Previous studies indicate that background classical music is associated with customers in retail and leisure premises being prepared to pay more for various products and services. This online experiment tests whether these effects are due to music increasing the salience of valued product attributes (attribute accessibility hypothesis) or to a demand characteristic wherein music implies a norm to purchase expensive items (normative behavior hypothesis). A 3 (type of music—classical, country, no music, between subjects) × 2 (type of product—social identity or utilitarian, within subjects) × 2 (high vs. low incentive for accuracy, between subjects) mixed design was used in which participants stated the specific amount they would be prepared to pay for 30 products using free-choice format. Results showed a Music × Type of Product interaction, such that preparedness to spend was higher in the classical music condition but only in the case of social identity products. This is more consistent with the attribute accessibility hypothesis than the normative behavior hypothesis, and various commercial and practical consequences of these findings are discussed.

先前的研究表明，背景古典音乐与零售和休闲场所的顾客相关联，他们准备为各种产品和服务支付更多的费用。这项在线实验测试了这些影响是由于音乐增加了有价值的产品属性的显着性（属性可及性假设）还是由于需求特征（其中音乐暗示了购买昂贵商品的规范）（规范行为假设）所致。使用3（主题之间的音乐类型-古典音乐，国家/地区，无音乐）×2（产品类型-主题内部的社会认同或功利主义）×2（主题之间对准确性的高激励与低激励）混合设计参与者在其中说明了他们准备使用自由选择格式为30种产品支付的具体金额。结果显示音乐×产品互动类型，这样，在古典音乐条件下，花钱的准备性更高，但仅在社会认同产品的情况下。与规范行为假设相比，这与属性可访问性假设更为一致，并且讨论了这些发现的各种商业和实践后果。