In-Store Music Boosts Sales and Customer Experience

A happy business is easily defined by its happy customers. You want your customers to truly enjoy their experience while visiting you – from finding the dress they want to trying out a memorable new dish.

Besides the great quality of the products and services you offer, your customers also thoroughly enjoy the ambience of your store or venue. Needless to say, music becomes an intrinsic factor of this whole experience your customers are offered.

The right in-store music boosts sales and customer experience, and has a valuable impact on the perception of your business. Recent researches, by the Stockholm School of Economics, McGill University in Canada and the Journal of Marketing in US, show that the right music can boost sales by up to 9%.

1. The Three Aspects of Music that Impact Consumer Behaviour

Music's impact on the way your business performs is undeniable. The kind of music that you play is directly proportional to the shopping experience of your guests. In fact, 3 aspects of music are scientifically proven to impact their behaviour:

• Tempo: Studies done as early as the 1980s show that music with slower tempos motivates shoppers to spend more time at a store and in turn, increase their cart value.
• Volume: Slower music helps customers relax, browse more and spend more time shopping. Volume also tends to be an age-related factor — older guests prefer softer music.
• Genre: Genre is an individual preference. Playing music suited for your target group's demographic is preferred. Seasonal music also influences sales — Christmas music in December tends to boost sales of festive products.

2. Building Your Business's Image

Is your store laid back and young or is it classy and minimalistic? The music that you play in your store is the first indication of your business's positioning to your audience even before they step inside the doors.

Staying true to its personality, select music that cues in your customers about your business's image, motivating your target customers to keep visiting your store. Take for instance, how Abercrombie's teen brand Hollister changed their loud, beachy music to a playlist with the latest pop, hip-hop and EDM numbers — combined with a lower volume, they now attract their original target audience plus their parents.

3. Creating the Right Atmosphere

What really sets your business apart from online shopping is the overall experience that you offer. The music that you play not only dictates the store's atmosphere, it also influences the mood and feelings of your customers.

Music is so essential that 4 out of 5 small retailers believe that not playing music can seriously impact their store's environment. This is especially true for restaurants — no background music creates an unpleasant, uncomfortable atmosphere.

4. Increasing Your Customer's Time Spent with You

Music played at your business has a direct impact on how much time a customer spends with you. Slower music makes people take their time and browse through the store, whereas faster music can get them to increase their pace.

In the case of gyms and fitness studios, fast, up-tempo and motivating music can make the clients stay back and sweat it out longer — leading to better results and higher membership renewals.

5. Encouraging Customers to Engage More

In a study published in Nature in 1997, researchers played different types of music in a wine store throughout the day. Customers bought more French wine when French music played, and more German wine when German music played — completely subconsciously.

A 2007 research also shows that the more pleasant the music, the higher the customer's spend at your store. An intriguing playlist can lead customers to impulse buys they hadn't planned on.

6. Boosting Your Staff's Productivity

The music played at your business not only increases your sales, but it also pushes your staff to be more involved, motivated and productive. A 2013 research by DJS showed that staff at a business is 77% more productive when listening to music.

Good music keeps your team in a great mood, allowing them to serve guests better and project a more amicable image of your business.

7. Finding the Right Curated Playlist for Your Business

Now that we have established that having the perfect music has a great impact on your sales and customer relationships, where do you find this playlist tailored for your specific needs?

Making custom playlists might be an added task for you and your team. This is where Soundsuit becomes your easy choice. Smart playlists curated according to your identity and target audience let you sit back, relax and reap the benefits.

With your subscription, you get music that changes according to the time of day and suits your target audience, as well as the mood you want for your store. It is constantly updated, making it unique for your clients and employees alike. Moreover, since this music is licensed, you don't have to worry about the implications of illegally streaming music.