Many retail businesses are wisely choosing to delay the start of the holiday shopping frenzy until after Thanksgiving. In 2019, Nordstrom, Barnes & Noble, REI, Marshalls, IKEA, and Crate & Barrel all stayed closed on Thanksgiving. In 2020, companies like The Home Depot, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart made the same commitment.
But that doesn’t mean consumers don’t want to celebrate the holidays. It simply means they don’t want to overdose on them.
Here are two timing strategies to make sure your customers (and employees!) rejoice at your holiday music — instead of recoiling from it.
1. Your Type of Business Matters
“Are we talking about a retail store, a dentist, or a restaurant?” said John Bradley, Custom Channels co-founder and Chief Music Officer. “Because they all have different timetables for when they should start playing Christmas music.”
Retail stores want to start those holiday buying cues — and their Christmas music — earlier than most other businesses. Many start in November, even before Thanksgiving, because their goal is to inspire early shopping behavior. Just because Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving doesn’t mean customers haven’t already started shopping before that.
“Certainly, restaurants don’t need to start those audio cues in early November,” said Bradley. “For them, Thanksgiving should be Thanksgiving. Let’s not kick Christmas into high gear until after Thanksgiving for restaurants.”
This also holds true for other non-retail businesses like dental offices, grocery stores, hotels, and similar environments where the holiday soundtrack doesn’t drive sales in the same way.
2. Don’t Start at Full Blast
“There’s always the question of not only when to start Christmas music, but how much,” said Bradley. “We talk to our clients a lot about timing and amount.”
It’s not a 100% on-or-off scenario. Businesses sound better when they gradually scale up their holiday music as Christmas approaches.
“Start ramping it up with a few songs an hour,” Bradley advises. “Then move to 50%… then 75%… and finally all-Christmas in the days just before December 25.”
This gradual approach not only matches customer expectations, it helps keep employees sane through the holiday rush. If you’re doing the right thing for your customers musically, you’re likely doing the right thing for your team too.
More Strategy on Playing Christmas Music
Now that you’ve read our Christmas 101 recommendations, it’s time to dive deeper. Read Christmas 201 to find out how businesses can use proven science to build the ideal holiday music mix.
Unsure how to legally stream music for customers in your business? Visit our Music Licensing Basics page or call us at 303-444-7700.
