative approach by using questionnaire responses from 512 Chinese consumers, which is supported by 10 in-depth interviews and 4 focus group discussions to gain early insights into the subject area. The results suggest that five sensory cues have a significant impact on sensory brand experience and, in turn, contribute to customer satisfaction, brand attachment, and customer lovemarks. It also suggests that not all dimensions of customer satisfaction and brand attachment predict brand loyalty, and employee empathy negatively moderates the relationship between sensory brand experience and customer lovemarks.
... It was found that guest perceptions are positive in terms of music congruence and music liking. These findings are consistent with studies that concluded that music congruence and music liking have positive effects on guests (Garlin, Owen, 2006;Herrington, Capella, 1994;Michel, Baumann, Gayer, 2017;Oakes, North, 2008). ...
Musicscape is an important topic in tourism and hospitality contexts. However, there are few studies on this subject in the accommodation sector. The study aims to determine the effect of ‘musicscape dimensions’ on customer behavior. To achieve this aim, 2357 online reviews of 28 hotels in Antalya, Turkey were analyzed by content analysis. The framework proposed by Oakes was used in the study. The research findings provide hotel managers with practical advice on the effective use of musicscape in tourism and hospitality settings. In addition, it was concluded that customers evaluated the loudness and fast tempo of music negatively, and that the harmony of music broadcasts and their environment offered by a hotel is positively perceived by customers.
... Therefore, music can significantly affect perception, and customer preferences have a positive effect (Gonibala and Tumewu, 2018). While many people believe that in-store music leads to a positive response and creates positive emotions among customers, store managers spend a significant amount of money to play background music although this view remains unclear (Michel et al., 2017). Music can create a sense of sharing between customers and store employees and affects customers' purchase behaviour and store profitability (Yi and Kang, 2019). ...
... Third, haptic mental imagery has significant effects on purchase intent (H1c), perceived arousal (H2c) and perceived dominance (H3c). In line with Michel et al. (2017) previous findings, the three hypotheses that music would affect consumers' emotions were accepted. So, for online retailers, this research provides useful evidence when designing online stimuli as it is important to consider the related sensory cues in the e-customisation process. ...
With the continuing development of internet technologies, an increasing number of consumers want to customise the products they buy online. In order to explore the relationship between perception and purchase intent, a conceptual framework was developed that was based on the link between multisensory perception, positive emotions, and purchase intent in fashion e-customisation marketing. We discuss the outcomes derived from consumers’ experiences in fashion e-customisation and analyse the relationships between variables. Questionnaires were used to collect data for this quantitative study (n = 398 participants). The data was analysed using factor analysis, correlation analysis, and regression analysis. The findings contribute to the field of clothing e-customisation by identifying the effects of visual perception, haptic imagery, and auditory stimulation on arousal, and purchase intent. Visual perception and haptic imagery exerted a positive influence over dominance. We also identify the effects of arousal and dominance on purchase intent, and assess the mediating effects of these variables on visual perception, haptic mental imagery, and purchase intent. The results highlight how fashion e-customisation marketing strategies can be adopted by managers in order to increase positive emotions and how multisensory perception can potentially be used to influence consumers’ purchase behaviour.
... . In-store impression management for healthy food: Sensory marketing and nostalgia Sensory marketing is the field of using various senses (hearing, tasting, vision, smelling, and touching) to send signals to consumers to influence their behavior (56). Overall, studies of background music have reported very different results as there are several variables at play, including the tempo, genre, volume, and more (57). As summarized by Biswas et al. (58), research has shown that music played at a comfortable level has a positive and relaxing effect on people. ...
Since retailers control the space where consumers tend to make the vast majority of their food purchase decisions, they can take measures to promote healthy living. Increasing relative sales of healthy food can contribute to the ongoing battle against preventable lifestyle diseases. We show how retailers can use impression management and environmental cues in their stores to influence consumers' sales responses to healthy food. This paper advocates in-store research in this realm and introduces three consumer behavior levels - reaching, stopping/holding, and closing the sale - as micro-conversions when retailers use impression management on their consumers. We showcase impression management at each conversion level by testing the effects of placing healthy and unhealthy food items on a floor display in the store area with the most traffic, with or without background music and an advertisement. The results demonstrate that a healthy food product can outperform the sales of popular unhealthy foods. The floor display, for example, increased the sales of the targeted “healthy product” by 570% on average during the intervention periods, compared with the baseline. We discuss the importance of in-store research into three conversions to enable further development of impression management and the use of environmental cues for healthy food promotion.
... Music influences shoppers' emotions and thus affects their perceptions of time [18]. In short, the emotional impact of music can be positive or negative, and if music is used properly, it can be a competitive tool [64]. High-end restaurants should enhance their customers' overall dining experience by designing a pleasant atmosphere [65]. ...
The music environment of a restaurant is an important factor that affects consumer behaviors during the dining experience, especially silent dining behaviors among people who are not encouraged to talk in the context of COVID-19. This study empirically analyzed the influence of consumers’ background music preferences on their emotions and behavioral responses during their dining experience at a high-end Chinese restaurant. A total of 393 valid samples were obtained through purposive sampling and snowball sampling. The research tools used in this study included a personal background information questionnaire, four Oriental and Western music conditions, a background music preference scale, a scale for evaluating emotions during the dining experience, and a behavioral response scale. The results showed that the subjects preferred the Chinese classical music—the Butterfly Lovers Concerto. Background music affected the participants’ emotions during their dining experience, and different background music conditions resulted in significant differences in emotions and behaviors. The consumers’ emotions, during their dining experience significantly predicted their behaviors under all four music conditions. The greatest contribution and value of this study stem from the finding that the background music at a restaurant can arouse specific positive emotions in consumers during their dining experience and thus affect their eating behavior.
... The results indicate that congruent and matching modalities seem to be most favourable by consumers (Mattila & Wirtz, 2001;Michel et al., 2017;Quartier et al., 2014;Spence & Gallace, 2011;Spence et al., 2014). Although it has been shown that investments in PoS atmospherics and product arrangements can pay off, most merchandising activities are still associated with high costs (Spence et al., 2014). ...
Zusammenfassung
Im folgenden Kapitel 2 werden die theoretischen und begrifflichen Grundlagen der Consumer Decision Neuroscience dargestellt. Dabei werden in Abschnitt 2.1 zunächst ökonomische, behavioristische und kognitive Ansätze beschrieben, wobei das Kapitel mit ersten Dual-Process Theorien und dazugehörigen Kritikpunkten endet, die eine theoretische Weiterentwicklung der Modelle durch die Integration von neurowissenschaftlichen Erkenntnissen zur Erklärung von Konsumentenentscheidungsprozessen avisieren. Die Forschungsgebiete, die sich aus dieser neurowissenschaftlichen Integration ergeben, werden in Abschnitt 2.2 definiert, systematisiert und differenziert, um anschließend das daraus entstandene Forschungsgebiet der Consumer Decision Neuroscience von bestehenden Forschungsgebieten abzugrenzen. Aufbauend auf den beiden vorangegangenen Kapiteln, wird in Abschnitt 2.3 anschließend das Reflektiv-Impulsiv Modell als eine neurowissenschaftlich fundierte Dual-Process Theorie vorgestellt, die als konzeptioneller Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit dient.
... The results indicate that congruent and matching modalities seem to be most favourable by consumers (Mattila & Wirtz, 2001;Michel et al., 2017;Quartier et al., 2014;Spence & Gallace, 2011;Spence et al., 2014). Although it has been shown that investments in PoS atmospherics and product arrangements can pay off, most merchandising activities are still associated with high costs (Spence et al., 2014). ...
Zusammenfassung
In ausgewählten Beiträgen werden Käufer- und Konsumentenentscheidungsprozesse anhand verschiedener methodischer, neurowissenschaftlich fundierter Herangehensweisen empirisch untersucht, um die Entscheidungsprozesse umfassend beschreiben, effektiver unterstützen und erfolgreich vorhersagen zu können.
... The results indicate that congruent and matching modalities seem to be most favourable by consumers (Mattila & Wirtz, 2001;Michel et al., 2017;Quartier et al., 2014;Spence & Gallace, 2011;Spence et al., 2014). Although it has been shown that investments in PoS atmospherics and product arrangements can pay off, most merchandising activities are still associated with high costs (Spence et al., 2014). ...
