All Ears: The Power of Music
Music is all around us. Walk into any shop, restaurant, cafe or mall and whether you notice or not, you’ll find yourself serenaded by the tunes of the season or recent pop hits. Music sets the tone for us and affects us in ways that we may or may not be conscious about. Today, let’s explore how we can use music to influence our audiences.
Music has a significant impact on the way that we feel. When festive seasons come around, the constant presence of related music - be it Christmas jingles or National Day tracks- is sure to boost your mood and put you in the spirit of celebration. When we’re looking to get pumped up for a workout session, putting on hard-hitting tunes gets our energy levels up and when we seek relaxation, calming music sets the mind at ease. Hence, music is often used to influence consumers subconsciously. Here are some ways music affect the consumer experience:
1. Increases Time Spent in Stores
Music can affect the amount of time that customers spend in certain stores, therefore increasing the possibility of them purchasing items or purchasing more. A study done by the Universiti Sains Malaysia found that the tempo of music significantly affected the emotional state of the consumers with fast tempo music increasing the pleasure and arousal levels and slow tempo music causing consumers to stay longer in restaurants and supermarkets.
Utilising music strategically can therefore be a factor that aids in driving sales and is a subtle way to influence consumers without getting all up in their face with advertising.
2. Affects Purchase Behaviour
Different genres of music have different places which they are associated with. Loud, upbeat music may be associated with parties, clubs or bars, whereas classical music may be associated with luxury stores as well as fine dining. In certain situations, consumers may find themselves spending more when they subconsciously make connections between music and expected social behaviours. Research has found that laying background classical music in restaurants led to people reporting that they were prepared to spend more and higher actual spending. Therefore, knowing what music appeals to your audiences or affects them can give you an advantage in influencing their behaviour favourably.
3. Branding
Since music quite literally sets the mood, the music you utilise shapes consumer perceptions of your brand. Whether your brand is a retail store, an eatery or an online brand, any music that is associated with your brand will influence how consumers feel and think about it. For example, playing recent hit music in a retail store targeted at teenagers is a subtle and easy way to demonstrate how much the brand understands them and can in turn increase their perception of its trendiness. On the flip side, playing harsh-sounding music during a luxury dining experience can leave a bad impression on consumers who associate luxury with something more calm and reserved.
Therefore, it is crucial to understand the likes and dislikes of your target audience as well as to establish expectations they have of your brand when engaging with it. Meeting those expectations with music and excellent customer service is one way to ensure that consumers leave happy.
The power of music is one that should not be underestimated. More recently, brands have been investing in music consultancies in order to perfect the soundscapes which they present to their consumers, even if their consumers have never quite thought about the sounds they hear while they shop, eat or relax. According to BBC, music consulting company Music Concierge posts an annual turnover of a whopping £1.2m, highlighting the large demand for music tailored to specific audiences with maximum efficacy. Now that you know how music has shaped your experiences as a consumer on a subconscious level, think about how you feel when you next head out and hear some music. Would your experience be the same in silence? What about the ambience if the music genre were to change? Take note of the sounds around you and you might just notice something that you never had before.
At BCD, new ideas and discoveries thrill us. Here, the customer experience is something that we always strive to improve. Should this be something that interests you, feel free to reach out. At BCD, our focus is YOU.
