can you blame your spending habits on coffee?
while it may give you a bit of an energy boost, that java you're sipping as you shop may be bad for your wallet.
2 minute read
researchers found that caffeinated consumers spent more money and bought more items than those who chose to abstain. getty
a new study has found that a cup of coffee can cost a lot more than you expect when you buy it at the mall.
according to the research, published in the journal of marketing, people who drank caffeine just before shopping spent 50 per cent more money and made nearly 30 per cent more purchases than those who consumed decaffeinated coffee or water. this “unintended consequence” of caffeine, which boosted the purchase of non-essential items, may help explain the increasingly common presence of coffee bars at store entrances.
“caffeine, as a powerful stimulant, releases dopamine in the brain, which excites the mind and the body,” said dipayan biswas, lead author of the study and the frank harvey endowed professor of marketing at the university of south florida. “this leads to a higher energetic state, which in turn enhances impulsivity and decreases self-control.
“as a result, caffeine intake leads to shopping impulsivity in terms of higher number of items purchased and greater spending.”
to test their theory, researchers set up a complimentary espresso machine at the entrances of two stores in france and one in spain. on the way inside, more than 300 shoppers were offered either a cup of coffee containing 100 mg of caffeine, a cup of decaffeinated coffee or water. around half of the consumers opted for the caffeinated option and all shoppers shared their receipts with the team on their way out of the store.
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researchers found that caffeinated consumers spent more money and bought more items than those who chose to abstain. these customers also purchased more things they didn’t need, eagerly opening their wallets for non-essential items, such as scented candles and fragrances. caffeine had a negligible effect on more practical purchases, however, with items such as utensils or storage bins, appealing equally to customers, regardless of the amount of coffee consumed.
in a fourth experiment, conducted in a lab, the team explored whether or not their findings extended to online shopping by dividing a pool of 200 business school students into two groups, those who had just consumed caffeine and those who had not. participants were asked to pick which items they would purchase from a set list of 66 options. those who had just had their coffee fix were more likely to pick items considered to be impulsive (such as a massager) than practical (a notebook).
“while moderate amounts of caffeine intake can have positive health benefits, there can be unintended consequences of being caffeinated while shopping,” biswas said. “that is, consumers trying to control impulsive spending should avoid consuming caffeinated beverages before shopping.”
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dave yasvinski is a writer with healthing.ca
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