The Impact of Background Music Rhythm on Impulsive Buying: Moderating Effect of Shopping Attitude

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of background music rhythm on impulsive buying in a real shopping center by combining questionnaire and manipulating background music rhythm. Meanwhile, the moderating effect of consumers’ shopping attitude is also investigated. In this study, 455 customers shopping in malls are selected randomly, 409 data are valid (103 males, 306 females). The results shown that consumers more likely to have impulsive buying, when the background music rhythm is faster. Consumers’ shopping attitude moderated the effect of background music rhythm on impulsive buying, hedonic consumers declined to have more impulsive buying behavior under faster background music rhythm. While consumer with utilitarian attitude had similar number and amount of impulse spending between different background music rhythm. This study had implications for improving consumption in shopping center and using background music to influence consumer behavior. Introduction The total spending of consumers in shopping malls mostly derives from impulsive buying behavior [1]. Manager wishes to stimulate consumers’ impulsive buying behavior by using marketing strategies. Therefore, this study paid attention to impulsive buying behavior, as well as the factors that influence the consumer to have impulsive buying behavior, especially background music rhythm and consumers’ shopping attitude. Background Music Rhythm and Impulse Buying Behavior Music refers to a complex set of expressive sound collection. It contains some key elements: rhythm, pitch, melody and harmony [2]. Some shopping malls and other public places apply background music to influence consumers' senses and encourage consumers to produce a specific consumer behavior. Impulsive buying behavior is defined as "an unexpected experience of a sudden impulse and action in a fun way which is a mode based on impulse, without a careful consideration of the ensuing consequences. But the action can bring immediate gratification" [3]. Researchers investigated impulsive buying behavior from three aspects: emotions, cognition and behavioral reactions [3]. According to preview studies, Background music not only stimulate impulse buying independently, but also interact with other factors to affect impulsive buying behavior [4]. Background music, coordinating with other factors, has such effects like reducing consumers’ time perception of purchase and waiting [5], affecting consumers’ perception of the entire environment [6], increasing sales [7], influencing consumers’ impulsive buying tendency [7], changing consumers’ experiencing attitude [7] and promoting consumers’ interaction with the environment [7]. All in all, background