How Music Boosts Sales in Retail Stores and Restaurants
- ErikWalterThompson
- Jun 17
- 4 min read
Simple tweaks to music played in retail stores, restaurants, or other commercial environments can have a significant impact on revenue. The right music can steer consumer flow (dwell time), increase sales, reinforce brand attributes, shift consumer taste, and influence perceived value. Conversely, using an unlicensed music option could expose you to costly legal issues. As with much of what I write about, this impact operates largely on a subconscious level, so these simple adjustments are often overlooked, leading to missed opportunities.
This month, we're excited to roll out SMARTmusic: our SaaS music playlisting product designed for brick-and-mortar retail, restaurants, hospitality, and any commercial spaces that play music for their customers. SMARTmusic seamlessly integrates with the apps you already use, automating adjustments to your in-store music and ensuring your playlists are working for your business.
How Music Impacts Sales
Tempo
Music moves us.
Beyond its inherent booty-shaking powers, music can have an impact on how we move through stores or even the pace at which we eat. This phenomenon, known as entrainment, occurs when two oscillating bodies begin to synchronize their rhythm and move together. For instance, when music tempo is faster than our resting heart rate, it subconsciously influences us to move at a quicker pace. Conversely, slower tempos cause us to slow our pace.
In a retail setting, slower music might be used to encourage customers to linger, increasing their likelihood of making impulse purchases. On the other hand, a coffee shop might benefit from faster tempos that subtly prompt patrons to finish up, get off the free Wi-Fi, and free up seating for other guests.
Ronald Milliman found in his well known 1982 study that slow-paced music in supermarkets caused people to walk slower and stay in the store 17% longer than when fast-paced music was played. The most eye opening result of this study was that sales rose by 38% when the slower music was played.
Volume
Another study investigated the impact of music volume on the time shoppers spent in stores and found that louder music resulted in shorter visits, while softer music encouraged people to linger. Abercrombie & Fitch strategically employed loud music to filter their customer demographic, embracing the "if it's too loud, you're too old" philosophy.
Along those lines, a 1988 study explored examined how age factors into this dynamic and found that younger shoppers were more likely to stay longer when music was prominent and in the foreground. In contrast, older shoppers favored quieter background music and were more likely to extend their shopping times under those conditions.
Research has shown that music volume preferences vary depending on age, but there is no universal guideline for determining the ideal level. Instead, it’s something that should be tailored based on the preferences of your audience.
Genre
Music selection can also be tailored to align with your brand identity and the
atmosphere of your space, reinforcing your brand messaging and reflecting yo
ur values. Interestingly, it can also influence consumer behavior and spending patterns. A great illustration of this phenomenon is a study examined the effects of alternating between playing French and German music in wine shops. They found on French music days, sales of French wines were five times higher than those of German wines—which might not seem all that surprising given that both French music and wine are large cultural exports. However, the truly surprising outcome was that on German music days, German wines surpassed French wines by a ratio of two to one. Germany is not widely known for its wine or music, which makes this a unique testament to the subconscious power music has on us. Remarkably, participants were surveyed and were unaware of the music being played in the store. (North, Hargreaves, and McKendrick, The influence of in-store music on wine selections)
Additionally, research has shown that playing classical music can lead to increased sales of premium, higher-priced wines in both wine shops and restaurants, further demonstrating the strategic role music can play in shaping consumer behavior.
Perceived Value
The 2015 study, Music Congruity Effects on Product Memory, Perception, and Choice examined how various genres of music could impact the perceived monetary value of various items. The participants were played classical music, country music, or no music at all and were tasked with identifying 10 products linked to social identity and 10 utilitarian products, then estimating their prices. The findings revealed that classical music prompted participants to attribute higher values to luxury items, whereas country music led them to place greater value on practical, everyday items.
Legal Considerations for Music in Retail
Beyond choosing the right music for your space, it's important to ensure you comply with legal requirements.
Music is protected under U.S. copyright law, and performing rights organizations (PROs) manage the licensing for most artists. Musicians work with PROs, who then handle contracts and fees that allow businesses to play in-store music legally.
Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Pandora, and any of the music streaming services that you use for your personal soundtrack are not licensed for commercial use and can result in significant fines if you get caught.
Music Sets the mood
Music has a strong influence on what and how people buy, and the amount they're willing to spend. It serves as an extension of your brand messaging and sets the mood for the atmosphere of your business environment. However, despite its significance, many commercial spaces neglect their in-store music strategy and often don't have any strategy at all. While the necessary adjustments are often small, managing them effectively can be difficult without an automated system in place.
SMARTmusic Makes it easy
Our SMARTmusic solution integrates with tools like people counters, POS systems, reservation apps, Google's "Popular Times", and more, enabling your music to adapt dynamically to your business needs. We design playlists that align with your brand and can pre-schedule seasonal playlists, ensuring you never need to worry about managing them. For businesses with multiple locations, our platform allows you to control everything—right down to the volume in each store—through a single application. It's a simple solution that allows you to take full advantage of all the strategies detailed above, and we handle it all for you so you can focus on running your business.
