Environmental background music and in-store selling

Abstract

Retailers use background music in order to enhance the atmosphere of their stores. The present study shows, as predicted by the proposed model, that the effects of music on attitudes toward the store, the salesperson, and the visit to the store are moderated by cognitive processes (number of thoughts and depth of information processing), whereas previous studies focused on emotional moderators. Soothing music (i.e., both pleasant and low arousing) is shown, as predicted, to increase cognitive activity when other cognitive stimulation is low (mainly when sales arguments are weak). However, retailers are warned that enhancing cognitive activity is no panacea since it is found here that higher cognitive activity is associated with lower attitudes. It is proposed that music fit with the store may explain such results. Music fit and cognitive processed triggered by store music are strongly suggested as avenues of store atmospherics research.