Studies show we spend more on flowers when romantic music is playing in the background.  We choose more expensive bottles of wine when listening to Vivaldi. We linger in restaurants playing slow-tempo music, which leads us to order more food (not to mention drinks) and run up a longer tab.

Music affects the way we think, feel and act, which has considerable consequences for our wallet. This is especially true in a retail environment. When the music we hear is enjoyable, our positive emotional state colors our impression of our surroundings. We evaluate the merchandise more favorably. We view the sales personnel as friendlier.  And the happier we feel, the more likely we are to remain in a store, explore our surroundings, and find something we want to buy.

This is your brain on Jingle Bells              

Given that happy shoppers are likely to spend more, playing Christmas music holds a good deal of intuitive appeal for store owners. The holidays, after all, represent a joyous time. One marked by overdue reunions, fireside kisses and a meaningful exchange of gifts. It’s logical to assume that reminding shoppers of the holiday will lift their mood and increase their spending.

But there’s a problem with this analysis: the presumption that Christmas music puts shoppers in a good mood. It’s simply not true. While some shoppers adore holiday jingles, others find them utterly unbearable. And when the sounds we hear in a retail environment are perceived as unpleasant, we grow irritated and seek to cut our shopping trip short. 

Does Christmas music hurt sales?

So what do the data tell us about the impact of Christmas music on shoppers? 

On the one hand, sales peak during the holiday season, which might lead us to infer that Christmas music contributes to more spending. But this is a statistical fallacy, one that conflates correlation with causation. It’s the holidays that drive both higher spending and the playing of Christmas music.

Afterwards, consumers were asked to rate their impressions of the store. Statistically, the effect of Christmas music was not significant, but a closer look at the data reveals a powerful trend.  Compared to those listening to pop songs, consumers who heard Christmas music provided lower evaluations of the store on every dimension, including their overall impression of the store, the quality of its merchandise, and even their likelihood of visiting the store when it opened. 

Smarter holiday shopping

As for shoppers, if you want to make smarter decisions this holiday season, the next time you enter a store, take a moment to reflect on the music playing in the background. If Christmas music lifts your spirits, be careful. A happier mood can inflate your impression of a store’s merchandise and cause you to spend more generously.

Source:www.bmj.com;www.psychologytoday.com

(image source:Stocksnap.co)