Zusammenfassung
In Kapitel 3 werden die ausgewählten Beiträge in das Reflektiv-Impulsiv Modell eingeordnet und in diesem Zusammenhang die wesentlichen inhaltlichen Aspekte der einzelnen Beiträge beschrieben. Dadurch soll das neurowissenschaftlich fundierte Modell anhand verschiedener methodischer Vorgehensweisen als übergeordneter Rahmen für die Beschreibung, Unterstützung und Vorhersage von Konsumentenentscheidungsprozessen im Rahmen der Consumer Decision Neuroscience geprüft werden.
... The results indicate that congruent and matching modalities seem to be most favourable by consumers (Mattila & Wirtz, 2001;Michel et al., 2017;Quartier et al., 2014;Spence & Gallace, 2011;Spence et al., 2014). Although it has been shown that investments in PoS atmospherics and product arrangements can pay off, most merchandising activities are still associated with high costs (Spence et al., 2014). ...
Zusammenfassung
In Kapitel 5 werden die wesentlichen Erkenntnisse zusammengefasst (Abschnitt 5.1) und die daraus ableitbaren Implikationen für die Forschung und Praxis beschrieben (Abschnitt 5.2). Die Ergebnisse aus den Beiträgen zur Consumer Decision Neuroscience bieten sowohl einen Erkenntnisgewinn für die wissenschaftliche Forschung als auch die Möglichkeit, praktisch-normative Handlungsimplikationen abzuleiten, die die Erkenntnisse im anwendungsorientierten Kontext nutzbar machen. Im Anschluss wird die vorliegende Arbeit vor dem Hintergrund theoretischer Weiterentwicklung kritisch reflektiert (Abschnitt 5.3).
... The results indicate that congruent and matching modalities seem to be most favourable by consumers (Mattila & Wirtz, 2001;Michel et al., 2017;Quartier et al., 2014;Spence & Gallace, 2011;Spence et al., 2014). Although it has been shown that investments in PoS atmospherics and product arrangements can pay off, most merchandising activities are still associated with high costs (Spence et al., 2014). ...
Zusammenfassung
In dieser zusammenfassenden Schlussbemerkung werden das Ziel und die wichtigsten Erkenntnisse konkludierend dargestellt.
... The results indicate that congruent and matching modalities seem to be most favourable by consumers (Mattila & Wirtz, 2001;Michel et al., 2017;Quartier et al., 2014;Spence & Gallace, 2011;Spence et al., 2014). Although it has been shown that investments in PoS atmospherics and product arrangements can pay off, most merchandising activities are still associated with high costs (Spence et al., 2014). ...
... When appropriate, background music helps consumers feel better and consume more (Michel et al., 2017). However, little is known about how culture moderates the effect of in-store-music on the quality of a shopping experience for French and English consumers. ...
... Therefore, the loudness level of music also stimulates shopping behavior and emotional experience [3]. Different types of music will make customers feel different emotions, when playing classical music type, will let the customer feel elegant and zunjue enjoyment, and can bring customers pleasant emotional experience, and when shopping environment showed the new age, Rock and roll music type, the higher the customer evaluation of the feelings of the shop, music style belongs to low or melancholy, It can also lead to negative emotions in consumers, and such songs (sadness) are also a catalyst for consumers to associate sad situations in their lives (Thind et al., 2020;Michel et al., 2017) [4][5]. In the past, many scholars studied consumer behavior based on the rhythm, volume, and type of music, and found that these three aspects have different research results for consumers' emotional experience. ...
The field of consumer behavior has always been the goal of marketing concern, a breakthrough in the study, a sensory field in recent years beyond the traditional five senses and the vestibular sensory systems (called the sixth kind of the senses), including body posture and balance, previous research on taste and vestibular sensory interaction affect the major findings, This study will explore the interplay between auditory and vestibular senses and expand the scope of sensory marketing. Join consumers’ emotional experience as strain, the study of the interaction between the emotion to provide a reference for future retailers, and vestibular sensory systems in the field of marketing has not been sufficient research, this study through three experiments results show that although the court did not feel a significant interference influence on emotional experience, hearing from them, Vestibular sensory sitting position (relative standing) have higher positive influence to customers' emotional experience, and contains the auditory sense of music presents the fast rhythm, music, the greater the loudness, rock and roll style for customers have higher emotional experience positive emotions, these findings extend the sensory marketing as well as the interactions of the vestibular sense of hearing, To provide retailers, catering and other industries in the future design service area and rest area environment practical significance.
... For instance, since the introduction of the auto radio in the 1950s, researchers, manufacturers, and even insurance companies have been concerned with how music impacts people's psychological state and driving performance (Millet et al., 2019;van der Zwaag et al., 2012). Similarly, the effects of music on daily activities, such as working (Landay & Harms, 2019;Rastipisheh et al., 2019;Shih et al., 2012), shopping Hynes & Manson, 2016;Knöferle et al., 2017;Michel et al., 2017;Yi & Kang, 2019), or exercising (Hutchinson et al., 2018;Moss et al., 2018;Terry et al., 2020) have been the focus of extensive empirical interest (see also Kämpfe et al., 2011). In most developed countries, music is also part of what is, perhaps, one of the most critical and recurring human activities: eating. ...
Music is a ubiquitous stimulus known to influence human affect, cognition, and behavior. In the context of eating behavior, music has been associated with food choice, intake and, more recently, taste perception. In the latter case, the literature has reported consistent patterns of association between auditory and gustatory attributes, suggesting that individuals reliably recognize taste attributes in musical stimuli. This study presents subjective norms for a new set of 100 instrumental music stimuli, including basic taste correspondences (sweetness, bitterness, saltiness, sourness), emotions (joy, anger, sadness, fear, surprise), familiarity, valence, and arousal. This stimulus set was evaluated by 329 individuals (83.3% women; Mage = 28.12, SD = 12.14), online (n = 246) and in the lab (n = 83). Each participant evaluated a random subsample of 25 soundtracks and responded to self-report measures of mood and taste preferences, as well as the Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index (Gold-MSI). Each soundtrack was evaluated by 68 to 97 participants (Mdn = 83), and descriptive results (means, standard deviations, and confidence intervals) are available as supplemental material at osf.io/2cqa5. Significant correlations between taste correspondences and emotional/affective dimensions were observed (e.g., between sweetness ratings and pleasant emotions). Sex, age, musical sophistication, and basic taste preferences presented few, small to medium associations with the evaluations of the stimuli. Overall, these results suggest that the new Taste & Affect Music Database is a relevant resource for research and intervention with musical stimuli in the context of crossmodal taste perception and other affective, cognitive, and behavioral domains.
... When music in an ad works with other elements, such as vision, it strengthens the contextual meaning that is being communicated to the viewer (Hung, 2000), and striking the right cords may move consumers to open their wallets (Strick et al., 2015). Also in retail environments prior research has shown that music can stimulate the senses affecting consumer behavior and influencing their desire to engage in buyer-seller interactions (e.g., Milliman, 1982Milliman, , 1986Yalch and Spangenberg, 1990;Dubé et al., 1995;Michel et al., 2017;Dad et al., 2018). In the context of Virtual Reality the importance of sound to augment the sensory experience in order to enhance presence and immersion has been recognized as well (Chandrasekera and Souza, 2015). ...
Despite the power of VR in immersing viewers in an experience, it generally only targets viewers via visual and auditory cues. Human beings use more senses to gather information, so expectedly, the full potential of this medium is currently not yet tapped. This study contributes in answering two research questions: (1) How can conventional VR ads be enriched by also addressing the forgotten sense of smell?; and (2) Does doing so indeed instill more engaging experiences? A 2 × 3 between-subjects study (n = 235) is conducted, whereby an existing branded VR commercial (Boursin Sensorium Experience) is augmented with “sound” (on/off) and (congruent/incongruent/no) “scents.” The power of these sensory augmentations is evaluated by inspecting emotional, cognitive and conative dimensions of customer engagement. The results identify product-scent congruence (with sound) as a deal-maker, albeit product-scent incongruence is not necessarily a deal-breaker. The article concludes with further research avenues and a translation into managerial implications.
... With respect to music, this has been deemed one of the least expensive tool to enhance shoppers' perceptions (Grewal et al., 2003). Previous research supports the effect of music on shoppers' emotions and cognitions (Petruzzellis et al., 2018), mood and experience evaluation (Cameron et al., 2003;Roschk et al., 2017), intention to return (Harrington et al., 2015), impulse buying (Morrin and Chebat, 2005), and other outcomes (for a review, see Michel et al., 2017). The common effect of music and other atmospherics, such as lighting (Baker et al., 1992) and scent (Morrison et al., 2011), have been also investigated. ...
