Music attracts clients or repels them
Using music to expand your business isn’t usually the first thing people think about when making plans for business growth. The truth is, the right kind of music can have an enormous impact on your bottom line.
The next time you go shopping for groceries, listen to the music playing. Decades of research have shown that music with a slow beat can increase sales by up to 40% in grocery stores. 40%!!
Not many people know that when you walk into a store where there is music playing, it takes only minutes for your heartbeat to match the beat of the music. There is no off switch to this response. It works whether or not you are paying any attention to the music.
This process is called entrainment.
Your heartbeat is affected by the rhythm of the music. This takes about five minutes. Your altered heartbeat then affects your breathing rhythm and your brainwave state. These three systems are intimately connected. When you affect one of them, you affect all three.
When you slow down your heartbeat, your breathing and your brainwave state, you move into a relaxation response. People buy more when they are relaxed.
Know What Music Your Customers Like
Another essential factor in choosing the right music for your customers is to know what they like.
The neighborhood where I live has a lot of baby boomers, including me. The store plays popular music from the 60s and 70s. People are humming and singing as they push their shopping carts up and down the aisles.
They are also filling their carts with a lot more product than what they have on their list. That grocery store is one of the most profitable stores in the city! Year after year! People buy more when they are happy.
Another example – one of the women’s clothing stores at our local mall plays soft jazz and popular crooners. They also cater to baby boomers and are one of the most profitable clothing stores in that mall.
Have you ever walked into a store and turned right around and left because you couldn’t stand the music? The owners may have been using the music to attract a specific kind of customer or they didn’t think to ask what kind of music their customers liked to hear.
What kind of music do you think a clothing store that sells Western wear is going to play? What kind of music is going to be played in stores that carry clothing for teenagers? What kind of music do you think a store that specializes in yoga gear is going to play?
Music in Restaurants
Popular restaurants may also have similar policies depending on whether they want to keep diners at their table longer or turn over tables faster. Does fast music make you chew faster?
Just like slow music will slow down your heartbeat and create relaxation, fast music will speed up your heartbeat and your responses. And your chewing.
A few years ago, my husband and I went to a popular local restaurant. The music was so loud we had to yell to keep up a conversation. I asked our waiter if he could turn down the music and he told me that the staff was not allowed to touch the music controls.
This particular restaurant chain had music policies that stated standard music tracks (mostly with fast rhythms) had to be played at a specific volume (very loud). Their reason for this was that the fast rhythms and loud music stimulated people to eat faster. They visited less with their dinner companions because it was hard to hear what anyone was saying.
People finished their meals faster and the restaurant had one or two extra sittings per table each evening. That adds up to a huge increase in sales.
Does it make for an enjoyable dinner out? Well, that depends on the customer and what kind of experience they are looking for. We love a smaller, quieter restaurant where the food and service is spectacular. We can take our time and enjoy our conversation. We are also willing to pay more for this so that helps the restaurant create a sustainable business.
The Calming Experience
One of my favorite experiences when I am traveling is to walk into my hotel after a long flight and be greeting by beautiful, calming, quieting music. I’ve had this experience several times and it’s exquisite! These hotels really understand where their guests are coming from.
Will I stay there again? You bet!
Another example of a delightful calming experience in one of the world’s most hectic places is in Chicago O’Hare International Airport. In one of the walkways between two terminals is a color and light display that is a brilliant work of art. And a wonderful calming experience to offer travellers rushing from one terminal to another. If I have time between flights, I love to go back and forth in this passageway just to enjoy the colors and sounds.
The next time you go to the mall, listen to the music played in the various stores. Most retailers know what music will keep customers in their store longer. Some of them don’t.
This is great awareness. If you have the opportunity to use music in your business, consider its appropriateness very carefully. It can make or break the experience of your customer.