Playlists: Best Music for Retail

With the focus on Retail at this time of year increasing, with sales like Black Friday fast approaching and causing chaos in-store, directing shoppers correctly is as critical during peak sales periods as ever.

The same way flashy sale signs are often used to direct attention of shoppers to key areas or to make us believe a sale item is in fact a real deal, in-store music is also used to affect our subconscious.

You’ll notice sale signs in stores are usually bright colours and not in pastel shades and the same happens with in-store music during sale periods.

Music influences behaviour of customers and most retail store operators are well aware of this and can use it to their advantage.

Music has a direct effect on our impulses and emotions, and if it’s well used, it makes us take more irrational decisions, which for retail stores during busy sale periods, including Black Friday, can become key to returning good sales figures.

Typically we find three major strategies.

The Efficient One

With a noticeable and fast rhythm, music will be perfect for those managers looking for customers that come in, look around quickly, buy something, and leave.

Subconsciously, the rhythm of the music makes customers change speed. The more marked it is, the more it helps them focus their attention.

We recommend this strategy for retail stores who have prepared the whole store around this strategy, particularly for sale days like Black Friday, where they need a high flux of people that do not stop to check things very much and go directly to what they came to buy.

The Calming One

Black Friday (and other sale days) can be a stressful time. We’ve all seen aftermath videos on YouTube, with people going so far as to hurt each other, for the sake of a cheap television.

To cater for these rushes we recommend slower paced music, to reduce from the inner rhythm of people, to help them become less tense.

The Time Distorting One

Music can also modify our perception of time. For stores selling very specific items that require more detailed sales cycles, or where clothing needs to be tried on, slow music is their best friend.

Music that is not going too fast distorts our perception of time. It makes us believe that time that has passed is much shorter than it actually is, which can also be perfect for customers/partners that are easily bored.

The Directing One

In addition to rhythm, the genre of music can also influence where we direct our attention. Music inspires us and so does our subconscious.

So if a store wants to sell last-generation tech gadgets, we recommend using the trendiest hipster music we can find to drive people to buy these. For us congruency is one of the keys of the musical marketing.

Playlists already exist in our music for business music player to meet the needs of retail stores highlighted here and can be accessed very quickly and easily, either locally or remotely via our iOS / Android app.

Find out more here, or chat to one of our experts by booking a call , alternatively,

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