The influence of background music on patrons in a South African coffee shop setting : an exploratory study

Abstract

The primary objective of this exploratory study was to investigate the perceptions and preferences of customers regarding the background music in a coffee shop setting. Specific secondary objectives focused on aspects such as the role of music to contribute towards the total store atmosphere, and whether customers prefer live music to prerecorded music. It hypothesizes that male and female patrons have different preferences regarding the playing of romantic music. A non-probability area sampling method was used as the patrons who visited the selected coffee shop at that point in time were requested to participate in the study. In total 120 respondents completed the questionnaire. The results show that patrons prefer live music to prerecorded music and that male and female customers do not differ significantly with respect to preference for type of music played in coffee shops. It was also found that certain musical instruments (e.g. the clarinet) could be annoying to some customers. The managerial implications for managers are listed and directions for future research are offered.