Best Practices Guide for Using In Store Business Music

A lot of how we shop rests on how the store makes us feel, and how it enhances our self-perception. Music plays a big role in that,” says Laura Paquet (author of The Urge To Splurge) . So when it comes to changing up your background music playlist, as Lionel Ritchie sang — it’s time to party, karamu, fiesta, forever and the let the music play on!

A well-known global luxury retail brand client of ours updates their in-store music playlist every three months.  The strategy is to create just the right sound to set the tone or mood according to the changes in season, and lifestyle habits. After all, Do you wear the same clothes in January as you do in July? Of course not.

Attitudes change throughout the season’s and your background music should too. Depending on your industry and category, some businesses may need to change up their playlist more frequently. Either way, there’s lots of possibilities to improve the mood of your business, and use your background music to stand out from the crowd.

While numerous studies have proven background music to be wildly successful in influencing the customer’s mood and behavior, but the one complaint consumers have about background music is the repetition of songs. If you play the same music day in and day out customers can pick up on that lethargy, and for this very reason you can’t have a set it and forget it in-store music strategy. This is a mistake many brands make with their in-store music, even some of the biggest retailers on earth.

In-store music can be a big point of differentiation for a brand, as well as a key element in the customers’  experience. Remember, it’s within these spaces where connections happen. Where relationships begin. Where brand moments are stitched together to form impressions, drive loyalty and build advocacy with consumers.

In order to build the right mood and atmosphere for any business, big or small, a periodic update of your store’s background music playlist will help create a positive environment. While there’s no simple answer as to how often you should change your store’s music playlist, the one thing we do know is that too much repetition can lead to negative thoughts, thus lowering the perception of the value of your goods, services and brand in the mind of the consumer.

These types of negative thoughts can lead to customer complaints, with a decrease in spending as a result. Consider the time of year, how often customers are in your venue, etc.  Properly designing and planning a music strategy must include periodic updates to your playlist which will serve you well.