Rising costs, fierce competition from online-only retailers and the pressure to make the most of every square foot of floor space are all placing increased pressure on retailers.
While retailers are under no illusions about the challenges they face, there is one surprisingly overlooked element that can improve the customer experience and grow revenue: sound.
Unlike visual merchandising, which customers actively notice in-store, sonic branding works in the background. When it’s done badly, it’s hard for customers to put their finger on what feels off, but when it works well, it transforms the customer experience.
However, it isn’t as simple as putting the latest chart-topping hits on in the background. At Startle, we work with retailers including Schuh, Charles Tyrwhitt and Orlebar Brown to deliver consistent, on-brand background music through centrally managed playlists, expert curation, and reliable infrastructure.
Why using sound makes sense
Sound follows the same logic as scent and sight: used well, it quietly shapes how customers feel about a brand. Brands have long understood the impact that the senses have on customer experience. Since the 1990s, retailers have used scent as a brand asset – whether that’s curating seasonal smells to signal a change or using a single signature scent to reinforce brand identity.
Bloomingdale’s has taken a department-by-department approach, using distinct scents to clearly indicate each department. Baby powder is used in the nursery department, while coconut is the distinct smell in the swimwear department – so each part of the store has its own distinct feel. Westin Hotels took a slightly different approach, using a white tea fragrance throughout hotel lobbies worldwide until it became inseparable from the brand’s identity.
Sound is now having a similar moment. Sonic branding isn’t just about background music; it’s engineering an emotional experience that drives commercial impact. Mastercard developed a 10-layer sonic branding plan to create a signature sound for its brand that could stand on its own without any visual assistance. Sonic branding extends beyond background music and creates a distinct emotional experience that drives commercial results.
Marketing teams will spend weeks refining tone of voice, testing imagery and refining copy. Yet music, which plays for hours at a time in a physical space, is often left to chance or handed to whichever staff member happens to control the speaker.
What the research tells us
Customer behaviour is complex and sound can have a measurable influence on it. Used well, music becomes a powerful sensory trigger, one that motivates people to visit, stay longer, and come back to spend again.
There is a concept in academic research called musical fit. The better the music aligns with the brand’s identity, the more customers perceive the brand to be of higher quality and value. When music aligns with a brand’s identity, customers subconsciously process the environment as more cohesive and considered.
YouGov research backs this up, with 20 percent of young adults indicating they are more inclined to choose or buy a product from a brand with a sonic identity compared to those without, and one in three adults feels more positive towards brands with a sonic identity.
However, when the sonic branding doesn’t align with the brand’s identity, customers notice.
Unmanaged music does not always mean there is no system in place. More often, it means there is no clear strategy behind how music is selected, controlled, or delivered across locations. That can show up as playlists that do not reflect the brand, different music styles across sites, no defined ownership at head office level, and limited ability to guide or influence what is played.
Individually, these may seem like trivial issues. However, over time, they chip away at consistency and impact the overall brand experience. The tempo, energy, positivity, volume, and genre of music all play a part, as well as environmental factors like crowding, time of day and even the weather.
Research shows that listening to fast-tempo background music enhances consumer arousal and encourages more variety-seeking and spontaneous behaviour. However, when music is too energetic, or played too loud, it may be inappropriate for your quieter periods in the week. At these times, it may be better to choose a more laid-back soundtrack that fits the trading pattern.
Our own research within the charity retail sector found jazz music delivered the highest average daily sales – significantly higher than pop music. Classical and jazz music also noticeably improved staff mood and created a calmer, more welcoming atmosphere.
The dos and don’ts
- Do make sure your music is licensed properly.
Licensing requirements in the UK are strict, so getting this right protects the business from being sued for damages or facing legal penalties. The correct licensing also means that you can play music across sites without worry.
It’s important to understand that consumer music services such as Spotify and Pandora are intended for just that: consumer use. Retailers that are serious about sonic branding should leave it to the professionals and invest in a dedicated B2B background music solution.
2. Do choose music that reflects your brand and customers.
It can be tempting to default to chart hits as background music with the assumption that this is what most customers will like. However, the key here is to know your customer, not as a two-dimensional marketing persona, but as a complex person who responds to their environment in conscious and subconscious ways.
An expert musicologist can help curate what your sound should be, built on real-world data, your brand values and commercial goals, and your unique customer base and environments.
This can be continuously improved from feedback and updated with new tracks and artists, to keep things fresh and exciting for customers and staff – after all, it’s the soundtrack to their entire week.
3. Do vary the soundtrack throughout the day.
A Tuesday morning and a Saturday afternoon rush call for different atmospheres and your choice of music should reflect this.
Consider the kind of customer behaviour you want to encourage at different times, and how your music could support it. Music should support the behaviour you want to encourage at any given time, rather than clashing with what’s actually happening on the shop floor.
4. Don’t ignore feedback.
Analysing how consumers and staff respond to music in a store can be crucial to improving customer experience.
Be aware of how your customers and employees react to changes in your soundtrack and look out for changes in behaviour when, for example, you adjust the volume.
You can find more information on background music for retail and how Startle could help you deliver consistent, on-brand in-store experiences here.
