Happiness influences online shopping habits

Happiness plays a larger role in online shopping than we might think. A recent study shows that when people are in a good mood, they tend to use more positive language during product searches, which in turn increases the likelihood of clicking on advertisements.

Conducted by researchers from the University of Georgia Terry College of Business, the study highlights how these positive search terms lead to more engagement with online ads, offering new insights into the evolving digital shopping landscape.

“There’s a lot of research about how you feel when you’re in a store, how you feel when you see a product, but now people begin the shopping process online before they step foot in a store,” said Sarah Whitley, an assistant professor of marketing at UGA’s Terry College. “They may operate differently in this online space, and we need to understand how emotions play a role.”

The study bridges traditional marketing research, which investigates consumers’ emotions at physical stores, to the evolving digital shopping landscape.

Happiness drives online shopping behavior

The researchers analyzed over 5 million archived searches and conducted experiments with 6,800 participants.

The findings demonstrate that individuals primed with positive imagery (such as babies, sunshine, and bubbles) used more positive emotional words in their online searches, leading to a significant boost in ad clicks.

“When people are in a positive mood and experiencing positive emotions, they have rose-colored glasses on,” Whitley explained. This effect was observed across a variety of products, from water bottles to books and posters.

Test subjects who used positive search terms like “joyful” or “inspiring” were twice as likely to click on ads at the top of their search results compared to those who used neutral descriptors like “clear” or “lightweight.”

“The positive feeling has nothing to do with the product they are searching for; it’s just something they are feeling at the moment,” said study co-author Professor Anindita Chakravarty.

How mood-altering is your click?

Interestingly, these findings suggest that the positive emotions consumers feel at the time of their search have no direct connection to the product itself.

“When it happens they’re feeling happy and need to search for a product at the same time, they are going to use more positive words when they type in their search query. And that’s when the practical implications come in,” said Professor Chakravarty.

This insight carries significant practical implications for online marketers, particularly in understanding how to target consumers based on their current emotional state.

Positive emotions as a marketing target

Marketers may find it beneficial to reserve ad dollars for targeting happier consumers early in the buying process, rather than relying solely on deal-based search terms.

“Instead of just thinking about deal-based search terms, marketers might want to consider some of these positive emotion words in search terms that can indicate how the consumer is feeling at that moment,” said Professor Whitley.

Happiness and online impulse shopping

Happiness not only influences how consumers search for products but also plays a significant role in driving impulse buying behaviors.

When individuals are in a positive emotional state, they tend to be more open to spontaneous purchases, feeling less restrained by practical considerations such as budget constraints or perceived risks.

This elevated mood can lead to a more carefree approach to shopping, where consumers are motivated by the desire to maintain their happiness.

Tapping into the happiness of consumers

Emotional shopping is especially prominent in categories like luxury goods, electronics, and entertainment, where emotional satisfaction is closely tied to the purchase experience. Products in these categories often offer an immediate sense of gratification, which appeals more strongly to consumers when they’re in an uplifted mood.

For marketers, this means strategically targeting happier consumers with time-sensitive offers, exclusive deals, or suggesting complementary products during the buying process can significantly boost sales.

By tapping into the emotional state of online shoppers, businesses can encourage unplanned purchases and drive higher overall sales, particularly by using engaging visuals, personalized recommendations, and marketing messages that evoke positive feelings and reinforce the consumer’s good mood.

The study is published in the journal Journal of Marketing.

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