Short answer

Integrate deliberate sensory design choices (e.g., ambient music, appealing visual aesthetics, quality of materials, curated taste experiences) to enhance customer pleasure and encourage desired behaviours.

Field
User-Centred Design
Source
Sustainability (2019)
Method
Quantitative survey research
Sample
608 participants
Evidence
Strong effect

Designing a coffee shop experience that engages multiple senses, particularly sight, sound, taste, and touch, can lead to increased customer pleasure, which in turn drives positive behavioural intentions. This user-centred design research insight is drawn from a 2019 study published in Sustainability. Using Quantitative survey research with 608 participants, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Integrate deliberate sensory design choices (e.g., ambient music, appealing visual aesthetics, quality of materials, curated taste experiences) to enhance customer pleasure and encourage desired behaviours.

Study
User-Centred DesignHigh ImpactStrong effect

Sensory elements in coffee shops significantly influence customer pleasure and behavioural intentions.

Designing a coffee shop experience that engages multiple senses, particularly sight, sound, taste, and touch, can lead to increased customer pleasure, which in turn drives positive behavioural intentions.

Sustainability · 2019

01

Key Findings

  • 01Visual elements positively correlate with feelings of dominance.
  • 02Auditory elements are linked to increased arousal.
  • 03Taste and touch elements are associated with both arousal and dominance.
  • 04Customer pleasure has a direct positive impact on flow and behavioural intentions.
  • 05Hedonic and utilitarian usage motivations moderate the relationships between sensory marketing and customer responses.
02

Application

Design takeaway

Integrate deliberate sensory design choices (e.g., ambient music, appealing visual aesthetics, quality of materials, curated taste experiences) to enhance customer pleasure and encourage desired behaviours.

How to apply

When designing a coffee shop, carefully select music, lighting, textures, and even the aroma to create a cohesive and pleasurable experience that aligns with the target customer's motivations.

Project actions

  • 01When researching user needs, ask about their sensory experiences in similar environments.
  • 02Consider how different sensory elements might interact to create a desired atmosphere.
  • 03Think about how to measure user pleasure and behavioural intentions in your own design project.
03

Method & Evidence

AimHow do sensory marketing elements in coffee shops influence customer emotions (pleasure, arousal, dominance) and behavioural intentions, and how do usage motivations moderate these relationships?
MethodQuantitative survey research
ProcedureAn online survey was administered to coffee shop customers to gather data on their perceptions of sensory marketing, emotional responses, flow state, behavioural intentions, and usage motivations. Statistical analysis was used to identify relationships between these variables.
Sample608 participants
ContextCoffee shop environment

Variables

IV["Sensory marketing factors (sight, smell, sound, taste, touch)","Hedonic and utilitarian usage motivations"]
DV["Pleasure, arousal, dominance (PAD emotions)","Flow","Behavioural intentions"]
04

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

  • +Large sample size provides statistical power.
  • +Investigates a multi-faceted approach to user experience through sensory marketing.

Limitations

It can be challenging to isolate the effect of a single sensory element, as they often work in combination. Measuring abstract concepts like 'pleasure' or 'dominance' can also be subjective.

Reliability & validity

The study's reliability would be supported by consistent measurement of sensory perceptions and emotional responses. Validity is addressed by examining the relationships between sensory inputs, emotions, and behavioural outcomes.

Think critically

To what extent can sensory marketing be ethically manipulated to influence consumer behaviour, and where is the line between creating a pleasant experience and undue persuasion?

05

Design Principles

"Sensory engagement is a powerful driver of customer experience and loyalty."

Understanding how sensory inputs affect customer emotions and actions is crucial for creating memorable and engaging environments. This insight allows designers to move beyond purely functional considerations and craft spaces that foster deeper customer connection and loyalty.

06

What This Means for Your Design

Making a coffee shop look, sound, smell, taste, and feel good makes customers happier and more likely to come back.

How to use in your project

  • 1.Use this research to justify the importance of sensory elements in your design proposal and to inform your user research methods.
  • 2.Cite this study when discussing how user emotions and sensory perception influence design choices.
07

Add to My Project

08

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

Research indicates that sensory marketing plays a significant role in shaping customer experience and driving business outcomes. Specifically, engaging sight, sound, taste, and touch can evoke positive emotions like pleasure, which in turn positively influences user behaviour and intentions, as demonstrated by Jang and Lee (2019) in the context of coffee shops.

09

Source

Sustainability

Applying Effective Sensory Marketing to Sustainable Coffee Shop Business Management

journal · 2019

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about sensory elements in coffee shops significantly influence customer pleasure and behavioural intentions?
Integrate deliberate sensory design choices (e.g., ambient music, appealing visual aesthetics, quality of materials, curated taste experiences) to enhance customer pleasure and encourage desired behaviours. Evidence: Sustainability (2019).
Why does "Sensory elements in coffee shops significantly influence customer pleasure and behavioural intentions." matter for design?
Understanding how sensory inputs affect customer emotions and actions is crucial for creating memorable and engaging environments. This insight allows designers to move beyond purely functional considerations and craft spaces that foster deeper customer connection and loyalty.
How can designers apply this research?
Integrate deliberate sensory design choices (e.g., ambient music, appealing visual aesthetics, quality of materials, curated taste experiences) to enhance customer pleasure and encourage desired behaviours.
What were the main findings?
Visual elements positively correlate with feelings of dominance.. Auditory elements are linked to increased arousal.. Taste and touch elements are associated with both arousal and dominance.. Customer pleasure has a direct positive impact on flow and behavioural intentions.
What research method was used?
Quantitative survey research with 608 participants.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2019 journal from Sustainability.
What should I do differently in my next project?
When designing a coffee shop, carefully select music, lighting, textures, and even the aroma to create a cohesive and pleasurable experience that aligns with the target customer's motivations.
What are the limitations?
The study relies on self-reported data, and the findings may be specific to the cultural context of the participants. The moderating effects of usage motivations suggest that a one-size-fits-all sensory approach may not be optimal.