This study relies on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-OR) paradigm to explore the mediating role of the desire to stay at the shopping mall in the relationship between shopper positive attitudes towards three atmospheric cues (color schemes, lighting, and music) and the shopping outcomes of shopper satisfaction, positive Word-of-Mouth (WOM) and patronage intentions. Moreover, the study elaborates on the path from the desire to stay to positive WOM and patronage intentions by considering the mediating role of shopper satisfaction. A survey-based study comprising a sample size of 451 mall shoppers has been developed to test the proposed research model. The results indicate that the desire to stay mediates the relationship between shoppers' positive attitudes towards color schemes and music, on one hand, and shopper satisfaction and positive WOM, on the other hand. Although the desire to stay has a direct effect on positive WOM, it does not directly impact patronage intention. However, the latter path becomes significant when considering the mediating role of shopper satisfaction , indicating that satisfying mall stays enhance desirable outcomes. Based on these findings, implications for theory and retailers are discussed.
... volume, tempo), previous literature has found music tempo the most salient and impactful parameter that has been found to affect humans both psychologically and physiologically (Knoeferle, Paus & Vossen, 2017;Egermann et al., 2015;Husain, Thompson, & Schellenberg, 2002;Kellaris & Kent, 1993). Other music characteristics such as volume, however, have showed mixed effects on customer affective states (Michel, Baumann, & Gayer, 2017). Tempo is also considered a characteristic that is present in most types of music, thus making it a more generalizable feature than music genre (Knoeferle, Paus & Vossen, 2017). ...
Despite the technological advances, empirical studies to understand how VR influences consumer behavior have been limited to date. This study aims (i) to extend the S(Stimuli)-O (Organism)-R (Response) framework by considering escapism as stimuli and incorporating vividness and telepresence as an organism and (ii) examine the role of calm versus upbeat music tempo in the background. Based on an experimental study of between-groups factorial design with two hundred participants, the results offer support to our conceptual framework. Escapism, which functions as experience, stimulates the consumers’ cognitive and affective state that increase pleasure. Subsequently, the consumers’ sense of pleasure heightens the vividness and presence of the virtual reality store, which positively affects their intentions. The link between presence and behavioral intention is stronger with calm music in the background. On the contrary, the link between arousal and pleasure is stronger when consumers listen to upbeat music in the virtual store.
... Es necesario indicar previa y brevemente aquellos contextos no académicos donde la música de fondo ha mostrado bondades favorecedoras; por ejemplo, la música de fondo muestra por lo general un impacto positivo en el incremento de las ventas en comercios departamentales (Kang & Lakshmanan, 2017;Hsing-Chi & Oh, 2020;Wen, Leung & Pongtornphurt, 2020), aunque también se ha identificado que los consumidores muestran disgusto y molestia cuando las canciones no son de su agrado, disminuyendo el consumo de dichos compradores (Hynes & Manson, 2016;Michel, Braumann & Gayer, 2017). Por otro lado, la música favorece ambientes relajantes que combaten la ansiedad en las salas de espera de los hospitales (Gutgsell, Schluchter, Margevicius, DeGolia, McLaughlin, Harris, … & Wiencek, 2013), favorece la sedación (Kipnis, Tabak & Koton, 2016), y ha mostrado ventajas durante tratamientos preoperatorios y cirugías, ya que las piezas musicales facilitan la relajación y modifican las respuestas vasculares para tener un mejor control quirúrgico (Ni, Tsai, Lee, Kao & Chen, 2012;McClurkin & Smith, 2016), aunque también se ha identificado que estos beneficios aumentan cuando la música es preferida y seleccionada por parte de los pacientes (Akelma, Altinsoy, Arslan & Ergil, 2020). ...
Se analizaron dos aspectos importantes de la música en el aprendizaje, por un lado, los efectos de la música de fondo durante el estudio académico en los estudiantes, y por otra parte, los efectos del entrenamiento musical en el aprendizaje. Se realizó una revisión bibliográfica en las bases de datos ScienceDirect, Scopus, PubMed y Google Scholar sobre las palabras clave: música de fondo, música aprendizaje, música estudio y entrenamiento musical; incluyendo artículos, capítulos y libros especializados en inglés y español publicados desde 1998 hasta mayo de 2020, con el propósito de exponer un panorama actualizado sobre los hallazgos y efectos del impacto de la presencia de música en el estudio académico y sobre las ventajas que brinda el entrenamiento musical respecto al aprendizaje. La evidencia sugiere que música de fondo perturba más la concentración en el estudio académico que la condición de silencio. Por otro lado, se identificó que los efectos benéficos del entrenamiento musical son consistentes con cuatro áreas académicas: el lenguaje, cálculo mental, representación de artes escénicas y la orientación espacial manual.
... The joint effect of music and scent on emotions and satisfaction levels was supported (Mattila, Anna, and Wirtz 2001;Morrison et al. 2011). In particular, music in retail areas was found also to influence several outcomes, including mood and experience evaluation (Cameron et al. 2003;Roschk, Loureiro, and Breitsohl 2017), intention to return and total amount spent (Harrington, Ottenbacher, and Treuter 2015), impulse buying (Chebat and Morrin 2005), and other outcomes (For a review see Michel, Baumann, and Gayer 2017). However, to empower the use of music to enhance the shopping experience, further studies consider this variable as a part of an overall environment are requested, and the impact of music on uninvestigated outcomes should be researched. ...
The retail atmosphere is one of the most active areas of retailing studies (Applebaum 1951; Cox 1964; Cox 1970; Curhan 1972; Frank and Massy 1970; Granbois 1968; Kotler 1973; Kotzan and Evanson 1969; Smith and Curnow 1966). This area of studies has grown in the retailing literature encompassing all the environmental cues that surround shoppers and influence their behavior. However, studies undertaking a comprehensive approach of shopping atmosphere factors are lacking. This research uses the atmospherics’ classification provided by Turley and Milliman (2000), the general interior variables (GIV). This framework encompasses an extensive list of atmospherics including flooring and carpeting, color schemes, lighting, music, temperature, etc. This research empirically examines the effect of the Shopping Mall’s GIV on shopper’s emotions and behaviors.
... Considering the sensory complexity of the PoS, previous research investigated also the store environments and the PoS atmosphere, exploring how multisensory aspects like music, scent and touch influence shopping behaviour in combined fashion. The results indicate that congruent and matching modalities seem to be most favourable by consumers (Mattila and Wirtz, 2001;Spence and Gallace, 2011;Quartier et al., 2014;Spence et al., 2014;Michel et al., 2017). Although it has been shown that investments in PoS atmospherics and product arrangements can pay off, most merchandising activities are still associated with high costs (Spence et al., 2014). ...
The (re-)launch of products is frequently accompanied by point-of-sale (PoS) marketing campaigns in order to foster sales. Predicting the success of these merchandising elements at the PoS on sales is of interest to research and practice, as the misinvestments that are based on the fragmented PoS literature are tremendous. Likewise, the predictive power of neuropsychological methods has been demonstrated in various research work. Nevertheless, the practical application of these neuropsychological methods is still limited. In order to foster the application of neuropsychological methods in research and practice, the current research work aims to explore, whether mobile functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) – as a portable neuroimaging method – has the potential to predict the success of PoS merchandising elements by rendering significant neural signatures of brain regions of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), highlighting its potential to forecast shoppers’ behaviour aka sales at the PoS. Building on previous research findings, the results of the given research work indicate that the neural signal of brain regions of the dlPFC, measured with mobile fNIRS, is able to predict actual sales associated with PoS merchandising elements, relying on the cortical relief effect. More precisely, the research findings support the hypothesis that the reduced neural activity of brain regions associated with the dlPFC can predict sales at the PoS, emphasising another crucial neural signature to predict shoppers’ purchase behaviour, next to the frequently cited reward association system. The research findings offer an innovative perspective on how to design and evaluate PoS merchandising elements, indicating fruitful theoretical and practical implications.
... It is possible that customers stayed longer or ate more in quieter conditions. As a densely populated urban country (Worldometers, 2019), with 92% of the working population reporting high stress (8% higher than the global average; Cigna, 2019), lower volumes may appeal Singaporebased customers reflecting a desire for conversation facilitated by lower background music volumes (Michel, Baumann, & Gayer, 2017). There were no unanimous sales patterns among the restaurant branches. ...
