Music is a Powerful Retail Tool

There is a science behind the feeling that specific music creates in every setting, including the retail world. In fact, it has been shown that music has a massive effect on the way people shop. Customers can feel positive, confident, and happy making their purchases just by hearing the right tunes. In 1982, studies found that people bought less overall when faster music was playing because the quick music made shoppers move faster and debate if they wanted a product less.  

Since music evokes a lot of feelings, retailers should choose music that will make the consumer feel a certain way, so the consumer isn’t rationally thinking about whether to purchase an item. Faster paced music tends to get people out of the store faster which may mean missed sales, but slower music tends to keep people in the store longer which hopefully leads to increased sales.

Much like in a retail store, a fitting playlist in the Ivystone showroom is important for a good shopping experience. However, with so many vendors and an array of products, picking a vibe of music that encapsulates everything is difficult. Doug Cofiell, Ivystone CEO, tasked himself with creating the playlists for different showrooms and markets. 

Aware of the importance of aesthetics, Cofiell has different playlists for the morning and afternoon in the showroom; the morning playlist being more “mellow.” When asked how he picked the songs on each playlist, Cofiell said his goal was to have “a combination of things people would like and recognize with a mix of things they haven’t heard. I try to keep it upbeat and understand my audience.”

While there is an extreme variety of artists and albums on the playlists, Van Morrison, Prince, the Eagles, the Beatles, and Bruno Mars make consistent appearances on the soundtracks. Some other bands Cofiell looks to are Citizen Cope, the Cold War Kids, and Beck. Outside of work, he tends to be the one curating playlists for his friends, so he felt equipped to do it for a showroom of people. He also noticed when markets had music that detracted from the experience, and wanted to avoid this for his own showrooms. He felt disoriented when the “top 40” on pop charts would play repeatedly or the music was too aggressive.