Good background music is a marketing tool that a growing number of businesses adopt. Retailers, food and beverage enterprises, not to mention day spas and salons that have always relied on music therapy, are all beginning to invest in quality sound in their venues.

There are many benefits to playing music in retail stores. Australia’s shops, big and small, are more emotionally connected to their clients through music. The results? Not only an increase in client satisfaction but also in the companies’ bottom lines, especially when the tempo, volume, and time of day are considered.

When it comes to restaurants, the most elaborate study so far, analysing almost 2 million purchases at McDonald’s, found that their sales jumped by 9.1% when the restaurant played a mix of popular and lesser-known songs tailored to the brand. Furthermore, the sales of desserts and smoothies went up by 15.6% under the same conditions.

Have we caught your attention yet? Then it’s time to take notes. We will tackle some of the most valuable aspects of incorporating good background music into your marketing strategies.

We are all aware that first impressions count. The first thing a customer notices when they walk into your shop or café is the ambience. That is why businesses place a high value on furnishing and lighting, for example. However, they can end up overemphasising certain aspects while overlooking others.

While sometimes underestimated, in-store music is an essential part of the setting. We can inspire positive perceptions and behaviours by engaging the customer's auditory sense — namely by playing music in stores.

Let’s look at the three most important benefits that good background music in stores can provide for your customers and for the well-being of your enterprise.

1. Pump Up the Volume to Increase Buyer Experience

   As we’ve pointed out earlier, an integral part of the multi-sensorial buyer experience is playing music in retail stores.

   Australia’s many consumers feel that music helps to create a better shopping environment. It lifts their spirits and strengthens their connection to the brand. Furthermore, with good background music in your sensory marketing repertoire, queues will seem to go by faster, as soothing or upbeat tunes will highly influence the perceived wait time. Your customers — especially the younger ones — will feel less anxious waiting for their turn if they sit in a comfortable environment.

   When you decide on a change in your shop’s ambience, bear in mind that you’ll need to create an in-store music playlist that resonates with the right audience. Don’t try to please everyone; appealing to the masses is an impossible task.

   The surprising thing about choosing good background music is that, if done right, your customer will most likely not notice it — well, unless they feel compelled to look up one of your awesome songs on Shazam. Background music in stores is usually perceived unconsciously, making you feel at home (or better). Take Starbucks, for example. It’s not just their music selection that brings about a sense of familiarity and comfort, but it’s also the use of acoustic panels that absorb the excess noise. These are the kind of details that generally go unnoticed but have a lasting impact on consumers.

2. Pick the Right In-store Music for Better Employee Experience

   As a rule of thumb, your venue’s atmosphere is important for all the people involved in the transactions and interactions that take place there.

   If appropriately designed, the store's soundscape can help your staff feel less stressed during their shift. After all, music has been used in therapy for over 2000 years, and we still use it today to help us focus on our tasks, boost our energy, or simply relax.

   A playlist that lasts long enough can also help employees be patient and calm. Imagine having a band’s album playing in a loop; the employees would not only get annoyed with the repetition but they would also perceive their shift to be longer than it is. As we are only human, it would be difficult to mask such frustration, which might harm the customer experience as well.

3. Playing Music in Stores Can Boost Sales

   Studies have shown that playing music in stores that is more downtempo can slow the customers’ pace, causing them to spend more time in your shop and buy more products. According to other studies, classical background music can influence people to pay more for the same items.

   If you are familiar with Target, you know that they have always been adamant about keeping their stores quiet so that their consumers can focus on shopping — at least, that’s what they thought worked best. However, during the last decade, they have done a complete 180 by playing upbeat music across all of their locations. It’s no surprise that this change in tactic has brought them a lot of positive feedback.

   Aside from the immediate financial profit gained from impulse shopping, good background music can also influence other consumer behavioural intentions, such as returning to your venue or recommending it to their peers. To be honest, this is just as important; who wouldn’t want positive reviews and loyal customers?

We are all aware that first impressions count. The first thing a customer notices when they walk into your shop or café is the ambience. That is why businesses place a high value on furnishing and lighting, for example. However, they can end up overemphasising certain aspects while overlooking others.

While sometimes underestimated, in-store music is an essential part of the setting. We can inspire positive perceptions and behaviours by engaging the customer's auditory sense — namely by playing music in stores.

