By the year 2020 customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator. And with new research underscoring the influence of business background music on customer mood and behaviour, more brands are finding creative ways of using music in their customer journey.
Why music and customer experience matters
We’ve all seen first hand the make-or-break effect of music in a venue.
Imagine a meal out. The right background music keeps the conversation and wine flowing. The wrong music (or no music!) leaves you skipping dessert to avoid that clinking of cutlery. Awkward.
And your business background music doesn’t just boost the mood of your customers or clientele, it can also boost your business. For example, by attracting the allusive millennial market who greatly value experience and hold over £143 billion in buying power.
Getting your business background music right can increase customer spend, brand loyalty and repeat business.
By focusing on the experiential aspect of your business, you’re more likely to hit and exceed your targets and put your business a notch above your competitors.
60% of customers agree that they would spend more if they like the music playing in-store. Rossopomodoro saw this firsthand, noting that customers spent more time and money in their restaurants once they reworked their ambient music. (Checkout that case study here).
And 72% of customers are more likely to visit a business again if they like the music played. Generating repeat business is crucial for long-term business success. Harvard Business Review reported that simply increasing customer retention rates by 5% could increase profits from 25% to 95%.
By focusing on the experiential aspect of your business, you’re more likely to hit and exceed your targets and put your business a notch above your competitors.
How does music impact customer experience?
Your customers are human. And humans make emotional decisions – not always rational ones.
As Addis and Holbrook (who conducted numerous studies around experiential consumption) pointed out, it’s essential for businesses to remember ‘the role of emotions in [consumer] behavior; the fact that consumers are feelers as well as thinkers and doers’.
The Nobel-winning psychologist, Daniel Kahneman, expanded on this idea when he revealed how one small negative experience can sabotage a whole memory in his famous TEDtalk.
How your customers feel has a huge affect on the way they think and behave within your venue, and your music can really shape this.
Your customers are human. And humans make emotional decisions – not always rational ones.
One study put this to the test in a supermarket. When soothing slow music played, shoppers moved slower and browsed longer. When loud and upbeat music played, customers moved quicker and made more impulse purchasing decisions – increasing sales volume.
Think about your strategy for a space and how you want people to act within it. How can music complement this goal to build you customer experience?
What goes into creating customer experience?
1. Atmosphere
Atmosphere is a fundamental aspect of creating a positive customer experience . If your customers enjoy your venue’s atmosphere, they’re more likely to have a good overall experience. And your business background music can really contribute to this.
A study found that atmosphere has a direct affect on consumer moods and purchasing behaviour. Consumers who find an atmosphere to be pleasant, experience mood improvement and are likely to spend more money as a result.
And with 84% of people believing background music creates a good atmosphere, it’s no wonder why venues like Barworks use their music to build different ambiances, and cater to different trading patterns, throughout the day.
Consumers who find an atmosphere to be pleasant, experience mood improvement and are likely to spend more money as a result.
2. Customer Service
Of course, it’s not just your customers who are affected by your music – it’s also your employees.
It’s an often touted (through true) saying that staff are the ‘face of your business’. And as communicators between your business and your customers, employees play a huge role in defining your customer experience.
66% of workers say that music positively contributes to their wellbeing at work. Another 50% of workers believe that music makes them more productive.
Happy and productive employees make for happy customers, as they’re more likely to deliver a great customer service. Therefore, it’s important to make sure your employees are responding well to your music choices, too.
3. Branding
Music contributes to communicating your brand and telling your customers more about your business in a subtle way. If your business is having a bit of a brand-identity crisis, it is likely that your customers will notice and not have the best experience.
74% of customers said they will spend more money with a brand they love. And 46% of business owners agree that playing music for customers says something about ‘who they are’ as a business.
Your music is communicating something about your business – whether intentional or not! Use your music to cement your brand identity and create a cohesive customer experience.
Your music is communicating something about your business – whether intentional or not! Use your music to cement brand identity and create a cohesive customer experience.
How can I build the best customer experience through music?
Choosing the right music for your business does not have to be difficult, time-consuming or expensive.
It starts with finding the sweet spot between what your customers value (and how you want them to behave), and what you’d like to communicate about your brand. For example, do you want your customers to spend a while in your venue or do you benefit from a fast turnover?
If you’re stuck, Ambie can help. We take time to understand your business and create tailored playlists that update each and every month, so that your customers have a consistently great experience.
Why not request a free music sampler to see what we could do for you?
