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posted by Fnord666 on Sunday June 19 2022, @06:08PM   Printer-friendly
from the I-love-the-java-jive-and-it-loves-me dept.

If you're trying to scale back on impulse purchases, then you may want to hold off on drinking that coffee:

An international study led by the University of South Florida (USF) found that caffeine impacts what you buy and how much you spend when shopping.

The research team ran three experiments in retail stores – an industry that's increasingly been adding coffee bars near their entrances. In their study published in the Journal of Marketing, they found that shoppers who drank a cup of complimentary caffeinated coffee prior to roaming the stores spent about 50% more money and bought nearly 30% more items than shoppers who drank decaf or water.

"Caffeine, as a powerful stimulant, releases dopamine in the brain, which excites the mind and the body. This leads to a higher energetic state, which in turn enhances impulsivity and decreases self-control," said lead author Dipayan Biswas, the Frank Harvey Endowed Professor of Marketing at USF. "As a result, caffeine intake leads to shopping impulsivity in terms of higher number of items purchased and greater spending."

[...] Researchers found that caffeine also impacted what types of items they bought. Those who drank caffeinated coffee bought more non-essential items than the other shoppers, such as scented candles and fragrances. However, there was a minimal difference between the two groups when it came to utilitarian purchases, such as kitchen utensils and storage baskets.

[...] "While moderate amounts of caffeine intake can have positive health benefits, there can be unintended consequences of being caffeinated while shopping. That is, consumers trying to control impulsive spending should avoid consuming caffeinated beverages before shopping," Biswas said.

Journal Reference:
Dipayan Biswas, Patrick Hartmann, Martin Eisend, et al., EXPRESS: Caffeine's Effects on Consumer Spending, Journal of Marketing, 2022. DOI: 10.1177/00222429221109247


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 19 2022, @10:33PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 19 2022, @10:33PM (#1254475)

    Straight male privilege and all...

    Anyhow, I realise there's global inflation but what message are we sending to consumers about tightening their wallets? Spend less and retail stores close and their minimum-wage workers get fired - in a post COVID society where businesses just recovered after 2020's mega lock down.

    Forcing people to shop at Big Online? yeah, nah.

    Bring in a UBI and people will be able to afford their own damn $9 hazelnut cinnamon almond-milk latte with plenty of money left over for scented candles and shit.