How Music Influences Shopper Behavior and the Customer Experience

Walk into any type of store these days and you will likely hear music playing in the background. For a small business, the music might be more for the enjoyment of staff members instead of customers. But many times, music is deliberately selected to enhance the shopper experience. The genre and tempo of the music can have varying effects depending on how they are used.

As a business owner, you tend to focus on the shopper experience from the moment they walk in the door. You are always thinking of ways to attract customers and keep them in your stores for as long as possible. Music feeds into both employee and customer experiences. It influences effort, mood, attitude, and commitment. It also affects how long customers stay, how much they enjoy the experience, and what they buy.

In an article published in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, researchers examined how music affects shoppers. The findings were fascinating: men tend to become more engaged when music is played at a high tempo, while women are more engaged when music is slower or not playing at all.

Music has a strong influence on both how long shoppers stay in a store and how much money they spend. When music is playing, shoppers of both genders stay longer and spend more.

Custom Channels, your source for restaurant music and music for your business, offers a few things to consider when picking the right background music for your store.

Genre

The type of music you play is the first thing shoppers notice when they walk into your store. The genre you choose should not be based on what you or your employees like. Instead, it should reflect the image or brand you want to create in the minds of your customers.

Genres should be chosen to inspire patrons and align with your brand identity. One study showed that customers in a wine store spent more money when classical music played compared to pop or top 40 music. The customers did not buy more wine; instead, they bought more expensive bottles. If you own a wine store, you might want to play Tchaikovsky over Taylor Swift.

Classical music is often associated with sophistication, class, and status, so it encourages shoppers to purchase higher-end items. Similarly, the music in your store should mirror your target audience. If you run a retail store selling children’s clothing, heavy metal might not fit. But if your store sells skateboards or streetwear, rock or hip-hop may connect better with your customers.

Volume

There are no strict rules for how loud you should play your music. It depends on your customers and your brand environment. Younger shoppers tend to stay longer when the music is fairly loud, but studies show that volume does not directly influence how much people buy. Keep in mind that older customers and many female shoppers tend to stay for shorter periods when the music is too loud.

It is always wise to test and adjust your volume levels during different times of the day to find the right balance between energy and comfort.

Tempo

Tempo has a measurable impact on customer behavior. Slow music tends to make customers slow down and relax, encouraging them to spend more time browsing. Fast tempo music has the opposite effect, often causing customers to move through the store more quickly and reducing their time spent shopping.

Use tempo strategically. Slow the pace during peak browsing hours or when you want customers to linger. Increase energy during closing time or when you want to turn over tables or transactions more efficiently.

Staff

Do not forget about your employees. Your staff listens to the same music for hours every day, and it directly impacts their mood, motivation, and focus. If the music is annoying or repetitive, it can drag down morale and affect the customer experience as well.

That is why it helps to have professionally curated business music solutions. You can create playlists that keep staff engaged while still shaping the right atmosphere for your brand and customers.

Choosing the Right Music for Business

If you want to make sure the music in your business is enhancing the experience for customers and staff, not distracting them, Custom Channels can help. We specialize in playing music legally with full licensing coverage through ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC.

Our team helps businesses of all sizes choose the right genres, volume, and tempo to create a sound that reflects their brand identity and keeps customers coming back. From retail stores and restaurants to hotels, offices, and salons, we make it easy to deliver background music that fits every space.

Contact Custom Channels today to find out how our licensed streaming music services can elevate your customer experience, improve employee morale, and protect your brand from copyright risk.