Shoppers who drink coffee have been issued a warning. According to a new study, drinking coffee before you heading to shops full of tempting goodies could make you spend a lot more than you originally planned.
Published in the Journal of Marketing, the study examined how coffee consumption influenced spending and found that it stimulated additional purchases as well as higher spends. Researchers found that it also influenced what type of items they bought, with a strong preference for "hedonic", or sensual items.
In addition to candles and massagers, caffeinated shoppers were also more likely to spend big on fragrances, chocolate, decorative objects, and luxury vacations; while low hedonic items like stationery, kitchen utensils and storage items were less likely to be purchased by buzzed buyers.
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Justifying their investigation, the paper's authors said caffeine was under-researched saying: "Understanding how and why caffeine consumption influences spending is important since caffeine is one of the most powerful stimulants that is both legal and widely available."
To find this out, social scientists from across the world conducted studies on people entering shopping centres, handing some a caffeinated beverage and others decaf or water. After running trials in Spain and France, their results were convincing: "We found that the caffeine group spent significantly more money and bought a higher number of items than those who drank decaf or water."
The study states that this happened because coffee triggers a state of physical arousal in the body, where one feels active, energised and excited. In this state, we become more perceptive to a product's features and more swayed by pleasing aesthetics, says the Mirror.
The sweet spot for this is a low to medium dose of coffee, with 30mg to 100mg of caffeine inducing an energetic arousal conducive to shopping, while higher doses tend to cause a more tense and difficult rush.
They concluded: “Hence, consumers trying to control impulsive spending should avoid consuming caffeinated beverages before shopping.
“Policy makers may also want to inform consumers about the potential effects of caffeine on spending."
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