Company Blog

I KNOW, IT’S ONLY ROCK AND ROLL

(But do your customers like it?)

by Adam Zack — July 20, 2016

Have you ever been in a Target store early in the morning or late at night? The first thing I noticed was how eerily quiet it is without the crowds of customers talking, kids crying, employees interacting and parents yelling. It’s really kind of creepy, and for me it’s more like a morgue atmosphere that makes me want to get the hell out of there. So why doesn’t Target play music in their stores? I can’t find an explanation other than conjecture. But it did make me think about the music that’s played in our grocery stores. Seems like what is playing is generally decided by one of the following:

People perceive a shorter wait time when they hear music they like.

What the owner wants to hear
What the employees want to hear
It’s what we’ve always played
It changes every time management changes
We have music?

Turns out that the music you choose really can influence how customers shop. One owner in Florida plays classical music, which aligns well with his customer base and was done after a lot of trial. One owner wants his store to have a hip vibe so he plays the “Hipster Cocktail Party” on Pandora. One had so many complaints from employees he changed it just to stop their bitching.

Studies show:

Classical music increases the amount of money people are willing to spend on a specific item (like wine.) However, it also makes the customer think the store is more expensive.

Sales increase when slower music is played because customers move slower, prolonging their shopping trip.

Employee irritation goes up when they hear the same song repeated every couple hours. Even if they like the song, hearing anything 4-5 times on one shift eventually gets on your nerves.

People perceive a shorter wait time when they hear music they like.

Holiday music directly affects the sale of holiday items.

Because taste in music is so subjective, the choice of what you play needs to be given sincere thought. You can never please everyone, so it may take some experimentation. Given the low cost and high flexibility (Pandora for business is something like $25 a month), the choices today are almost endless.

I’m all lost in the supermarket

I can no longer shop happily

I came in here for that special offer

A guaranteed personality