Music is often thought of as just for entertainment but it can also be used to accomplish other objectives. Generally, overhead music plays in background of production facilities, retail stores, restaurants and offices to manufacture certain desired attitudes and behaviors among employees and customers. The volume and type of music that is being played might be the reason you are not getting more sales and being more productive.
Don’t think so? We put together the top effects of overhead music based on academic studies. You will be amazed at what we found.
We concluded 3 important facts from a study by Nicolas Guieguen, Celine Jacob, Marcel Lourel and Helene Le Guellec.
High volume music causes customers to walk rapidly through supermarkets without a decrease in sales volume.
Lower tempo audio results in customers walking slower through supermarkets and sales increasing. Similar to dining facilities, low tempo music causes people to relax and take their time which often results in more sales.
Customers are more likely to buy more expensive merchandise if classical music is playing in the background because it increases the perception of the facility.
Overhead audio advertising also increases sales. “Forty-one percent of shoppers who recall hearing retail audio advertisements made a purchase they were not planning on making after hearing a commercial or announcement about the product in the grocery store or drugstore”. – GrabStats
We also found:
- 41% of shoppers who recalled hearing in-store advertisements made a purchase they were not planning after hearing an announcement about the product in the store. – Arbitron Inc.
- 66% of all purchasing decisions are made from impulse at the point-of-purchase due to overhead advertisement. – Point-of-purchase advertising institute.
- During a national retail media study more than one-third of shoppers who recalled hearing retail audio advertisements when they were shopping purchased a brand different from the one they originally intended to buy after hearing it advertised. –Arbitron Inc.
Shih YN, Huang RH and Chiang HY conducted a study on the effects overhead music has on attention and performance in the work and academic environment. They tested 102 people of 20-24 years old, 56 males and 46 females. The result was:
Background music with lyrics has a significant negative effect on concentration and attention.
In job training groups, background music can help trainees focus, reduce anxiety, and complete job assignments more quickly.
When employees work while listening to music, their work performance and morale improve, and their satisfaction with the company increases.
Test takers exposed to background music tend to score lower than those without music exposure.
Find full study here.
Think about how you can influence your customers or employees with overhead music and overhead announcements. What type of products are you selling? What industry are you in? How old are your customers/employees? With that information you will most likely be able to narrow down the genre of music your demographic would enjoy and ultimately be able to influence their behavior to increase sales and productivity. It’s worth a try!
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