Background music has been depicted to demonstrate significant impact on shopping behavior among customers in supermarkets when the music is directed at a particular age group and in different departments of the store. However, the modern society is embracing a more technologically advanced process of retailing through the development of online stores. The following research will seek to describe the influence of background music in increasing arousal and pleasure of the online shopper. The research proposes that specific types or genres of background music could prime individuals to shift their preferences and buying behavior.
Participants
The research will incorporate a sample population of 1,800 online shoppers from an ecommerce platform. The online businesses should be a popular destination for the American society. The study participants will focus on a diverse sample including both men and women between the age of 18 and 60 years old from various ethnic backgrounds. The availability of different merchandise products means that the research will identify the effect of background music on the various sectors of shopping that the participants will visit. The experiment will require participants who are capable of navigating the online shopping store without assistance from a third party. The participants should also have stable internet connection to effectively listen to the background music while shopping. The research will monitor majority of the shoppers from the apparel and electronics sections which are particularly popular with the younger generations and easily affordable across all socioeconomic levels. The more expensive merchandise like jewelry and home appliances will also be monitored for the behavior of shoppers to make impulse purchases particularly individuals from middle to older adulthood.
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Procedure
The research will propose the experiment to various online stores that have traffic of more than 1000 potential buyers visiting the site on a daily basis. The online store will sign a confidentiality form preventing researchers from mentioning them from the particular research. The same will be done by the online shoppers who will have to accept the terms and conditions of undertaking a survey at the end of their shopping period. Three different types of background music will be played in two major segments of classifying the merchandise available and each will appeal differently to customers based on their sex and age. The music will also be directed in such a way it primes the memory of the shopper and may alter the buying behavior. The experiment will be conducted over two hour periods in the morning, afternoon, and late evening hours over a two week period. In the morning period, soft classical music will be played, in the afternoon a fast tempo funk beat, and in the late evening blues will be played. During each period of research, consumers will be requested to complete a survey on their moods, time and money spent, and their perceptions of the store and the merchandise available.
Materials
The experiment will incorporate a variety of materials for use in the study. An electronically generated survey is essential to realizing results. Once the shopper checks out, the survey will pop up to begin the process of identifying pleasure and arousal among other research criteria. The online store is an essential component in the study with possible options including Amazon, Google Express, Wal-Mart, and Jet.com. These are some of the online platforms with thousands if not millions of shoppers visiting the site in a day. The online store will provide assistance in the setting up of the online survey with the help of five undergraduate students. The survey will incorporate questions like the reason the customer was shopping, evaluation for store music, and if they were shopping with someone. The research study will also incorporate the use of past research as it seeks to identify significant information on consumer behavior as it is impacted by background music.
References
Smith, P. C., & Curnow, R. (1966). " Arousal hypothesis" and the effects of music on purchasing behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 50(3), 255-256.
Soh, K. L., Jayaraman, K., Choo, L. P., & Kiumarsi, S. (2015). The impact of background music on the duration of consumer stay at stores: An empirical study in Malaysia. International Journal of Business and Society, 16(2), 247-260.
Yalch, R. F. & Spangenberg, E. (1993) ,"Using Store Music For Retail Zoning: a Field Experiment", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 20, eds. Leigh McAlister and Michael L. Rothschild, Provo, UT : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 632-636.
Yalch, R. F., & Spangenberg, E. (1990). Effects of store music on shopping behavior. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 7(2), 55-63.
Yalch, R. F., & Spangenberg, E. (2000). The effects of music in a retail setting on real and perceived shopping times. Journal of Business Research, 49(2), 139-147.
