Music and consumer behavior in chain stores: theoretical explanation and empirical evidence

ABSTRACT In recent years, there has been significant growth in the number of chain stores; in this regard, the essential point is that managers should consider not only traditional marketing mix, but also other important factors that influence consumers’ shopping behavior, such as atmospheric factors. Music is one of the important factors in this domain. This study was an attempt to explain and investigate the relationship between background music and consumers’ shopping behavior in Ofogh Kourosh chain stores based on the mood-behavior model, alertness theory, and real-world chain store evidence. Genre, tempo, and volume are the elements of music that have been considered as the independent variables in this study, while consumers’ spent time and spentmoney in the stores constituted the dependent variables in this study. Moreover, age and gender have been evaluated as moderators in this relationship. This study is quasi-experimental in terms of the data collection method. All Ofogh Kourosh shoppers around Tehran city constituted the statistical population of this study, and the research sample consisted of 785 shoppers who were selected in 12 branches of Ofogh Kourosh chain stores via systematic sampling method. The background music tracks were chosen through a poll. In addition, observation and interview constituted the tools used in the experimental section. The results indicated that there is a significant relationship between music elements (genre, tempo, and volume) and spent time and money. It was also observed that gender had a considerable moderating role in the relationship between volume and spent time in stores.