Background music in a coffee shop is often treated as a finishing touch. A 2026 study suggests it deserves a more disciplined approach. It combines consumer research, EEG measurements and real-world beverage sales data, offering a useful case for hospitality operators who want to assess music rather than rely on personal taste.
The important qualification comes first. This was not a trial across a chain of cafés. The field element took place in one Slovak hospitality venue, during one afternoon daypart, and used a quasi-experimental before-and-after design. It does not establish a universal “best playlist”, nor does it prove that jazz will lift sales in every café, restaurant or hotel.
What the research actually included
The study had three distinct stages. First, an online survey of 2,501 Slovak respondents explored the musical associations and preferences connected with coffee consumption and relaxation. That stage helped the researchers select stimuli; it did not measure purchasing behaviour in a venue.
Second, a laboratory experiment involved 44 regular coffee drinkers. They listened to six 30-second instrumental extracts under controlled conditions, with standardised duration and playback level. EEG indicators were used to examine responses associated with relaxation and emotional activation. Those readings are not sales forecasts: they are one layer of evidence about listeners’ reactions.
Third, the researchers introduced a curated jazz playlist at a Sportpub in Brezno, Slovakia, every day from 2pm to 5pm. The intervention ran from 1 June 2024 to 30 June 2025. It was compared with a no-background-music period running from 1 January 2023 to 31 May 2024.
The field findings: meaningful, but context-bound
Across the comparison periods, mean daily sales of hot drinks, including coffee and tea, rose from 25.62 to 27.39. The authors report a statistically significant overall difference using a Mann-Whitney test (p = 0.012). Mean atmosphere ratings on a ten-point scale also increased from 6.75 to 7.45, with a reported p-value below 0.001.
The often-repeated weekend point needs care. Weekend sales produced a marginal result (p = 0.052), while weekday sales did not meet the conventional threshold for statistical significance (p = 0.090). It would therefore be inaccurate to say that the research proves a weekend sales effect.
Crucially, the paper itself says that the field results should be interpreted as associative rather than strictly causal. Customer flow, weather, seasonality, broader consumption trends and other operational factors cannot be fully ruled out in a live venue.
How to read the reported 244.15% ROI
The paper estimates €1,297.44 in additional beverage revenue over 13 months, using the observed uplift and projected 2025 prices. It sets implementation costs at €377: a €29 monthly subscription, excluding VAT, for 13 months. No new hardware expenditure was included because the venue used an existing PC.
The stated ROI of +244.15% follows the calculation (estimated incremental revenue minus costs) / costs × 100. The arithmetic is consistent with the figures supplied in the article. It is not, however, a universal commercial benchmark. A different venue may have different footfall, average transaction values, music licensing arrangements, equipment needs, margins and operational changes during the test period.
What multi-site hospitality businesses can take from it
The useful lesson is not “play jazz after lunch”. It is to treat music as a testable part of the environment. A café designed for laptop work, a quick-service breakfast site, a hotel lounge and a restaurant bar may require entirely different levels of energy, familiarity and musical density.
That is why sound design for in-store radio should be considered separately from a generic playlist. The programme needs to fit the brand, the expected pace of service, the daypart and the people using the space. It should also be reviewed for repetition and listener fatigue; these are practical warning signs explored in five signs that in-store music is wearing people out.
A practical test framework
- Choose one primary outcome, such as hot-drink units, spend per transaction, dwell time or atmosphere rating.
- Set a clear programme for a specific daypart, rather than changing music unpredictably.
- Compare equivalent periods and report weekdays and weekends separately.
- Keep a simple record of promotions, staffing changes, weather disruptions and events that may influence demand.
- Review licensing, playback reliability and content suitability before interpreting commercial results.
For a chain, a phased pilot in comparable locations is usually more informative than a single dramatic change across the estate. The aim is not to find a genre that works everywhere, but to identify conditions in which a programme supports the intended customer experience. The broader principles of creating an effective in-store radio remain relevant: consistency, programming logic and ongoing review matter as much as track selection.
Conclusion
This study is valuable because it moves beyond claims about music and mood. In one Slovak venue, afternoon jazz programming was associated with higher daily hot-drink sales and stronger atmosphere ratings. Its limits are equally important: one venue, a restricted daypart and no full control over external influences. For operators, the defensible response is to test music locally, measure carefully and avoid turning one research result into a universal playlist rule.
FAQ
Does the study prove that jazz increases coffee sales?
No. It reports an association in one venue and explicitly describes the field design as quasi-experimental, so a strictly causal conclusion cannot be drawn.
What did the EEG stage measure?
It examined neurophysiological indicators associated with relaxation and emotional activation while 44 participants listened to short instrumental extracts.
Were sales measured only during the music period?
No. The authors compared a pre-intervention period without background music with a 13-month intervention period in which jazz was played from 2pm to 5pm.
Can operators use the 244.15% ROI as a business case?
Only as a case-specific illustration. It relies on the study venue’s estimated incremental revenue, subscription cost, projected prices and use of existing equipment.
What is the most useful first step for a coffee chain?
Run a limited, documented pilot in comparable sites with a defined daypart, a stable music programme and one agreed primary metric.
