Old wine on new bottles - and new music in old stores

Warning! What is in this post is not new - but still interesting thoughts.

Its a well known fact that music affects people emotionally. Deloitte og Touche once conducted a research showing that 89 procent of purchases are based on feelings and desire. Thus, the reasonable equation is that music can affect purchases; it can set your mood. Companies such as Vero Moda and Jack and Jones pump up the party mood on fridays, knowing that many consumers will come their way for late-minute shopping for weekend parties.

Do consumers actually notise music in stores?
Sounds Like Branding conducted a survey for Swedish consumers which showed that many of the respondents notice what artist or track is being played. Almost 4 out of 10 16-24 year olds notice the artist or track categorically, and 13% even rate their experience of a business by the music that is played.
Near the same amount of respondents (32-41%) said they would react negatively or very negatively to silence, or more precisely the absence of music in a business such as a shop, restaurant, hairdresser or at the shopping mall. (Sound Like Branding Survey)

Music scares away consumers
The survey showed that people will leave a place if the music is played too loud and e.g. is blocking the conversation or if the music being played is noisy and irritating. Which means that music is a tool for targeting the right consumer group. The million dollar question is how to manage the use of it in the stores. What irritates mom and dad does not necessary irritate their teenage daugther - which is in the brand's target group. All business knows their target group(s) but do they know which music they like? And more importantly, which music does the staff play in the important touch point being the store?

On the spot
The Sounds Like Branding survey also showed that more than half of 16-24 year olds have discovered new music as well as new artists when they have visited a business in a public place. If a retail brand wants to position themself as edgy and having the latest fasion why not send that message through music and hire a DJ to play in the back of the store? Jack and Jones have already done it - but how about SATS fitness? On-the-spot mixed work-out music, that would make me dig out my old running-shoes again!


The famous buying button
To affect the buying desision at the point of purchse, music can be an element of surprise and make consumers spend more time with the brand. As an example, Carlsberg can set up an loud speaker that direct their music to that specific place where the beer is placed in the store. When a consumer comes close to the product he/she will hear the music - consumers standing away from the beers will not. Surprised by the music the consumer spends a couple of seconds longer in front of the beers. Carlsberg now have several seconds extra to communicate their message; that they just launched a new tasty beer that consumers HAVE to taste.

It sounds like an evil consumer-trap..  if it was that simple. We all know it is not, but its an interesting to see that it actually have some truth in it.

So... right music for the right consumer group at the right time in their desision hierarchy at the right place. Shouldnt be that difficult, right? :)