Dangerous freebie
Do not drink coffee before shopping – so as not to damage your wallet
Each of us at least once in his life bought something unplanned and, as a rule, not too necessary. In many ways, this is the "merit" of marketers who catch buyers on a variety of psychological "hooks", such, for example, as urgent sale announcements. And recently, scientists have discovered another factor that can push us to impulsive buying
Coffee shops can often be seen near retail outlets, and some shops even organize coffee bars offering free drinks to visitors. And people often go shopping, having previously "refreshed" with a cup of coffee.
As you know, coffee, tea, energy drinks and many other carbonated drinks that many people regularly consume contain the stimulant caffeine. This psychoactive substance has a complex effect on the body, in particular, it promotes the release by brain tissue cells of the neurotransmitter dopamine ("hormone of happiness"), which serves as an element of the "reward system", enhances impulsivity and reduces self-control.
Recently, a research group led by scientists from the University of South Florida (USA) we conducted several experiments in stores to find out the effect of caffeine consumption on customer behavior. The store's visitors (more than 300 people) received a free drink at the entrance. Half of the people drank coffee containing about 100 mg of caffeine, the rest – decaffeinated coffee or water. Leaving the store, visitors gave the researchers their checks.
As it turned out, customers who received a dose of caffeine spent about one and a half times more money and bought about a third more goods. Moreover, the utilitarian purchases of all participants in the experiment were about the same, but caffeine consumers bought more non-essential goods, such as scented candles or perfumes.
Scientists have set up another experiment in the laboratory to assess the effect of caffeine on online shopping. Its participants were 200 students who were asked to choose products from the proposed list. The results were similar to the "field" ones. Those who drank regular coffee chose more things that can be attributed to optional, and the rest who drank decaffeinated coffee – more practical.
Article by Biswas et al. EXPRESS: Caffeine's Effects on Consumer Spending is published in the Journal of Marketing.
The results of these experiments are likely to please marketers, who, now on scientific grounds, will be able to encourage visitors to drink coffee before shopping. But the one who is warned is armed: knowing about the coffee "trap", we will be able to avoid it and thus reduce impulsive and unnecessary expenses.
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