THE Christmas season in the Philippines is a unique and treasured time, celebrated longer than anywhere else in the world. Beginning in September, festive decorations and holiday music fill shopping malls and public spaces, signaling the start of a month-long celebration. For many, the familiar Christmas carols and twinkling lights evoke feelings of joy, generosity and nostalgia. But have you ever thought about how these elements, especially music, impact the way we shop? Retailers carefully craft holiday ambiance to create an experience that not only captures the spirit of the season, but also influences our purchasing decisions in subtle but powerful ways.

Jose Mari Chan meme becomes a regular trend on social media every August. This is an indication that Filipinos are very excited about the long Christmas celebration that is going to take place. Then, as soon as the shopping malls open on the first day of September, the long Christmas songs will start playing and will even last until January of the following year.

The Christmas season is all about festive gift shopping, but have you ever wondered if the Christmas carol playing in your favorite gift shop affects your purchasing decision? In the world of retail, creating a strategy on how the customer will spend is the usual concern of a store owner. There are old proven strategies that really work until now. For example, the technique of putting up a “Sale” sign has been proven to increase sales of not only discounted items, but also regular priced items. Another technique is line of sight. In this case, expensive items should be placed on the eye line. A branded coffee shop grinds coffee beans at regular intervals because the smell of coffee can make you want to have a drink. So don’t be surprised to know why, even from September, Christmas carols are broadcast in shopping centers: it is part of their marketing strategies.

It’s no secret: music has a significant impact on our brain activity. If you are good at fitness, playing techno music at a high tempo will increase your stamina in performing your exercise routine. Yes, that even includes how we spend our money. Simply put, listening to Christmas songs puts us in a festive mood that reminds us that we should buy gifts either for someone or for ourselves. A marketing study in Europe found that people become more generous when it comes to buying gifts if they like the Christmas song playing in the background.

According to Dr Alan Bradshaw of Royal Holloway, University of London, ‘Festive jingles are force-fed to Christmas shoppers in a bid to change their mood, influence their sense of time and the type of products they buy. is an attempt to manipulate your purchasing habits in ways you might barely realize. » There are a number of factors that determine how we make purchasing decisions, but it’s certainly not just about the product itself. We are led to buy things with excellent packaging, service provided and even the atmosphere in which we buy the products. Of course, music has a huge effect in terms of experience and mood.

In a test by Lisa Cavanaugh of the University of South Carolina’s Marshall School of Business, when religious Christmas music was played, people – religious or not – were more likely to spend money on others.

Another reason we might spend more with Christmas songs playing in the background is the nostalgic effect. Nostalgia is associated with longing for the past, especially fond memories. Since Christmas is usually reserved for children, adults still celebrate it because of the way we remember this season. This is the reason why, even in the modern world, we still live as if Christmas would not happen without lanterns, Christmas trees and Belens. And the party is usually associated with music. Nostalgia and spending do us good. Nostalgic people become more generous and forget about financial control and budgeting, and are even willing to pay a higher price.

I know, linking music to increased Christmas spending isn’t a scientific study. But if it doesn’t affect us, I wonder why even on Halloween, mall owners play Christmas music instead of scary, thrilling horror music. So the next time you walk into a mall on a tight budget for a Christmas gift, you better put on your headphones and play some summer music.

Christopher G. Cervantes is a Registered Financial Planner with RFP Philippines. He is the author of “Financial Planning for the Fast Changing World” and “The Seed Money.” To learn more about personal/financial planning, participate in the 109th RFP program in January 2025. To inquire, send an email (email protected).