It’s no mystery that music is a powerful thing. One does not need to search very hard to find scores of research that has been done to prove that music has the ability to influence us and our behaviors. We prove the findings of these studies every time we turn on a radio and either change the station or stay to hear the rest. As a retailer, we know you have a lot to consider as you create a great atmosphere for your customers (and potentially some of your best brand ambassadors) so we have created 3 things to consider as you select the right musical atmosphere to help drive sales.

  1. Know your customers’ ears and keep them happy.

    Mariah vs Mozart. Knowing which of those to play (or some other genre all-together) in your store means you have a good pulse on your customers. Taking volume, style and tempo into consideration is key when selecting the right musical atmosphere. Having a good feel for the age and gender demographics, and if those factors vary throughout the day, can help set the shoppers’ pace as they shop. If the music is too loud, you could alienate their conversations or irritate their sound sensitivities. If the volume is too soft, it could give them a cold and isolated feeling. If the tempos are too fast or aggressive, they could feel they are in a rush and not stay very long. If the customer feels the lyrics are explicit or inappropriate they might find the exit and never return. The longer your customers stay in your store, the more they are likely to purchase, so you want to make sure you’re creating a musical environment that supports that goal.

  2. Know your environment and have the right technology.

    Knowing the physical environment and having the right technology to balance sound in that environment will play heavily into how the music is heard by your customers. If you have concrete floors, carpeting or tall ceilings then there will be variations in how the music is bounced or absorbed. If there are variations in the design of your store there could be spots that are much louder or the quality is very different, so having the right technology is important. If your plan is to rely on a satellite, streaming or other internet-based services you need to have the equipment to provide consistent feeds. It can be very distracting to your customers (and you) if these services go in and out and need constant reconnecting. You also need to make sure you have the right technology to efficiently manage these sound features in one location. You plan on your business being around for a long time, so make sure and invest in equipment that can grow with you as your business grows.

  3. Don’t shortchange your playlist and be ready to make changes.

    Keeping a lengthy playlist is a great way to keep things fresh and to ensure your customers don’t hear the same song twice (or more) before checking-out. Thinking of your customers is always at the forefront of the playlists you make, but don’t forget about your employees. Find the right selections that don’t just fit the customer that visits your store, but also for the employee that will spend many hours working in your store and interacting with your customers. Getting the right playlist isn’t a one-and-done, so as you get your store ready for the next holiday or seasonal change make sure your playlist changes too. Gearing your customers up for the next shopping holiday or new season needs to be reflected in the music messaging also. Songs about a particular season, played at the right time can spark your customer’s interest to start making purchases sooner rather than later, so make sure you are ready for these changes in your music playlist too.

Music has the ability to make us want to stay or quicken our steps to leave; to make us think of nostalgic days gone by or the excitement of the changing seasons. Knowing the power of music and the role it plays in your retail store takes it from being a small detail of adding background noise to a powerful tool to help drive behavior to purchase. As you work to create a great customer experience in your store, appealing to your customers’ senses is important in helping to drives sales.

The team at Audio Acoustics would be happy to help you in creating a retail music atmosphere that helps drive your customers to purchase with the needs of your customers and employees in mind. Contact us today to get the conversation started.

Music Retail