There is hardly any establishment nowadays that does not play overhead music in their premises. There are a number of advantages of playing music in a business establishment. Fist advantage is the fact that music creates brand perception. You can do a lot to influence how your clients perceive your business with the help of music.
Studies done in 1997 on a number of sports retail outlets show that although a good number of customer say they don’t „hear“ the music anymore (read: don’t pay attention to it), the opinions they form about the store later on are actually affected by the type of ambient music played. In fact, the same customers that say they don’t „hear“ the ambient music anymore are pretty consistent when they describe the stores playing upbeat music as „cool“ and „hip“ or „lively“. A similar study was done, this time with the store playing mellow, slow rock songs; the customer responses were „dull“, „boring“ or made them feel sleepy and tired.
Another research done in 1998 provided evidence about how music played in an establishment (or parts of it) affects the way customers perceive and form opinions about the establishment. A study done in a restaurant back in 1998 showed customers describing the bar where lively music is played to be „invigorating“ and „enjoyable“ while not so nice feedback were received in the dining area where there isn’t any ambient music. This is also a pretty good indicator about how music affect the behavior of people inside an establishments.
Certain experiments done in grocery stores and supermarkets show that when lively retail music is played, customers tend to shop faster and are in a better mood, minimizing delay and long lines in the checkout counters. There had been an experiment in 1997 where a store alternately played French and German songs everyday for a week; the result: French wines sold more during days French songs were played and German wines outsold every wine product on days German songs blared through the store speakers.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of playing music in business establishments is the fact that it attracts customers to come into the store, without fail. More so, music makes people want to linger in the establishment. Slow music makes customers move slower, fast music makes them more active. Have you ever asked why restaurant music is never fast or upbeat?
The reason is simple: the longer customers stay in the restaurant, the longer the talk among other diners, the more they eat, the more they drink, the more they smoke cigars, etc., the more money they tend to spend. It is important, however, to consider your establishment and your patrons when you choose ambient music.
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