Influences of background music on consumer behavior have economic potential for businesses. However, the precise parameters for manipulating these effects have remained elusive. In this study, the impact of different genres of background music on consumer spending was examined in three branches each of both a Japanese-themed and a Mexican-themed restaurant chain in Singapore. Three music genre conditions ("pop," "traditional," "mix") corresponding to the restaurants' cultural theme, were played for a week in each restaurant. Data on total spending and spending per customer were collected and analyzed. While direct music genre effects were not statistically significant, results indicated certain trends where higher consumer expenditure was observed in conditions utilizing a mixture of pop and traditional music ("mix"). Specifically, spending per customer for the "mix" condition was 11.4% higher than for "pop" for the Japanese restaurant, whereas it was 6.3% higher for the "mix" condition than for "traditional" for the Mexican restaurant. The results suggest that music could be tailored to different days of the week to appeal to different customer profiles and that music can be parameterized to influence consumer behaviors.
... As a densely populated urban country (Worldometers, 2019), with 92% of the working population reporting high stress (8% higher than the global average; Cigna, 2019), lower volumes may appeal more to Singapore-based customers. This may also reflect a desire for conversation facilitated by lower background music volumes (Michel et al., 2017). ...
Influences of background music on consumer behaviour has economic potential for businesses, however, the precise parameters for manipulating these effects have remained elusive. In this study, the impact of different genres of background music on consumer spending was examined via a pilot field test conducted in three branches each of both a Japanese-themed and a Mexican-themed restaurant chain in Singapore. Three music genre conditions (‘pop’, ‘traditional’, ‘mix’), corresponding to the restaurants’ cultural theme, were played for a week in each restaurant. Data on total spending and spending per customer were collected and analysed. While direct music genre effects were not statistically significant, results indicated certain trends where higher consumer expenditure was observed in conditions utilizing a mixture of pop and traditional music (‘mix’). Specifically, spending per customer for the ‘mix’ condition was 11.4% higher than for ‘pop’ for the Japanese restaurant, whereas it was 6.3% higher for the ‘mix’ condition than for “traditional” for the Mexican restaurant. The results also further suggest that music could be tailored to different days of the week to appeal to different customer profiles and lend additional support for the leveraging of suitable music parameters to induce consumption behaviours.
Purpose
The aims of this research are (i) to examine the influence of music frequency (high vs low) as an atmospheric element on consumer behavior during a shopping experience and (ii) to investigate the function of emotional arousal in this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
This study conducted a controlled lab experiment where (nonstudent, salary-earning) participants were presented with shopping trials under different music conditions (high vs low sound frequency) while their behavioral responses (product liking and willingness to pay [WTP]) and electrodermal activities were recorded in real-time.
Findings
Analyses revealed that product liking and WTP were higher when participants were exposed to high (vs low) frequency music. This difference was found to be mediated by arousal and occurred without participants’ awareness.
Research limitations/implications
This research presents an explanatory study simulated with a relatively small sample under laboratory conditions; therefore, researchers are encouraged to test further to extend the insights presented.
Practical implications
Music affects emotional and behavioral responses in consumer environments. The design of the music determines whether these responses will be in alignment with varying situational needs and demands. This research suggests a novel perspective for consideration in this design.
Originality/value
To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to attempt to consider music frequency as a discerning atmospheric element. It also enriches the understanding of contextual effects in consumer environments by revealing the mediating role of arousal (on behavior) through sensitive and unconscious emotional data.
This research paper delves into the nuanced relationship between ambient music and consumer behavior, shedding light on its profound impact within organized retail settings. Employing a robust quantitative approach, the study gauged consumer perceptions through Likert-based questionnaires, specifically exploring how ambient music influences purchasing decisions. The findings unveiled a compelling positive correlation between ambient music and several crucial facets of the retail experience. Notably, ambient music emerged as a catalyst for heightened shopping experiences, contributing significantly to the overall atmosphere and seamlessly aligning with the products and services on offer. The study not only accentuated the ambiance-enhancing qualities of ambient music but also emphasized its relevance in the context of the merchandise or services provided. Perhaps most strikingly, the research brought to the forefront the consequential influence of ambient music on consumer spending behavior. This encompassed a spectrum of outcomes, including a tangible impact on the duration of shopping expeditions, the quantity of products procured, and an increased inclination to expend more. These results underscore the pivotal role of ambient music as a strategic tool, capable of shaping consumer behavior and cultivating loyalty within the dynamic landscape of retail environments. In essence, this study not only contributes to the understanding of the symbiotic relationship between ambient music and consumer behavior but also underscores the considerable strategic potential of leveraging ambient music as a key element in shaping positive shopping experiences and fostering lasting customer loyalty within the retail sector.
Les recherches antérieures se sont occupées principalement de démontrer l’effet de la musique d’ambiance le comportement du consommateur. Néanmoins, nous ne trouvons pas d’études qui cherchent à comprendre et élucider la pratique de la musique d’ambiance dans les points de vente. Dans cette perspective, notre étude cherche à combler ce manque de travaux en réalisant une étude empirique dans un contexte marocain caractérisé par un patrimoine musicale riche et diversifié. Nous avons conduit 26 entretiens individuels auprès des responsables et des vendeurs des magasins et restaurants qui diffusent de la musique de fond. Les conclusions ont révélé que la gestion de la musique d’ambiance s’effectue d’une manière intuitive, sans faire recours à des professionnels du design sonore. Les choix et décisions prises reposent sur les préférences, perceptions et volontés des responsables et des vendeurs. Ce manque de stratégie sonore peut être lié aux ressources disponibles en termes de compétences, mais surtout à la volonté de l’enseigne de mettre en valeur l’un de ses éléments atmosphériques, à savoir la musique d’ambiance. Il est recommandé aux managers de recourir à des professionnels en design sonore et d’établir des indicateurs pour mesurer les réponses des clients vis-à-vis de la musique d’ambiance. Notre recherche se distingue en tant qu’une des rares études consacrées à une analyse approfondie de la pratique de la musique d’ambiance dans les environnements commerciaux. Les conclusions ont non seulement confirmé des constats issus des travaux antérieurs, mais ont fourni des nouvelles découvertes et clarifications en ce qui concerne la mise en œuvre de la musique d’ambiance.
In the realm of healthy dietary choices about reducing sweetness perception, the exploration of crossmodal effects stands as a frequently employed approach. Both music and color can independently influence flavor evaluation and gustatory experience by eliciting emotions. However, less research has been done on the effects of audio-visual crossmodal interactions on sweetness expectations and perceptions. The present study conducted two experiments delving into the crossmodal effect on sweetness expectation and perception of milk tea by manipulating the emotional valence of music and packaging color. The results showed that positive (vs. negative) music led to higher sweetness expectations and perceptions for milk teas with neutral packaging color. Irrespective of music, participants had higher sweetness expectations for milk tea with positive or neutral (vs. negative) packaging colors. The congruence of valence between music and packaging color influenced sweetness perception. Positive (vs. negative) music correlated with a sweeter perception when the packaging color was positive. Exposed to negative music, subjects showed a higher sweetness perception with negative (vs. positive) packaging colors. In conclusion, the results suggest that the valence of music and packaging color crossmodally influence consumers’ evaluation of milk tea, and it differs depending on whether it was tasted. Thus, this study has demonstrated the crossmodal influence of music and packaging color, providing valuable implications for healthy eating and marketing applications.
This study develops a five-dimension customer satisfaction scale for the Internet-famous drink industry and investigates the asymmetric impact of different dimension combinations on customer satisfaction. Through a content analysis of 24,581 online reviews, we identify 22 items across five dimensions describing the unique features of this industry. Then, a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis method was performed to analyze the responses from an offline survey of 1,012 consumers. Findings show that, as a dissatisfier, environmental quality is mainly responsible for customer dissatisfaction. Combined with environmental quality or service quality, as a satisfier, customer engagement in social media played a prominent role in improving customer satisfaction. Additionally, service quality is not essential when brand and culture, drink attributes, environmental quality, and customer engagement in social media are performed well. Our findings advance current theorizations on customer satisfaction in the food and beverage sector and offer managerial implications for managers of Internet-famous tea shops.