Let’s look at the three most important benefits that good background music in stores can provide for your customers and for the well-being of your enterprise.

1. Pump Up the Volume to Increase Buyer Experience

   As we’ve pointed out earlier, an integral part of the multi-sensorial buyer experience is playing music in retail stores.

   Australia’s many consumers feel that music helps to create a better shopping environment. It lifts their spirits and strengthens their connection to the brand. Furthermore, with good background music in your sensory marketing repertoire, queues will seem to go by faster, as soothing or upbeat tunes will highly influence the perceived wait time. Your customers — especially the younger ones — will feel less anxious waiting for their turn if they sit in a comfortable environment.

   When you decide on a change in your shop’s ambience, bear in mind that you’ll need to create an in-store music playlist that resonates with the right audience. Don’t try to please everyone; appealing to the masses is an impossible task.

   The surprising thing about choosing good background music is that, if done right, your customer will most likely not notice it — well, unless they feel compelled to look up one of your awesome songs on Shazam. Background music in stores is usually perceived unconsciously, making you feel at home (or better). Take Starbucks, for example. It’s not just their music selection that brings about a sense of familiarity and comfort, but it’s also the use of acoustic panels that absorb the excess noise. These are the kind of details that generally go unnoticed but have a lasting impact on consumers.

2. Pick the Right In-store Music for Better Employee Experience

   As a rule of thumb, your venue’s atmosphere is important for all the people involved in the transactions and interactions that take place there.

   If appropriately designed, the store's soundscape can help your staff feel less stressed during their shift. After all, music has been used in therapy for over 2000 years, and we still use it today to help us focus on our tasks, boost our energy, or simply relax.

   A playlist that lasts long enough can also help employees be patient and calm. Imagine having a band’s album playing in a loop; the employees would not only get annoyed with the repetition but they would also perceive their shift to be longer than it is. As we are only human, it would be difficult to mask such frustration, which might harm the customer experience as well.

3. Playing Music in Stores Can Boost Sales

   Studies have shown that playing music in stores that is more downtempo can slow the customers’ pace, causing them to spend more time in your shop and buy more products. According to other studies, classical background music can influence people to pay more for the same items.

   If you are familiar with Target, you know that they have always been adamant about keeping their stores quiet so that their consumers can focus on shopping — at least, that’s what they thought worked best. However, during the last decade, they have done a complete 180 by playing upbeat music across all of their locations. It’s no surprise that this change in tactic has brought them a lot of positive feedback.

   Aside from the immediate financial profit gained from impulse shopping, good background music can also influence other consumer behavioural intentions, such as returning to your venue or recommending it to their peers. To be honest, this is just as important; who wouldn’t want positive reviews and loyal customers?

If we have managed to convince you of the benefits of playing good background music, there is one more topic to address: copyright issues.

Unfortunately, many stores, boutiques, cafes, and restaurants are not aware that playing copyrighted music in-store is illegal. For example, you can’t simply broadcast your own Spotify playlist containing all of your favourite alternative tracks from the last Splendour in the Grass festival. Not only is it not worth risking the enormous copyright infringement fines, but it’s also unfair to the artists. What’s more, if you don’t choose the right music genre for your brand, you can create an uncomfortable — and perhaps costly — disconnect with your customers.

But here is a simple solution if you need to find good background music to play (by the rules) in your shop or restaurant: a music subscription service for businesses. Having a generous music library at their disposal, experts in music and marketing can curate various playlists, based on your target audience, and handle all the legal work for you.

If you’re wondering where to buy background music that is appropriate for your business or where to find a service that facilitates this process, look no further! At Storeplay Radio, we can provide you with a music subscription service to play a variety of good background music to your (customer’s) heart’s content — for as little as $40 per month.

We have an expert team that can also curate 24-hour playlists tailored to your firm’s branding and needs, giving you the time and energy to focus on your company’s mission. It’s like having your own professional DJ!

Fashion companies like Eco D., David Jones, and Puma have all started playing music in retail stores. Australia’s leading music provider for businesses, Storeplay Radio, was the ideal choice for these companies’ acoustic requirements, coming up with flexible and customised plans and solutions.

If you’re ready to experience the software and see the benefits of ambiental music that we have described earlier, we can offer you a 30-day free trial. So, contact us now and get music in minutes with Storeplay Radio.