Many things have proven to impact the human brain, and music is undeniably one of those things. From being able to lift the mood, ignite passion, and even drive people to make purchases, music can do it all.
With business owners now understanding the effect music has on the average human, the implementation of music in business has grown widely popular. Like magic, many business owners have discovered that music can drive sales, increase purchases, and improve revenues.
However, it is essential to note that not all types of music have the power to drive sales.
Music is a pre-historic tool that has been a significant part of human society. From being played on ancient instruments like harps to being blasted from radios. In retail stores, music fulfills numerous functions and is undeniably a permanent part of day-to-day human activities.
But why do people listen to music?
The answer is never straightforward and has less to do with the human want and more to do with how the human brain works.
Music fulfills numerous psychological functions. From lifting the mood to igniting a sense of self-awareness, music can elicit several psychological responses. The stimuli response to the music being played varies with various underlying factors, and a change in one factor will often lead to a change in human response to music.
For years now, various studies have been carried out to study the human response to different types of music. Regardless of the music, one thing is certain. Music serves various physiological and health functions, including being able to reduce stress.
For many people, music is a leisurely luxury. For others, it is a lazy part of their day, mostly playing on their headphones as they walk down the streets in the hustle and bustle of the city.
However, for business owners, music is a subtle tool for increasing sales and driving purchases. Hitting the right chords is no longer simply about setting the mood but setting the mood to inspire purchases.
Music influences an atmosphere. It combines with colors and the decor to create an aesthetic that your clients will either love or hate. Music can make or break your business.
Moreover, it is not news that music affects mood. It increases focus, reflects emotions, and reduces stress. This has been confirmed by the dozens of researchers that took it upon themselves to study the effects music has on humans. These changes are further made by evidence of music on responses like blood pressure, heart rate, and eye dilation or constriction.
All these studies prove that music affects human behavior and even encourages them to carry out specific actions. This makes music a significant business tool as it can be used to drive customers to make purchases while influencing their purchasing decision.
While all types of music are great, there is always the problem of personal preferences. Not all types of people like the same music. Therefore, choosing to play one type of music might offend the senses of some while placating the senses of others.
So what is the best way to utilize music? What genre is suitable for driving sales in your store?
The answers to this question depend on many factors, many of which have to do with your brand image.
Your brand or business image is your brand personality. It is the impression your brand leaves on customers and what they feel when they come into your store.
Figuring out how to balance your brand image, products, customer type, and customer music preferences is an excellent starting point for figuring out what music genre is best for your business.
Music is more than a series of tunes, words, or chords strewn together to make a sound. It is made up of a lot of building blocks that all play significant roles in human response.
There are different factors to consider when picking out the best music to play in your store, and knowing the effects of these factors is an excellent way to pick the right music every time. Some of these factors include:
The tempo of a piece of music is the speed or pace of the music. It is how fast the beat of the song is.
There are three types of music tempo. There is the fast tempo that is greater than 120bpm (beats per minute), there is the medium tempo that ranges from 76-120bpm, and there is the slow tempo that is between 60-76bpm.
Music genres differ in tempo, with the more upbeat songs having more beats per minute than the slower songs. House plays at 115-130bpm, electro plays at 128bpm, and hip hop plays at 85bpm.
Certain tempos create a rhythmic excitement that causes several physiological responses in humans. Research has shown that the tempo of music directly influences the human heart rate, with there being a notable increase in heart rate whenever there's an increase in tempo.
Since fast and upbeat music increases the heart rate, it signifies an increase in excitement and energy levels when compared to that of slow music.
Slow music creates a more mellow effect, helping listeners to relax. These effects are obvious in the way clients behave while shopping.
Playing upbeat music in a store will cause the shoppers to move faster. This might cause an increase in sales as customers go through shopping faster.
Research also shows that fast tempo music increases pleasure and arousal levels, causing people to carry out actions faster. If you want to get the customers moving faster during peak hours or empty out tables in your restaurants, fast tempo music is a great choice.
Slow tempo music, on the other hand, gets customers moving slowly. It motivates customers to browse products slowly, taking time to be more aware of the merchandise on the shelves.
The trick is quite simple. To get your clients moving fast, stick to fast tempo songs. To get them moving slowly and enjoy an immersive experience while shopping, stick to slow tempo songs.
The volume of music playing in your store plays a significant role in determining how successful your music choice is in motivating clients to make purchases.
Volume can defeat the purpose of the music playing in your store or drive your clients to make purchases.
The typical average human hearing volume ranges from 0 to 180dB (or decibels which is the unit of noise intensity). However, any sound over 85dB is considered damaging to the human ear, so it is important not to go over the 85dB sound range.
For context, a whisper is measured at 40dB, the normal voice is measured at 60dB, and the noise of a plane taking off measures 130dB, which is a limit of irreversible hearing damage.
When music plays too loud, it can be irritating to your shopper’s ears. This will motivate them to leave your establishment faster than they planned to in a bid to escape the unpleasant noise emanating from your speakers.
Loud music might induce stress in shoppers, while low music will cause them to relax.
However, there is no one-size-fits-all fix to choosing the perfect volume for your store. The perfect volume to play music at depends on factors like your customer's age range.
Younger people like the Gen-Z teenagers and young adults prefer loud music to feel excited as they shop. Millennials and older adults prefer softer sounds.