In recent years, there has been significant growth in the number of chain stores; in this regard, the essential point is that managers should consider not only traditional marketing mix, but also other important factors that influence consumers’ shopping behavior, such as atmospheric factors. Music is one of the important factors in this domain. This study was an attempt to explain and investigate the relationship between background music and consumers’ shopping behavior in Ofogh Kourosh chain stores based on the mood-behavior model, alertness theory, and real-world chain store evidence. Genre, tempo, and volume are the elements of music that have been considered as the independent variables in this study, while consumers’ spent time and spentmoney in the stores constituted the dependent variables in this study. Moreover, age and gender have been evaluated as moderators in this relationship. This study is quasi-experimental in terms of the data collection method. All Ofogh Kourosh shoppers around Tehran city constituted the statistical population of this study, and the research sample consisted of 785 shoppers who were selected in 12 branches of Ofogh Kourosh chain stores via systematic sampling method. The background music tracks were chosen through a poll. In addition, observation and interview constituted the tools used in the experimental section. The results indicated that there is a significant relationship between music elements (genre, tempo, and volume) and spent time and money. It was also observed that gender had a considerable moderating role in the relationship between volume and spent time in stores.
This article is a report of results of three studies investigating effects of fast versus slow background musical tempo on physiology, cognition, and emotions. Two pilot studies first measure consumer perceptions of tempo. In Studies 1 and 2, participants view a short video restaurant advertisement featuring fast or slow background music along with illustrations of food items. Results indicate that fast music is more effective than slow music for evoking positive taste expectations and purchase intentions. Study 3 shows that the effects observed in Studies 1 and 2 occur because fast music enhances self-reported arousal levels that then lead to enhanced moods, taste expectations, and purchase intentions. Theoretical implications regarding effects of music on emotional responses are discussed, as are practical managerial implications for using fast music as a persuasive technique.
Music is an important part of most people’s lives and also of the culture of a country. Moreover, the different characteristics of songs, such as genre and the chord sequences, could have different impacts on individual behaviours. Even considering just seven chords and the respective variations, originality can be a crucial element of a song’s success. Considering this, and in the context of Brazilian music, we employed the Detrended Fluctuation Analysis to analyse the possible predictability of eight different music genres. On these genres, we found that Reggae and Pop seem to be the least random considering the sequenced use of chords. With a sliding windows approach, we found that the predictability of chord sequences of Pop decreased over time. Applying the same methodology after shuffling the original series of music, the results point to a randomness of those shuffled series, demonstrating the robustness of our approach.
Frente a consumidores cada vez mejor informados y más exigentes, que también buscan que su compra se convierta en una experiencia y a la creciente importancia de los portales de compra onlinefrente al retailfísico, se hace necesario el desarrollo de estrategias en el punto de venta para atraer a los compradores y sigan acudiendo a las mismas, no sólo a realizar una compra, sino a pasar tiempo en la tienda. Y, en este sentido, una de las grandes diferencias (por no decir el punto fuerte) entre la tienda física y la onlinees la experiencia física de poder tocar y sentir el producto. La tienda no debe ser entendida solo como un punto de venta, sino que se debe configurar como un espacio donde vivir experiencias. Y es aquí, integrada dentro de la estrategia de trade marketing, donde cobra especial relevancia el marketing de los sentidos. Partiendo de esta premisa, la presente investigación se centra en el estudio del marketing sensorial utilizado por las tiendas de moda del grupo Inditex y, más concretamente, la influencia que el uso de dichas técnicas tiene en el comportamiento de compra de los consumidores y en cómo estos perciben la generación de experiencias. Para ello se aplicará la metodología cuantitativa de la encuesta a una muestra de la población cuyas respuestas se estudian a través del software estadístico SPSS. De los resultados se desprende que si bien el uso de estas técnicas tiene una influencia positiva en los consumidores desde el punto de vista de la experiencia de compra, realmente no les influyen en la decisión de compra final.
Music may modify the impression of a visual environment. Most studies have explored the effect of music on the perception of various service settings, but the effect of music on the perception of outdoor environments has not yet been adequately explored. Music may make an environment more pleasant and enhance the relaxation effect of outdoor recreational activities. This study investigated the effect of music on the evaluation of urban built and urban natural environments. The participants ( N = 94) were asked to evaluate five environments in terms of spatio-cognitive and emotional dimensions while listening to music. Two types of music were selected: music with a fast tempo and music with a slow tempo. In contrast with a previous study by Yamasaki, Yamada & Laukka (2015), our experiment revealed that there was only a slight and not significant influence of music on the evaluation of the environment. The effect of music was mediated by the liking of music, but only in the dimensions of Pleasant and Mystery . The environmental features of the evaluated locations had a stronger effect than music on the evaluation of the environments. Environments with natural elements were perceived as more pleasant, interesting, coherent, and mysterious than urban built environments regardless of the music. It is suggested that the intensity of music may be an important factor in addition to the research methodology, individual variables, and cultural differences.
Supermarkets suffer significant losses as a consequence of shoplifting. Amongst the existing electronic and manual surveillance measures for retail crime management, the role of employees in preventing or controlling retail crime has not been systematically addressed within the extant literature. This paper contributes to addressing this gap by examining how employers’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) involvement influences employee proclivity towards guardianship behaviour in shoplifting prevention. A phenomenological approach is adopted comprising semi-structured interviews of twenty-nine shop-floor employees of two national supermarket chains within a cosmopolitan city of New Zealand. Findings strongly support the suggestion that employee perceptions of employer internal and external CSR may shape their feelings of organisational attachment, resulting in employee guardianship behaviour that manifests in in-store shoplifting prevention. Further, from a societal perspective, this study suggests that a reduction in retail crime contributes towards positive relationships among key stakeholders such as supermarkets, their employees, and society at large based on the social, environmental, and employee welfare practices of supermarkets.
Could Einstein’s Theory of Relativity be the answer brand marketers need to move forward the success of their marketing activities and meet customer expectations?
Einstein Marketing is about factoring in competitive forces in research and marketing and brand management.
Atmospheric in-store stimuli have been the subject of considerable empirical investigation for over 30 years. This research presents a meta-analysis of 66 studies and 135 effects (N = 15,621) calibrating the atmospheric effects of music, scent, and color on shopping outcomes. At an aggregate level, the results reveal that environments in which music or scent are present yield higher pleasure, satisfaction, and behavioral intention ratings when compared with environments in which such conditions are absent. Warm colors produce higher levels of arousal than cool colors, while cool colors produce higher levels of satisfaction than warm colors. The estimated average strength of these relationships ranged from small to medium. Effect sizes exhibited significant between-study variance, which can be partly explained by the moderators investigated. For instance, larger effect sizes were observed for the relationship between scent and pleasure in those samples with a higher (vs. lower) proportion of females. Data also indicated a tendency toward stronger music and scent effects in service settings as compared to retail settings. The results of this analysis, based on data aggregated across the research stream, offer retailers a guide to enhance customers’ shopping experience through judicious use of in-store atmospheric stimuli.
Consumers spend more time shopping and expect value-added options like background melodious songs, ample car parking, good ambience, prayer halls and rest rooms. The main concern is whether these facilities prolong consumers stay in the store and increase business sales. This research article is about the relationship between the background music tempo and the duration of consumers’ stay in the stores. Data from 177 respondents were received and analyzed. The results show that the tempo of music is significantly affecting the emotional state of the consumers; fast tempo music increasing the pleasure and arousal levels. Slow tempo music has consumers stay longer in restaurants and supermarkets. However, the tempo of music does not play a significant role in manipulating the duration consumers spend in a book store and apparel shop. 2015
This study concerns the effect that music has on consumer behavior in two different retail contexts during regular opening hours. Two studies were conducted in a field setting with consumers (N=550). Consumers were recruited to answer questions regarding behavioral measures, attitudes, and mood during days when background music was played. The conclusions from the two studies are that music affects consumer behavior, but also that the type of retail store and gender influences both the strength and direction of the effect.
Describes an experiment conducted comparing the effects of
background and foreground music on clothing store shoppers. Concludes
that choosing to play store music solely to satisfy customers'
preferences may not be the optimal approach; instead music should be
varied across areas of a store that appeal to different-aged customers.
The authors review more than 250 journal articles and books to establish what is and should be known about how advertising affects the consumer-how it works. They first deduce a taxonomy of models, discuss the theoretical principles of each class of models, and summarize their empirical findings. They then synthesize five generalizations about how advertising works and propose directions for further research. Advertising effects are classified into intermediate effects, for example, on consumer beliefs and attitudes, and behavioral effects, which relate to purchasing behavior, for example, on brand choice. The generalizations suggest that there is little support for any hierarchy, in the sense of temporal sequence, of effects. The authors propose that advertising effects should be studied in a space, with affect, cognition, and experience as the three dimensions. Advertising's positioning in this space should be determined by context, which reflects advertising's goal diversity, product category, competition, other aspects of mix, stage of product life cycle, and target market.
