Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

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


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 20 2022, @01:48PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 20 2022, @01:48PM (#1254601)

    It's the piss you have to hold in that makes you impulsive.
    You wont be shopping in a leisurely and carefree manner and spending time looking for the best bargains when you're bladder is about to burst 30 minutes after drinking that 600mL (~2.5 cups) mucho extra grande that you never needed or really wanted. Once you feel the transitional epithelium of the bladder stretching to the maximum capacity, savings 50 cents here and there become the least of your temporary concerns and you will impulsively snatch-and-grab whatever it takes to fill your list, check out, and get home asap.

    Same with driving. All the shitty drivers you see rolling through 4-way stops, running red lights, honking at the drivers in front driving the speed limit, not signalling, etc. all have full bladder or worse, full intestines, and they are rushing home or to the next gas station to release the pressure voluntarily before it's too late.