Music boosts retail experience

The research took three months and focused on the impact of music on the shopping experience and specifically on sales in a leading women’s fashion retailer. It shows that when the “right” music is played in stores, it has a significant impact on purchase behaviour patterns, increasing sales between 12 - 18%.

“Music offers retailers a means of boosting sales during peak seasonal sales period such as Valentine’s Day, but it is crucial that a sophisticated, research-based methodology be applied to ensure that the music is turning customer on to sales and not off,” says Craig Cesman, CEO of DMX Music Africa.

“As markets become increasingly advertising saturated, stores will present a key opportunity to unlock sales. The retailers that will win will be those who understand that branding in store is a multi-sensory experience, and that they should be paying as much attention to the stores sound as they do to customer service or the look and feel of a store.”

The “right” music means that a research-based methodology is used in understanding the relationship between consumers and their sensory experiences, as well as the ability to create a personal connection with customers through music.

If this methodology is not used, the research showed that sales are decreased when the “wrong” music is played in store. The wrong music is a soundtrack which doesn’t have understanding of the consumer demographics, the brand experience sought to be created or the ambience that customers are looking for in a store.