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How lighting – or the lack of – can affect how you spend in stores

SINGAPORE — Don’t know why you succumbed to that impulse buy when out shopping? The next time, pay attention to the lighting of the shop — there may be a scientific reason for why you gave in to temptation.

Don’t know why you succumbed to that impulse buy when out shopping? The next time, pay attention to the lighting of the shop — there may be a scientific reason for why you gave in to temptation.

Don’t know why you succumbed to that impulse buy when out shopping? The next time, pay attention to the lighting of the shop — there may be a scientific reason for why you gave in to temptation.

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SINGAPORE — Don’t know why you succumbed to that impulse buy when out shopping? The next time, pay attention to the lighting of the shop — there may be a scientific reason for why you gave in to temptation.

In a study on the effects of lighting on consumer choice, researchers from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Northwestern University in the United States have found that “a darker environment reduces emotional connections with others, (thus) leading people to be truer to their own wants”.

In a media release of Monday (April 23), NTU said that lighting – or the lack of – could subtly sway people to choose products that they believe will give them greater pleasure, “rather than what they think provides the most functional value”.

The research paper, authored by NTU’s Assistant Professor Irene Huang, and Northwestern’s Asst Prof Ping Dong and Prof Aparna Labroo, was published in the International Journal of Research in Marketing in March 2018.

Drawing on the existing literature of published studies, the authors noted that few studies have delved into the impact of lighting when consumers choose between what the researchers label as “practical” or “hedonic” products.

“The results (from the study) suggest that brighter surroundings may be better if one wants to highlight products prized for their function, while a dimmer environment works better for products prized for pleasure,” said Asst Prof Huang, who does research in sensory marketing and emotions. 

“The potential implication is that shop owners can adjust the store lighting to suit specific marketing campaigns, for example, to emphasise the functional or hedonic aspects of their products,” she added.

The researchers conducted a study was to see whether ‘a darker environment can lead to people choosing what they truly want for themselves”.

In one of the experiments conducted, about 100 undergraduates were asked to choose between a modestly attractive chair with superior back-support function, and a stylish chair with limited back support.

They were then randomly assigned to one of four conditions: firstly a dark or well-lit computer lab setting, and then within that setting, whether their choice was observable or non-observable by others.

“Results showed a greater preference for the stylish chair in the dark room, even when it was in a private setting without public scrutiny,” said NTU.

In another test, the authors recruited some 350 participants and randomly assigned them to one of four conditions, a dark or well-lit setting, and then whether the participants would or would not be reminded of their close personal connections, such as family and friends.

These participants were then asked to choose a more fun, but less competent job candidate for their company, or a more skilled, but less fun candidate.

It was then found that “when participants were reminded of their personal connections, the tendency to favour hedonic options in darkness disappeared”.

“There are other factors that affect consumer choice. For example, when a person has been through a situation where they have less control, such as a traffic jam, he is more likely to buy functional products,” said Asst Prof Huang.

She added: “But marketers would still find it worthwhile to bear the effect of ambient lighting in mind when highlighting the hedonic or functional aspects of the products.”

In her next study, Asst Prof Huang said she intends to examine how sensory factors, such as musical pitch, can affect consumers’ choice, building upon the research findings of this particular study.

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