Caffeine Consumption Leads to Impulsivity during Shopping, New Study Shows
Additionally, the effects of caffeine on shopping impulsivity were stronger for high hedonic (vs. low hedonic) products.
Also, the effects of caffeine on spending hold for people
who drink up to 2 cups of coffee (or less) daily and get attenuated for heavy
coffee drinkers.
Caffeine is the world’s most popular stimulant and is consumed daily by a significant portion of the world’s population through coffee, tea, soda, and energy drinks.
Consumers
often shop online and in brick-and-mortar stores immediately after or while
consuming caffeinated beverages, with this phenomenon being catalyzed by the
presence of coffee shops and widespread availability of caffeinated beverages.
This
is further facilitated by some retail stores providing complimentary
foods/beverages that might contain caffeine.
Despite
the prevalence of coffee consumption before shopping, there is no research
insight as to how consuming coffee or other caffeinated beverages could
influence purchase behavior.
That
is, how might drinking a caffeinated beverage (e.g., a cup of coffee) before
shopping influence the number of items consumers purchase and their overall
spending?
“Caffeine, as a powerful stimulant, releases dopamine in the brain, which excites the mind and the body,” said Professor Dipayan Biswas, a researcher at the University of South Florida.
“This
leads to a higher energetic state, which in turn enhances impulsivity and
decreases self-control.”
Professor
Biswas and colleagues ran three experiments in several retail stores.
The
experiments consisted of setting up an espresso machine at the entrances of a
retail chain and home goods store in France and a department store in Spain.
Upon
entry, more than 300 shoppers were provided a complimentary cup — with about
half offered coffee that contained about 100 mg of caffeine and the others
decaf or water.
They
then shared their receipts with the researchers as they exited the stores.
The
authors 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.
They
also 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.
The
researchers set up a fourth experiment in a lab and received similar results,
this time regarding online shopping.
They
split the study pool of 200 business school students between individuals who
consumed caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee and asked them to pick which
items they’d purchase from a preselected list of 66 options.
Those
who consumed caffeine picked more items considered to be impulsive purchases,
such as a massager, while others selected more practical items, such as a
notebook.
“While
moderate amounts of caffeine intake can have positive health benefits, there
can be unintended consequences of being caffeinated while shopping,” Dr. Biswas
said.
“That
is, consumers trying to control impulsive spending should avoid consuming
caffeinated beverages before shopping.”
The study was published in the Journal of Marketing.
_____
Dipayan
Biswas et al. Caffeine’s Effects on Consumer Spending. Journal
of Marketing, published online June 11, 2022; doi:
10.1177/00222429221109247