Bread, wine, mind control: supermarkets could be using music to change our shopping habits

A few months ago I wrote about the unexpected pleasure of supermarket radio in Australia. My parents operate the Friendly Grocer supermarket in the New South Wales town of Robertson so I know a bit about the subject.

Another study at that time found French music led to French wines outselling German ones in a supermarket, whereas German music led to the opposite effect. Responses to a questionnaire suggested customers were unaware of the effect of the music on their choices.

A 2021 study found music played on a webshop had a similar impact on online buying behaviour.

Now, with some time between me and the Cher crisps incident, I did an experiment: if there was something with a fun beat, would it make me buy more biscuits? Reader, the song playing in my local supermarket was a techno mix of Sometimes When We Touch by Dan Hill. My basket remained biscuit-free.