FORWARD THINKINGAbout Background Music

Considerations

The world is alive with the sound of…

For many consumers dining out is still a great social experience. They often travel in herds, perhaps half-a-dozen strong, constantly “trying new places”. There is still plenty of potential for you to impress these feral foodies and make your establishment one of their favorites. What is the best strategy?

There are many factors to look at to make your retail space a great place to be. Your retail space needs to be inviting and attractive, so we look at color schemes, the floor plan, the lighting arrangements, and having qualified and helpful staff on hand to provide for your customers.

However, no matter what sort of retail environment you have, there’s one ubiquitous factor: Music.

Humans relate to music on a subconscious level. It inspires emotions, and feelings of attachment through association. What retailer doesn’t recognize that Seasonal/Christmas music increases sales? The problem is they treat it like some sort of generic genre where any tune will do and that minimizes it effect.

Several other studies have revealed that playing classical music in an upscale market inspires customers to pay more for the same products than they would if there were no music, or an incongruous musical style. Mismatched music reduced the amount that customers were likely to pay for items.

In a recent psychology experiment conducted in Scotland, 120 individuals we’re divided into four separate rooms, and provided with menus containing 30 entrée options varying between Indian, Chinese and American cuisine. While one room was left in silence, the remaining three each had specific music consisting of Chinese (The Peking Brothers), Indian (Sunidhi Chauhan), and American (The Beach Boys).

When asked to list as many dishes as they could remember, they recalled the dishes associated with the music that they’d been listening to, and their final food orders matched accordingly. The control group with no music had mixed results in both categories.

Forward Thinking About Background Music

ENVIRONMENTAL MUSIC DRIVES OUR CHOICESThe impact of environmental music is undeniable. The power of correctly selected, appropriate music is stunning. Business owners clearly need to assess their customer base, compared to the products they are offering, along with their price points, and then decide on appropriate music.

People do actually define themselves through music and relate to other people through it but we haven’t known in detail how [extensively] music is connected to identity… We have always suspected a link between music taste and personality. This is the first time that we’ve been able to look at it in real detail —Adrian North

Forward Thinking About Background Music

Restaurateurs & Bar OwnersWho can argue that restaurants and bars charge more than the dollar and cents value of that food or liquor purchased in a grocery store? Talent notwithstanding, you could produce similar meals and drinks at 1/10th the price with the same ingredients. So what are they really selling?

In truth, their primary product is mood or atmosphere. They’re selling fun, romance, excitement, convenience, expectation, conviviality, entertainment, or a place to celebrate.

And every one of those foregoing factors can be influenced by your musical selection. While the quality of the product is of primary importance, the food itself is often of secondary importance compared to the other things going on around it.

Forward Thinking About Background Music

High End Restaurants

Music Styles and their Effects

If you provide haute cuisine or intimate dining, you’re probably looking for slow and classy music to give the customer lots of time to reflect and consider, as well as enjoy their own company. Large transactions should not feel rushed.

The consequences of musical choices are often not what you expect. Men seem unaffected by tempo, but prefer a faster pace, while women prefer slower music.

Repeat business, or the intent to return, was most strongly affected by soul music. Environments playing jazz or lounge music typically experienced higher sales.

Ultimately, the consensus seems to be that music familiar to your typical customer maintained the ideal perception of the passage of time, increased satisfaction, and solidified the intent to purchase, resulting in more, and better, sales. Your music is most effective when it fits your audience.

Businesses with high throughput, for example a fast food restaurant, do better with fast paced music, if the objective is to get people in and out quickly. On the other hand, staying away from fast music, people tended to spend more money on food and drink, especially where the music was soft, slow, and from the classical genre.

Forward Thinking About Background Music

RESTAURANT STATISTICS (TEXAS)

Background Music Slow Tempo Fast Tempo

Fast tempo music causes people to dwell an average 106 minutes in a given restaurant. Slow tempo music causes them to persist for 132 minutes in the same restaurant. Their respective purchases total $76.74 and $86.28 so if you’re not at full capacity you’ll make more if they stick around a little bit longer.

Wait time to be seated 47 minutes 34 minutes

Time for service after seating 29 minutes 27 minutes

Dwell time after food served 56 minutes 45 minutes

Cost of food purchased $55.81 $55.12

Bar purchases $30.47 $21.62

Estimated gross margin $55.82 $48.62

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THE TAKEAWAY

Retail business owners of any stripe continue to struggle to develop customer loyalty. You have tools to reach your audience; every single one of them must be used effectively. Bowling alleys need to be upbeat, fun, and exciting; bistros need to be cool or hip. Playing Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, or Beethoven music is not going to go over well in the Laser Tag Arcade or a pizza joint!

Worse yet, using “canned” music, without consideration of your audience can hurt your bottom line. It may not be overtly discernible but unsophisticated playlists, assembled by some engineer who knows nothing about your business, serve no one.

Properly considered music takes into consideration your price point, your audience, and even the time of day. It influences how much your clientele will spend, how satisfied they will be with the products, and even whether they’ll return to your establishment for future purchases. Faster music in busy times can result in better throughput; slower music in relaxed times can result in higher sales.

This is important! Even a few percentage points can be the difference between profitability, breaking-even, or actually losing money.

You do want to make a profit, so get this handled today.

Forward Thinking About Background Music