J. Duncan Herrington

Effects of music in service environments: a field study

Reports the findings of a controlled field study examining the effects of background music on shopping behavior in a traditional service environment: a supermarket. Finds that musical preference influenced both the amount of time and money shoppers spent in the service environment, although musical tempo and volume had no observable effects. Provides additional insight into the effects of background music on shopping behavior as well as some important considerations for the design of retail and service environments and ambience.

Practical Applications of Music in Service Settings

Discusses many of the empirical studies relating to the effects of background music on a wide range of consumer behaviours and outlines the relevant features and limitations of these studies. Suggests that, while research has identified relationships between specific behaviours and specific musical characteristics (e.g. tempo, volume, mode), retailers should practice caution when attempting to manipulate specific aspects of their background music. A safer and potentially more effective strategy would be to select background music that reflects the musical preferences of targeted consumer segments. Presents useful information regarding selection of appropriate background music.

Shopper reactions to perceived time pressure

Reports the results of an exploratory study of the effects of time pressure on consumer supermarket shopping behaviour. Unique to the study are the use of measures of both actual and relative shopping time and purchase amount, and measures of self‐reported perceived time pressure. Measures of relative shopping time and purchase amount potentially provide more accurate methods for measuring time pressure effects in certain shopping situations while the use of self‐reported time pressure makes the results applicable to a wider variety of consumers. Results indicate that time‐pressured shoppers do not necessarily spend any more or less time or money in supermarkets. Instead, supermarket shoppers tend to spend less time making any given purchase and more money in the time available to them. Provides several suggestions for improving future research of time pressure effects as well as several possible retail strategies for dealing with the time‐harried consumer.

Comparing the Current Effects and Carryover of National-, Regional-, and Local-Sponsor Advertising

ABSTRACT Coordinating and controlling advertising strategy within contractual and administered vertical marketing systems (VMSs) can be a complex task given the number of channel members involved in the process. Quite often thousands of intermediaries are involved at different levels each with their own objectives and areas of responsibility. Conflict within a VMS can arise when dealers/distributors consider the advertising efforts of the sponsoring organization to be ineffective and vice versa. One of the major issues involves how to allocate the advertising budget throughout the VMS so as to generate the greatest return. To this end we report the results of a study comparing the current and lagged effects of national-sponsor advertising to that of local and regional sponsors within one of the more prominent contractual VMS in the United States—the automobile industry. Using a direct aggregation approach to model advertising carryover at both the industry and individual brand level provides useful information for making decisions regarding the allocation of advertising budgets.

Comparing the Relative Impact of Services and Non-Services Advertising

Abstract Much discussion has been offered regarding the differences between services and non-services advertisements. On the other hand, previous research provides little empirical comparison of their relative financial impact. Given the nature of the differences between services and non-services, it was expected that services advertising would be less effective. However, this study demonstrates that services (insurance) advertising was no less effective at generating sales in the short-run than non-services (automobile) advertising. In the long run, services (insurance) advertising is more effective in that its carryover is of longer duration than for non-services (automobile) advertising.

Are Restaurant Franchisees Getting a Positive Return on Their Advertising Fees

Abstract This study examines two primary issues related to conflict in franchiser-franchisee relationships in the restaurant industry: the effectiveness of national advertising campaigns with respect to returns to franchisee advertising investment and the potential for data aggregation bias resulting from system-wide analyses. The results suggest that a large proportion of chains do not realize a positive, immediate return to franchisee advertising investment and that data aggregation can lead to false advertising response estimates.

The Current Impact and Carryover of Advertising on Sales in the Restaurant Industry

ABSTRACT A common source of conflict in the relationship between restaurant franchise and franchisee involves advertising fees. Conflict arises when the franchisee feels that he or she has not received an adequate return on his or her advertising investment. This paper reports the results of a study conducted on both the short-term and long-term effectiveness (duration) of advertising among restaurant chains. The findings suggest that only a small proportion of restaurant chains enjoy immediate, positive returns to their advertising fees. However, over half of all chains examined realized a significant carryover effect of advertising. Several explanations are offered as to why these results are found and recommendations are made as to how restaurant chains should react to these findings.

The short- and long-run implications of restaurant advertising

ABSTRACT Each year, restaurants spend billions of dollars on advertising and employ millions of people in an effort to capture a portion of the large sums of money consumers spend on food away from home. While the food-away-from-home market is substantial, it is not clear if advertising provides an effective tool for attracting diners. The purpose of this study is to examine the short- and long-term effects of advertising on restaurant sales through the use of more recently adopted econometric techniques.

Toward an explanatory model of retail crowding

This manuscript provides a review of the extant crowding literature and culminates in an integration of the various discussions, some of conceptual and some supported by empirical re-search, into a comprehensive schema of crowding. Empirical support (or lack of support) for the relationships posited in the literature and illustrated in the schema is discussed.

The Effects of Perceived Time Pressure on Relative Shopping Time and Expenditures

This manuscript reports the results of an exploratory study of the effects of time pressure on consumer supermarket shopping behavior. Unique to the study is the use of both actual and relative measures of shopping time and expenditures. Because previously used research methodologies may be inappropriate for natural research settings and/or for all shopping situations the use of measures of relative shopping time and expenditures may provide additional insight into the effects of time pressure on shopping behavior.