If your showroom is an experience, you want it to be a harmonious one, with all aspects combining to strike all the right chords with your customers. Especially in an industry that’s so visually-driven, it can be easy to overlook the impact of sound in your showroom. But the fact is that music has a significant impact on your customer’s mood. A survey from Heartbeats International found that 44 percent of respondents said the wrong music in a space can make them leave, with 36 percent saying it can make them buy less. On the flip side, 35 percent of respondents said hearing music they appreciate in a public place can make them stay longer.
The tunes you pick can ultimately make the difference between a visitor staying an extra 20 minutes or immediately exiting your store. Here are four steps you can take to help you choose the right music for your showroom.
1. Evaluate your target consumer
Before deciding on the genre of music you want to play, you need to consider who your target customer is and how you want to connect with them. Does your ideal customer listen to country? Oldies? Top 40 or classical? Consider the range of ages, the gender and lifestyle of your desired customers and select music they would enjoy. Playing into your consumers’ tastes might make them want to stay in your showroom a bit longer and could encourage them to come back. In fact, that Heartbeats International survey found that 31 percent of respondents said hearing music they appreciate can make them visit again.
2. Evaluate your brand identity
Once you have a solid idea of your ideal customer, do some reflecting on your brand identity. The music you choose can convey a lot about your business and its personality. Is your brand fun and hip and geared toward Millennials? You might go with pop music or even 90s throwbacks. Are you a 50 year-old business with mostly luxury traditional offerings? You might choose classical or jazz. Do your product offerings trend toward the cutting-edge? You might pick more futuristic electronic music. Ultimately, you want your ideal customer to connect to your business, and music is just one way of accomplishing that.
3. Make sure your music is properly licensed
It’s important to ensure your music choices are legally compliant. Since songs are protected under copyright law, you generally need to obtain a license in order to play music. There are exceptions to this, and it all depends on the size of your business and how you play your music. For more extensive details on licensing, this post is a great resource.
4. Select the right platform
Sites like Spotify are meant for consumer, and not commercial use, but there are a host of platforms these days meant for retailers. The huge benefit of these platforms is that they will usually cover licensing fees so you don't ever need to worry about that. To save you some Googling time, here’s a list of a few platforms you can check out:
Pandora for Business: www.pandora.com
Soundtrack Business: www.soundtrackyourbrand.com
Jamendo Licensing: www.jamendo.com
Startle: www.startleint.com
Sound Machine: www.sound-machine.com
Rockbot: www.rockbot.com
How do you go about picking the right music for your showroom? Let us know in the comments!
Photo: Matthew Henry
