Title: Music motivates impulse buyers, not thoughtful shoppers
Headings: Music motivates impulse buyers, not thoughtful shoppers
In Brief
Music motivates impulse buyers, not thoughtful shoppers

Content: Shoppers who had made an unplanned purchase spent, on average, $32.89 more when music was playing than those in the control condition. When a scent was present, they spent about $8.66 less. Contemplative buyers spent about $1.00 less than usual when music played, but in the presence of the citrus smell, they spent $5.71 more than usual. Additionally, the contemplative shoppers in the presence of the citrus smell were more likely to note that they had an easy time finding what they were looking for in the mall. Past research by Morrin showed that pleasant scents can enhance cognition and cause people to better remember the details of products. The citrus scent may have helped the contemplative shoppers navigate the mall more efficiently, thus increasing their spending, she suggested. Music, on the other hand, generally improves mood rather than cognition, and impulsive shoppers rely on mood to make purchasing decisions, said Morrin. Perhaps the music subconsciously improved impulsive shoppers' moods, which led them to spend more, she said. Marketers may want to assess what type of shoppers they have, and deploy music or scent accordingly, Morrin noted. "If you are selling high-risk items like cars you may want to use scent rather than music," she said.