A literature review of relevant empirical research examining the influence of background music within the context of service environments is presented. Studies revealing significant relationships between specific musical variables and desired consumer behavioural outcomes are displayed in a visual framework entitled the Musicscape. This framework draws on Bitner’s model of the Servicescape, which highlights music as just one of a range of ambient conditions influencing behaviour. The Musicscape provides an extended version of Bitner’s Servicescape model by focusing in detail on just one of these elements, the musical variable. Additional figures demonstrate an even more focused breakdown of Musicscape interactions by including arrows which identify the direction of significant relationships revealed in empirical studies. The framework portrays in visual terms the inherent complexity of attempts to influence response and subsequent behaviour by using music within a service environment.
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to present a literature review that highlights significant findings from empirical research examining the impact of music within various real and simulated service environments.
Design/methodology/approach
– The paper examines the results of studies that have manipulated specific musical variables (genre, tempo, volume, and liking), and attempts to identify consistent patterns of findings to guide managers and researchers. The studies focus upon a range of dependent variables including evaluation of the environment, perceived wait and stay duration, consumption speed, affective response, and spending. Possible explanations for apparently inconsistent findings are discussed.
Findings
– A variety of studies reveal the positive influence of musical congruity upon desired outcomes. Future research proposals identify the need to examine defining‐attribute and prototype theories of musical congruity.
Originality/value
– The review highlights a range of implications drawn from the studies that will be of value to service organization managers who use music as a key component of their servicescape in order to enhance desired cognitive and affective responses.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine which two dimensions of music, happy/sad or liked/disliked, have significant effects on shopping intentions, thereby providing guidance for decision‐makers in service environments.
Design/methodology/approach
Subjects viewed videotapes of an unfamiliar store in an experimental research design. Subjects were exposed to one of several musical treatments while viewing and were asked to speak their thoughts about the store aloud. Happy/sad musical treatments were determined through pretests while subjects' unprompted comments were used to assess like/dislike for the music. Subjects also reported intentions to shop in the stimulus store. The hypothesized model was then tested.
Findings
Happy/sad music had a significant direct effect on shopping intentions while the direct effect of liked/disliked music was marginally significant. However, the combination of the two music dimensions investigated is perhaps most noteworthy. Shopping intentions were greatest when subjects were exposed to happy music that was liked.
Research limitations/implications
Only a women's clothing store service setting with a limited target market was utilized. Care should be taken when generalizing beyond this setting and subject group.
Practical implications
Happy music that is liked by the target market can significantly increase intentions to shop in a retail service environment.
Originality/value
Little research has been done investigating the effects of the affective, or happy/sad, component of music in service settings. This study helps fill that gap in the literature. In addition, studies investigating music's effects in retail environments often examine only one dimension of music. The value of assessing effects of multiple dimensions of music is demonstrated.
This study examines the effects of in-store background music valence (liking) and music fit with the overall store image on consumer evaluative and behavioural responses in the context of a high-end supermarket chain. Based on the previous body of work, a conceptual model is developed to examine music valence on customer appraisal of store offering and personnel, and on the length of shopping time and the value of purchase. The influence of the perceived music fit with the overall store image on shopping time is also assessed in the model. The hypothesized relationships are examined via covariance analysis using store-intercept consumer data. Implications of the structural analyses results for management of retail store brands and for future research on music as an element of store atmospherics are discussed.
Numerous experimental studies have shown that background music affects consumer behaviour in a retail environment. Some of these have tested the degree of congruence between the music played in the store and the type of goods sold. An experiment was carried out in a flower shop, where love songs and romantic music (congruence condition), pop music (music usually played in the flower-shop) and no music (control condition) were played. The results show that the mean amount of money spent was significantly higher in the love songs and romantic music condition compared with the other two, whereas the pop music condition did not lead to an increase in the amount of money spent compared with the control, no music, condition.
This field study investigated the extent to which stereotypically French and German music could influence supermarket customers' selections of French and German wines. Music with strong national associations should activate related knowledge and be linked with customers buying wine from the respective country. Over a 2-week period, French and German music was played on alternate days from an in-store display of French and German wines. French music led to French wines outselling German ones, whereas German music led to the opposite effect on sales of French wine. Responses to a questionnaire suggested that customers were unaware of these effects of music on their product choices. The results are discussed in terms of their theoretical implications for research on music and consumer behavior and their ethical implications for the use of in-store music. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Though practitioners have relied on tempo as a criterion to design in-store music, scant attention has been devoted to the mode of musical selections, and no consideration has been given to the potential for the interactive effects of low-level structural elements of music on actual retail sales. The current research reports a field experiment wherein the positive main effect of slow tempo on actual sales reported by Milliman (J Marketing 46 (3):86–91, 1982, J Cons Res 13 (2):286–289, 1986) is qualified by musical mode. A significant interaction between tempo and mode was evidenced, such that music in a major mode did not vary in effectiveness by tempo while music in a minor mode was significantly more effective when accompanied by a slow tempo. That is, the Milliman effect was eliminated for music in a major mode. Implications of our findings and directions for further research are discussed.
Research has shown that shopping environments can evoke emotional responses in consumers and that such emotions, in turn, influence shopping behaviors and outcomes. This article broadens our understanding of emotions within the shopping context in two ways. First, it provides a descriptive account of emotions consumers feel across a variety of shopping environments. Second, it empirically compares the three emotion measures most frequently used in marketing to determine which best captures the various emotions shoppers experience. The results indicate that the broad range of emotions felt in the shopping context vary considerably across different retail environments. They also show that the Izard (Izard, C. E.: Human Emotions, Plenum, New York. 1977) and Plutchik (Plutchik, R.: Emotion: A Psychoevolutionary Synthesis, Harper and Row, New York. 1980) measures outperform the Mehrabian and Russell (Mehrabian, A., and Russell, J. A.: An Approach to Environmental Psychology, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. 1974) measure by offering a richer assessment of emotional responses to the shopping experience.
Retailers have long understood the importance of store environment in enhancing the shopping experience, and past research has examined the main effects of many pleasant ambient stimuli such as music and scent. To further our theoretical understanding, we extend the notion of Gestalt to consumers’ perceptions of retail environments and demonstrated that consumers perceive Servicescapes holistically. Specifically, we suggest that the arousing quality of ambient stimuli is one dimension along which holistic evaluations occur, and that pleasant ambient stimuli are perceived more positively when their arousing qualities match rather than mismatch.We manipulated scent and music in a 3 (no music, pleasant low arousal and high arousal music) by 3 (no scent, pleasant low and high arousal scents) factorial design in a field setting. Our findings show that when ambient scent and music are congruent with each other in terms of their arousing qualities, consumers rate the environment significantly more positive, exhibit higher levels of approach and impulse buying behaviors, and experience enhanced satisfaction than when these environmental cues were at odds with each other.
Replicates, in a naturalistic setting, a prior finding which supported that portion of the "arousal hypothesis" which predicts that a certain degree of noise will actually increase activity. Music was varied from loud to soft in 8 counterbalanced experimental sessions in 2 large supermarkets (N = 1100). The "arousal hypothesis" seems to account for the results: significantly less time was spent in the markets during the loud session, although there was no significant difference in sales, nor in the customers' reported satisfaction.
Amount of purchase in a restaurant was larger when background music was soft than when loud, confirming prior research. Type of music (soft rock or classical) did not matter.
Music congruity effects on consumer behavior are conceptualized in terms of cognitive priming of semantic networks in memory, and operationalized as congruent with a product's country of origin (Experiment 1), or congruent with the utilitarian (Experiment 2) or social identity (Experiments 2 and 3) connotations of a product. Hearing a specific genre of music (e.g., classical) activates related concepts in memory (e.g., expensive, sophisticated, formal, educated), which influences the memory for, perception of, and choice of products. Consistent with this account of music congruity effects, three laboratory experiments show that playing music of a specific genre during initial product exposure improved subsequent recall of conceptually related (i.e., congruent) products compared to unrelated products (Experiment 1), affected product choice in favor of congruent products (Experiment 1), and affected how much participants were willing to pay for congruent products (Experiments 2 and 3).
This paper critically reviews the literature available and presents an empirical study that examines the effects of background music on in-store shopping behavior. It finds that music tempo variations can significantly affect the pace of in-store traffic flow and dollar sales volume.