Genre is a personal preference. Different people have different tastes in music, and learning to balance these different tastes to pick a common genre interest that your customers will find interesting is the trick to creating an environment that encourages purchases.
The music genre you play in your store affects customers' perception of your brand. Certain genres spur certain emotions that customers associate with your brand image.
For many people, a store playing classical music signifies a high-end store. The lilting tunes induce the atmosphere with an air of expensiveness that convinces them to make more expensive purchases.
Hence, it is essential to note that choosing genres to make sales is not just about choosing random genres that happen to be on your playlist. It is important to choose a genre that work well with your brand personality. A genre you choose can either create an air of sophistication, rustic fashion, ruggedness, or whatever image you will like to convey.
Associating music genres with your brand personality will make it easier to use music to convince your clients to make more purchases.
Some factors that determine your brand personality include:
Understanding your customer demographic is key to working with music to create an ambiance that works with your brand image. This is a great way to drive sales and increase business revenue.
Some of the best music genres to encourage buying and drive purchases include:
Classical music has been around for a long time, since the time of Beethoven and Bach. Classical music was and is still considered an art that is appreciated by people with fine high-end tastes.
This is one of the many reasons classical music is one of the go-to music for businesses with high-end products and customer demographics.
Classical music introduces an air of expensiveness to a business atmosphere. It makes the listeners feel more influential, wealthier, more powerfull. This creates the desire to purchase more expensive products.
When you play classical music in your store, you help your customers feel more influential and thirsty for the finer things in life.
Businesses like wine shops and spas are atmospheres enjoy the effects of classical music. They are environments that rely on a state of affluence to help their clients relax and make more sales.
However, it is essential to note that classical music is not fit for all types of business settings.
Sometimes, introducing classical music in a business can create an exaggerated state of affluence that doesn't work well with a business’s image. This may mislead customers, thereby confusing them and compromising the overall customer experience.
Before you whip out your classical records, it is vital to ensure your business image works well with the genre of music. Beauty products and high-end fashion stores are other businesses that can benefit from using classical music. Tattoo parlors and tool shops will not work well with classical music.
Playing local music for local clients is an excellent way to drive purchases. It creates an air of solidarity and familiarity that clients cannot get anywhere else, causing them to spend more on familiar products to maximize their experience.
There are various ways to utilize regional music. For example, a restaurant in Indianapolis that sells Chinese dishes may implement Chinese regional music to top off the atmosphere. This complements the setting and the brand personality, playing a part in helping clients enjoy awfully immersive experience.
If you find yourself providing services or products that have to do with a particular region or culture, playing music known to that region or culture is a great way to increase purchases and drive sales.
Although regional music strikes a familiar chord with people familiar with that particular region, foreigners also appreciate the music and will also make purchases.
Unique music types like techno, electronica, or dubstep attract customers to a store. These upbeat sounds promise a unique experience different from any other type of music they have ever heard.
Instrumental music may not seem like a likely musical solution for driving sales but it is appreciated by people with a love for exploring new sounds.
Since instrumental music is a lure that draws people to your store, you can expect that the more people visit your store, the more purchases you enjoy.
Dubstep, techno, and electronica are especially loved by young teens and are perfect for stores that sell products for teens and young adults.
Everyone listens to pop music. It appeals to people from several age groups and client demographics, mainly because there are different types of pop music for diversity.
Pop music is a safe music choice for a store with a wide client demographic with no idea of what type of music to play. It is a safe ground that provides music that everyone finds familiar.
From the Rolling Stones to Bruno Mars, the choice of pop music songs to play is almost endless. Because your clients find pop music familiar, they tend to focus on the music instead of their shopping. This will stir them to sometimes make more purchases than they planned to without giving it too much thought.
Pop music can also be relaxing sometimes. This will increase relaxation and create an atmosphere that promotes quality shopping.
Holiday music is a no-brainer. This music genre is only suitable for certain seasons and is dedicated to creating an atmosphere that fits the season. With Holiday music, you can keep your clients in high spirits and encourage them to make more purchases than they planned to.
Christmas music is the most popular type of holiday music.
Imagine it is Christmas, and you are at your local gift shops but something is awfully wrong. The gift shop is not playing any Christmas songs. There is no ‘Deck the halls’ or ‘I saw mommy kissing Santa Clause.’
Lame right?
Playing Christmas music infuses the sir with excitement that matches the season's mood. This excitement will attract more shoppers and encourage them to shop more and longer.
It is essential to understand the effects of each genre in relation to your business personality and tailor your music picks to fit these effects. With the right music genre, you can attract more customers, influence a positive shopping experience, and encourage buying.
When you find the right genre, it is equally important to find the right music source for your business.
With Loop TV, your business can enjoy unlimited audio and music video entertainment to drive sales. Loop TV is a free entertainment and digital signage TV that provides access to over one hundred music video and audio optional channels.
Your business will enjoy royalty-free and licensed entertainment that comes at no extra charge. From the free media player which will be shipped at no extra cost to access to digital signage and entertainment features, you do not have to worry about paying a cent.
Loop TV also rewards its users for trusting its services. Loop TV is supported by premium ads that run every 10 minutes on average. When you run these ads for a month, Loop TV will give you a reward that you can redeem for pre-paid Visa cards, gift cards, or even donations to charity.
Make more purchases and earn more with Loop TV today.
