“Sleigh Holiday Sales” With the Right In-Store Holiday Music

Post Date: November 7, 2019

With Halloween behind us, that means Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and the holidays aren’t far behind. For many businesses, that means it’s time to gear up for your holiday marketing moves.

Like last year’s, this is a short holiday shopping season (just 26 days between Black Friday and Christmas, compared to the more typical 31), so you’ll want to make the most of it.

Every year around this time, many businesses bombard us with Holiday music. But what’s the impact of all this holiday music? Given that so many stores completely revamp their holiday playlist, you’d assume there’s some pretty strong evidence suggesting that in-store holiday music lifts sales, or at least improves the quality of shoppers’ mood.

In a survey conducted by Entertainment Media Research Ltd, it was revealed that a massive 95% of consumers prefer Christmas shopping with in-store music. Amongst the 95%, 4 out of 10 said that they would prefer to shop where Christmas music was playing than the music that they would usually enjoy whilst shopping. The research also showed that 85% of consumers agree that Christmas just isn’t Christmas without Christmas music. Approximately three quarters of the survey respondents said that hearing their favorite Christmas songs playing in the background when they’re shopping helps them to get into the festive spirit. 1 in 4 even admitted that they’re probably more generous when it comes to gift-buying if they like the Christmas music playing in the background.

Below are some helpful tips to sleigh holiday sales this season with the right in-store holiday music playlist.

How the Right Holiday Music Can Impact the Way Customers Shop?

It turns out there’s quite a bit of research indicating that music affects our shopping behavior, even when we’re not aware of it.

Studies show we spend more on flowers when romantic music is playing in the background. We choose more expensive bottles of wine when listening to Vivaldi. We linger in restaurants playing slow-tempo music, which leads us to order more food (not to mention drinks) and run up a longer tab.

Overhead Background Music affects the way we think, feel and act, which has considerable consequences for our wallet. This is especially true in a retail environment. When the music we hear is enjoyable, our positive emotional state colors our impression of our surroundings. We evaluate the merchandise more favorably. We view the sales personnel as friendlier. And the happier we feel, the more likely we are to remain in a store, explore our surroundings, and find something we want to buy.

This is Your Brain on Jingle Bells (Over, and Over again!)

But while studies show that holiday music can get shoppers into a festive mood, smarter retailers are waking up to a more nuanced reality: Evidence suggests that what kind of music is played—as well as how often and at what volume—can make the difference between stimulating sales and literally driving customers out the door.

Create a Playlist Customers Will Love.

Findings like these are leading many businesses to rethink how they sling their holiday tunes.

For starters, some stores are giving more thought to the importance of choosing songs to match the dignity of the store—meaning, if it’s a novelty tune, it’s probably better avoided.

It’s important to match the vibe of the business—matching the type of holiday music to what the business plays on a regular basis the rest of the time. No matter the store’s theme, novelty tunes are best left off the playlist. “Don’t play annoying music,” he says, “like ‘Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.’ Those songs provoke a negative attitude.”

If holiday music on heavy rotation doesn’t drive customers nuts, it will surely have that effect on employees. We recommend a 60/40 blend of holiday and regular music, even at the height of the season.

Final Thoughts …

Put simply, holiday music puts us all in that festive mood which then prompts us to spend more. It’s a constant reminder of Christmas shopping and all the things that we need to buy to prepare for Christmas. And so we walk around buying and spending more than we would usually, eyes peeled for the perfect presents for our friends, family and even our co-workers.

The holidays can be a hectic time for shoppers and business owners alike. Choosing the right holiday music can boost your brand while enhancing your customers’ holiday shopping experience. Holiday music is one of the most influential components of Christmas season marketing, but remember, don’t get carried away though. Too much exposure to holiday music can have a negative effect on shopping behavior.

If you’re ready to discover more about the many benefits of the right overhead background music, then contact Original On Hold today. Our music designers are ready to help create the perfect playlist to boost your brand.

“Sleigh Holiday Sales” With the Right In-Store Holiday Music