Purpose
The study models factors affecting brand category choice for generic as well as national brands, and next contrasts them to a new brand category: premium generic brands (PGB). PGB are a new occurrence in brand and product management, and consumer reactions to PGB are not yet well understood.
Design/methodology/approach
Three purchase motivation scenarios were presented to 553 consumers to test for their purchase intentions for self-consumption, family use or gift giving. A quasi-experiment was chosen where respondents were exposed to store-like presentations of actual real life products and asked for their likelihood to choose the national or generic brand over the new PGB. The study applied multivariate testing such as MANOVA.
Findings
Separate models were developed for food and non-food choice through backward deletion regression analyses, and the most parsimonious models revealed strong similarities for self as well as family consumption choices, but distinct drivers for gifts. Value for money, image and satisfaction are key factors in brand choice overall, but for gifts, ‘image’ overpowers all other predictors.
Originality/value
The study identified the Chinese as a distinct consumer segment for brand choice since they are more open to potentially consider PGB as gifts, whereas Caucasians only buy national brands for gift giving.
A person-place congruency framework is proposed that predicts more affectively charged atmospherics, such as background music, will positively affect impulsive shoppers, whereas atmospherics that tend to facilitate more cognitive consumer processing, such as ambient scent, will positively affect contemplative shoppers. Expectations are supported in a large-scale field study (N = 774).
Extending research by North and Hargreaves (1998), this study investigated the effect of music on perceived atmosphere and purchase intentions in a restaurant. Four musical styles (jazz, popular, easy listening and classical) and no music were played in a restaurant over two consecutive weeks. Results indicated that different types of music had different effects on perceived atmosphere and the amount patrons were prepared to spend. Classical, jazz and popular music were associated with patrons being prepared to spend the most on their main meal. This value was found to be significantly lower in the absence of music and when easy listening was played. There was some evidence that the type of music also had an effect on the amount of money patrons actually spent in the restaurant. Overall, the study contributes to the development of a model that seeks to account for the relationship between music and consumer behaviour. Copyright
Many retailers believe that a majority of purchases are unplanned, so they spend heavily on in-store marketing to stimulate these types of purchases. At the same time, the effects of “preshopping” factors—the shoppers' overall trip goals, store-specific shopping objectives, and prior marketing exposures—are largely unexplored. The authors focus on these out-of-store drivers and, unlike prior research, use panel data to “hold the shopper constant” while estimating unbiased trip-level effects. Thus, they uncover opportunities for retailers to generate more unplanned buying from existing shoppers. The authors find that the amount of unplanned buying increases monotonically with the abstractness of the overall shopping trip goal that is established before the shopper enters the store. Store-linked goals also affect unplanned buying; unplanned buying is higher on trips in which the shopper chooses the store for favorable pricing and lower on trips in which the shopper chooses the store as part of a multistore shopping trip. Although out-of-store marketing has no direct effect, it reinforces the lift in unplanned buying from shoppers who use marketing materials inside the store. The authors discuss the implications for retailers.
Classical music, pop music, and no music were played in a British restaurant over the course of 18 evenings. The mean spend per head for each table was calculated for starters, main courses, desserts, coffee, bar drinks, wine, overall drink bill, overall food bill, and total spend. Total time spent in the restaurant was also measured. A MANOVA analysis revealed that there was an overall significant difference between the conditions with classical music leading to higher spending than both no music and pop music. Univariate analyses indicated that there were differences between the conditions on mean spend per head on starters, coffee, total spend on food, and overall spend. These findings were consistent with the limited previous research, which indicated that the playing of background classical music led to (a) people reporting that they were prepared to spend more and (b) higher actual spending. The results indicate that restaurant managers can use classical music to increase customer spending, and the results are discussed in terms of three possible explanations for this.
This paper will critically review the limited literature available on the topic and present an empirical study that examines the effect of background music on the behavior of restaurant customers. It was found that music tempo variations can significantly affect purchases, length of stay, and other variables examined.
This article explores the psychological processes by which background music in servicescapes influences service evaluation and purchase intention. Drawing on the dual model of environmental perception, it is hypothesized that: (1) servicescape is perceived in an ambient holistic manner and serves as the background for perceptions of the provider and thereby has direct and provider-mediated effects on outcomes; (2) the presence of music influences outcomes because it reinforces the holistic quality of the servicescape, makes the provider stand out, and moderates the contribution of provider-mediated servicescape effects; (3) when pleasant music is present, a double-mediating process fully accounts for the impact of variations in the music valence, such that music valence gets transferred into servicescape attitude, which then exercises direct and provider-mediated effects on service outcomes. Two experimental studies in real and online environments support the above research hypotheses.
Reports the findings of a controlled field study examining the effects of background music on shopping behavior in a traditional service environment: a supermarket. Finds that musical preference influenced both the amount of time and money shoppers spent in the service environment, although musical tempo and volume had no observable effects. Provides additional insight into the effects of background music on shopping behavior as well as some important considerations for the design of retail and service environments and ambience.
Discusses many of the empirical studies relating to the effects of
background music on a wide range of consumer behaviours and outlines the
relevant features and limitations of these studies. Suggests that, while
research has identified relationships between specific behaviours and
specific musical characteristics (e.g. tempo, volume, mode), retailers
should practice caution when attempting to manipulate specific aspects
of their background music. A safer and potentially more effective
strategy would be to select background music that reflects the musical
preferences of targeted consumer segments. Presents useful information
regarding selection of appropriate background music.
The effects of background music have been widely studied in the literature but few studies have tested effects of music in commercial settings. An experiment was carried out in a bar to test influence of three different styles of music on patrons. According to a random assignment, patrons were exposed to Top 40 music, which was usually played in the bar, cartoon music or drinking songs. Results showed that drinking songs appeared to increase the length of time customers stayed in the bar and the average amount spent. A congruency hypothesis is used to explain these findings.
The atmospheric effects of music were tested in a restaurant setting. Four conditions were applied in a type of latin square design with meal duration and expenditure (food and drinks) as dependent variables. The four conditions related volume (loud vs soft), tempo (fast vs slow), style (popular vs unpopular) and the absence of any music. The findings showed that only volume had a significant effect on meal duration and expenditure (both food and drinks), although an additional finding that would require further experimental verification was that the presence of music of any type significantly affected duration and expenditure when compared to the absence of music. To explain the findings a distinction was made between active and passive activities, and it was suggested that different mechanisms explained the atmospheric effects for each. Active activities could be explained by the environment typicality argument whereas the boredom alleviation model could explain passive activities.
This study extends the Mehrabian-Russell environmental psychology model to include both emotional states and cognitive processing as mediators of the music-intended behavior relationship. Our model specifically suggests that music affects customers’ perceptions of service quality and merchandise quality as well as feelings of arousal and pleasure, in the context of a women’s fashion store. The effect of music on service quality has not previously received much attention. In addition, it has been suggested that previous results of studies examining the effect of music on consumer responses may have been largely the result of individual music tastes. In the present study, therefore, the effect of music tastes is also examined. Findings indicated that liking of music has a major effect on consumers’ evaluations (pleasure, arousal, service quality and merchandise quality), while the music characteristics (specifically slow pop or fast classical) have an additional effect on pleasure and service quality. Further, pleasure, service quality and merchandise quality affected intended approach behaviors, and arousal contributed to these behaviors when the store environment was considered pleasant. Affiliation behaviors similarly resulted from service quality, pleasure and arousal, but not merchandise quality. Overall results indicate the importance of understanding the effect of music on both consumers’ internal evaluations as well as intended behaviors.
Investigated whether liking for music is related to responses to the environment in which the music is experienced and the role of musical complexity. A loudspeaker by an advice stall in a university cafeteria played new-age music of low, moderate, or high complexity; organ music of moderate complexity; or silence. 285 uni versity students completed questionnaires about liking for the atmosphere, how happy they would be to return to the cafeteria, likelihood of visiting the stall, a nd liking for the music. Liking for the music correlated with liking for the atmosphere, desire to return to the cafeteria, and reported likelihood of visiting the advice stall. More Ss visited the stall when moderate-complexity new-age rather than high-complexity, newage, or no music was playing. The music's style and complexity influenced responses to the listening situation. Variations in musical style may mediate the effect of musical complexity on responses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This exploratory study investigates the effect of music on the perceived characteristics of a commercial listening environment and on customers' purchase intentions therein. Three musical styles and also no music were played in a student cafeteria over the course of 4 days. Subjects' responses to a questionnaire indicated that different musical styles had different effects on the perceived characteristics of the cafeteria, and that classical music was associated with subjects being prepared to pay the most for food items on sale therein. There was also some indication that classical and pop music might have increased actual sales in the cafeteria, as compared with easy listening and silence. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for both commercial practice and our theoretical understanding of music and consumer behavior.
