As the summer sales start today, here’s why it’s best to avoid drinking coffee before shopping.
- Coffee drinkers are less likely to die early.
- Consuming coffee in moderation improves visual abilities.
Ingesting caffeine before shopping can lead to buying more items and spending more money. This was revealed by researchers from the University of South Florida (USF) in the United States in a study published in the journal Journal of Marketing June 11. As part of this work, they examined how caffeine consumption before shopping influences purchasing behavior.
Four experiments
“Some shops have a bar and offer free caffeinated drinks”, can we read in the searches. Thus, to carry out the study, the team carried out three experiments in stores and points of sale, where an espresso machine was installed near the entrance. More than 300 customers got a free cup, half of them were offered coffee containing around 100mg of caffeine, the rest decaffeinated or water. The volunteers then gave their receipt to the researchers at the exit of the store.
The authors conducted a fourth experiment, in the laboratory, on online shopping. They recruited 200 business school students. Some drank coffee and others sipped decaffeinated. The researchers asked them to choose the items they would buy from a pre-selected list of 66 products.
“A higher number of items purchased”
According to the results, people who ingested caffeine bought almost 30% more items and spent about 50% more money than those who drank decaffeinated or water. Adults who consumed caffeine bought more non-essential items, such as candles, than other shoppers. Similar results were obtained for online purchases. People who consumed caffeine had made compulsive purchases, such as getting a massager, while the others chose more practical items, such as a notebook.
“Caffeine, as a powerful stimulant, releases dopamine in the brain, which excites the mind and body. This leads to a higher energy state, which in turn increases impulsivity and decreases self-control. Therefore, caffeine consumption leads to impulsivity in purchases, which results in a higher number of items purchased and greater expenditures”, said Dipayan Biswas, lead author of the work, in a statement.
According to the team, while moderate caffeine consumption can have positive health effects, consuming caffeine while shopping can have unintended consequences. “In other words, consumers who are trying to control their compulsive shopping should avoid consuming caffeinated beverages before shopping”added Dipayan Biswas.