The article reports research into the effect of music tempo and musical preference on consumer behavior in a restaurant. The research investigates the extent to which these two variables influence actual and perceived time spent dining, the amount of money spent, and outcomes in terms of enjoyment of the experience and future behavioral intentions. The results show that music preference provided a better explanation of actual time spent dining than tempo, although neither variable had a significant effect on perceived time. Time spent in the restaurant was the most powerful predictor of money spent in the restaurant. Finally, the outcomes of the restaurant encounter were found to be significantly related to musical preference, but the effects of music tempo were nonsignificant. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
This paper reports 2 studies of the effects of music on customers' perceptions of the atmosphere in a city center bank and a city center bar, respectively. In the first study, classical music, easy-listening music, and no music were played over the course of 3 weeks, and customers were asked to rate the banking hall in which it was played and the music in terms of twenty 10-point adjectival scales. Customers' responses indicated a positive correlation between ratings of the banking hall and the music on each of the scales. There were also statistically significant differences between the conditions on factor scores derived from a factor analysis of responses to the banking hall. The second study employed a similar methodology over 9 days in a bar, comparing classical, pop, and no music. Customers rated the atmosphere of the bar and the music played there in terms of II adjectival scales. Once again there was a positive correlation between ratings of the listening environment and ratings of the music. Type of music and volume level gave rise to main effects on ratings of the bar in terms of these adjectives. Factor analysis of the ratings gave rise to 3 factors, which were similar to those obtained in the first study, and also to those in an earlier study situated in a university cafeteria. Finally, there were significant Type of Music × Time of Day, and Volume × Time of Day interactions on customers' estimates of the maximum sum they would be prepared to pay for products on sale in the bar. These results demonstrate that music can have reliable effects on atmosphere and purchase intentions in commercial environments.
Retail markets are increasingly competitive and retailers continuously look to differentiate their retail offering. One way to differentiate is by providing a pleasant and exciting shopping ambience. This paper experimentally tests the effects of music (volume high or low) and aroma (vanilla scent present/absent) on young fashion shoppers in a real retail setting. Results show that volume of music and the presence of a vanilla aroma both have a significant impact on shoppers' emotions and satisfaction levels. Additional analysis reveals that the arousal induced by music and aroma results in increased pleasure levels, which in turn positively influences shopper behaviors, including time and money spend, approach behavior, and satisfaction with the shopping experience. Direct effects of arousal on behaviors as well as an interaction effect between music and aroma on pleasure and time spent in the store are also present. The paper contributes to the better understanding of shoppers' emotions and shopper behaviors in response to in-store atmospherics and offers retailers practical insights into how to create competitive advantage by customizing the atmosphere in their stores.
The study of any problem involving waiting situations invariably assumes that people dislike having to wait. The analysis of queueing problems usually prescribes that some costs should be associated with the time people spend waiting to be served. These are usually considered to be of an economic nature, though the existence of other costs of a psychological nature is accepted. It is generally accepted that after having to wait for a certain amount of time, anxiety and stress start to build up in an individual, due both to the sense of waste and the uncertainty involved in a waiting situation. This work provides a theoretical basis for analysing this building up process as it occurs during the waiting period. It is proved that, under very general conditions, the resulting psychological stress accumulated during the process is a marginal increasing function of the waiting time, and some strategies to minimise it are developed. The results obtained give theoretical support to the usual assumptions underlying the development of systems to provide “real time” information to people in waiting situations. This is especially important in the operation of public transportation systems. The results also provide theoretical support to the “convex” treatment usually given to the waiting cost function in queueing problems.
We examine the role of in-store music–brand “fit” in reinforcing brand position using in-depth interviews. Fit is particularly important for stores wishing to attract new consumers without prior brand experience or knowledge because these consumers view music as an important signaling cue to the brand's position, image and quality. We also identified the effect of misfit. Misfit had two contrasting brand effects: misfit resulted in counterfactual thinking about the brand, leading to a decline in the consumer–brand relationship, and misfit could be used strategically as part of a repositioning strategy. These positive effects of fit were moderated by music volume.
Many factors, both obvious and subtle, influence customers’ store patronage intentions. Using videotape technology that enabled us to experimentally manipulate the number of visible store employees, number of customers, and music, we test the relative importance of wait expectations and store atmosphere evaluations on patronage intentions. These constructs are found to be critical antecedents of store patronage intentions in the context of the service-intensive retail store at which the model was tested. We also find support for the direct effects of gender on wait expectations and store atmosphere evaluations. We discuss some implications for retailing research and practice.
This article extends research linking shopping behavior to environmental factors through changes in emotional states. With time fixed or variable during a simulated shopping experiment, shoppers were exposed to music varying by degree of familiarity. Afterward, subjects reported their perceptions of shopping duration, their emotional states, and their merchandise evaluations. Analyses revealed that individuals reported themselves as shopping longer when exposed to familiar music but actually shopped longer when exposed to unfamiliar music. Shorter actual shopping times in the familiar music condition were related to increased arousal. Longer perceived shopping times in the familiar music condition appear related to unmeasured cognitive factors. Although emotional states affected product evaluations, these effects were not directly related to the music manipulations.
While extant research suggests that olfactory and musical stimuli can influence individuals' perceptions and behaviors, the combined or interactive effects of these environmental cues is not well understood. Using stimuli associated with the Christmas holiday season, this research explores the joint effects of ambient scent and music on consumers' evaluations of a store, its environment and offered merchandise. A 2 (no scent vs. Christmas scent)×2 (non-Christmas music vs. Christmas music) experimental design was implemented in a mock retail store. Results indicate that the effects of adding an ambient Christmas scent are moderated by the nature of the background music. In particular, consumers' evaluations are more favorable when the Christmas scent is in the presence of Christmas music. The presence of the Christmas scent with non-Christmas music, however, lowers evaluations. Results and implications of the findings are discussed with regard to retail practice and environmental psychology.
A field study was conducted to test, in a natural setting, the effects of background music of different pleasure intensity (low and high) on store evaluation and to explore the underlying psychological mechanisms. One hundred ten shoppers (85 females and 25 males) in a mall outlet of a national retail chain reported store evaluation, attitude towards the servicescape and the sales personnel, and background music pleasure. Structural analyses (EQS) revealed that pleasure intensity influenced store evaluation but not by direct transfer of affect. Instead, results were indicative of a powerful mediating effect of the attitude towards the servicescape and the sales personnel. It was found that the attitude towards the servicescape, influenced by pleasure intensity, in turn, affected store evaluation both directly and indirectly via its positive effect on attitude towards the sales personnel and a strengthening of the relationship between attitude towards the sales personnel and store evaluation. The theoretical and managerial implications of the results are discussed.
In the latest decades, emotions have become an important research topic in all behavioral sciences, and not the least in advertising. Yet, advertising literature on how to measure emotions is not straightforward. The major aim of this article is to give an update on the different methods used for measuring emotions in advertising and to discuss their validity and applicability. We further draw conclusions on the relation between emotions and traditional measures of advertising effectiveness. We finally formulate recommendations on the use of the different methods and make suggestions for future research.
This study grew out of the observation of a remarkable sparing of emotional responses to music in the context of severe deficits in music processing after brain damage in a non-musician. Six experiments were designed to explore the perceptual basis of emotional judgments in music. In each experiment, the same set of 32 excerpts taken from the classical repertoire and intended to convey a happy or sad tone were presented under various transformations and with different task demands. In Expts. 1 to 3, subjects were required to judge on a 10-point scale whether the excerpts were happy or sad. Altogether the results show that emotional judgments are (a) highly consistent across subjects and resistant to brain damage; (b) determined by musical structure (mode and tempo); and (c) immediate. Experiments 4 to 6 were designed to asses whether emotional and non-emotional judgments reflect the operations of a single perceptual analysis system. To this aim, we searched for evidence of dissociation in our brain-damaged patient, I.R., by using tasks that do not require emotional interpretation. These non-emotional tasks were a 'same-different' classification task (Expt. 4), error detection tasks (Expt. 5A,B) and a change monitoring task (Expt. 6). I.R. was impaired in these non-emotional tasks except when the change affected the mode and the tempo of the excerpt, in which case I.R. performed close to normal. The results are discussed in relation to the possibility that emotional and non-emotional judgments are the products of distinct pathways.