Music for your business: a simple (but complete) guide
Have you ever entered a clothing store and felt enveloped by the environment? Music played an important role in it. And well, there is a logical explanation for that.
Studies have shown that ambient music affects the influx of people in department stores, the volume of sales or incitement, to the purchase of French wine by playing music from that country.
That is the reason why the big fashion stores put music in the hands of experts because they know that music is very useful to attract customers, retain them and thus increase their sales.
It is essential to use ambient music and it is not difficult. Otherwise, you could be missing out on the immense immediate benefits of music.
In this post, we will see 7 specific benefits that will help you decide what music to play in your business according to your needs.
We will analyze which music increases productivity and which also decreases how music affects us.
At the end of this post, you will be super clear about what music to put in your store and make the most of the music in favor of your business.
Let's start!
7 Benefits of music for your business
1 Brand perception
Music is a decisive factor in how your customers perceive your business.
A study conducted by a sports retailer analyzed the effects of music on the image of companies.
They analyzed the perception of the client when different styles of music are played. Although, customers initially said that music was not important, music influenced the perception of the store.
Customers felt that the store was cooler and more modern if the music was cheerful and fast, but if the music was slow rock, people felt that the store was boring and tired.
A. North, D. Hargreaves and J. McKendrick (1997) - The perceived importance of music in the store and its effects on the atmosphere of the store
2 Music creates atmosphere
The music differentiates two similar stores through using variations in its environment. Allowing attracting different types of people.
Several clients of a bar were presented with a list with different characteristics of the place and were asked to rate each one on a scale from 1 to 10.
The results clearly indicated that the different musical styles and the volume of the music influenced the perception and behavior of the clients.
For example, the more customers perceive that music is "stimulating," the more the bar is perceived in this way causing more drinking in less time.
Dr. A.C. North, David J. Hargreaves and Jennifer McKendrick (1998)
3 Influence customer behavior
Store music affects the choice of products
A study monitored the sales of French and German wine in a large supermarket. Altering French and German music.
The results showed that when French music was played, French wine surpassed German 3 to 1. However, when German music was played, German wine surpassed French 2 to 1.
When asked, customers stated they were not aware of the effects.
A. North, D. Hargreaves and J. McKendrick (1997) -
4 Attract and extend customer visits
There is a link between music tempo and customer activity in different environments.
Slow and fast music was played in a supermarket and the time it took for customers to move between two defined points in the store was measured.
Customers moved more slowly when slow music was played, with 128 seconds, and faster when fast music was played, with 109 seconds.
By spending more time in the store, more money was spent under the condition of slower music.
Millman (1982)
5 Increase staff productivity
Music in your business affects your employees and your customers.
The tempo of the music you play influences the speed with which your employees work.
In one study, 70 employees in a data capture company were measured. For a month the employees listened to fast, slow music and no music. Productivity was assessed by two automated measures every half hour and the total number of vouchers processed each day.
The results showed that in the days with fast music, more than 22% more coupons had been processed compared to the days with slow music. And, more than 12% more coupons were processed on days when fast music was played, compared to days without music.
A. North, D. Hargreaves (1999) - Music, productivity and moral tempo
6 employee moral impulse
Playing music in your company can lead to a happier workforce.
As part of the previous study, employees were asked to complete a questionnaire at the end of each day, after being exposed to different types of music. This was to determine whether playing music inside the workplace affected his morale.
With the results, it became clear that playing music in the workplace had a positive effect on stimulation levels. The employees upon completing the study asked them to give their comments on the music. These are some of the comments on the questionnaires: When fast music was played: "The music was very motivating" "The music was really lively and worked better" "There was a good atmosphere" When music was not played: "It was boring" Me I felt lethargic "" Must play music again "
A. North, D. Hargreaves (1999) - Music, productivity and moral tempo
7 Allows customers to relax
When visiting leisure and fitness clubs, be it a gym or a spa, there are certain areas designed to relax. Some gyms have internal treatment centers designed for a relaxing experience. Also, in the locker rooms and bar/restaurant areas, this is an opportunity to relax after exercising and socializing with others.
A study in a sample group of 80 patients between 18 and 65 years old, who underwent a "crown preparation procedure" with a dentist, highlighted the link between music and increased levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA) in the listener. Saliva samples were taken before and after the procedure.
The result showed that listening to music during the procedure had a significant positive effect on the levels of S-IgA (salivary immunoglobulin A) in women. However, there were no significant effects on male participants. The researchers concluded that listening to music can significantly reduce the anxiety and stress levels of female patients during such procedures.
Goff, L. C., Pratt, R. R. and Madrigal, J. L. (1997)
The science and myths behind the music and the brain
For years, there was a theory called the Mozart effect, which meant that people became smarter to listen to Mozart classical music.
According to a study, it showed that this is false. Increase your Spatio-temporal reasoning, but only temporarily. Space-time reasoning is the transformation and relationship of mental images in space and time. The Mozart effect only demonstrated an increase in Spatio-temporal reasoning for approximately 15 minutes.
Although Mozart may not make you smarter, this may be something to consider if you are trying to increase productivity in a short period of time, performing a task that requires Spatio-temporal reasoning.
Merriam Saunders, psychotherapist of Merriam Sarcia Saunders, LMFT and associate professor of psychology at the Dominican University, clarified the true science behind the effect of music on the brain.
"Music can have a dopamine effect on the brain, which means it creates dopamine," said Saunders. "Dopamine is what stimulates the prefrontal cortex, which is the center of the brain responsible for planning, organization, inhibition control and attention."
Saunders explained that producing more dopamine would result in the more effective prefrontal cortex and the ability to be more productive. This means that listening to music you like stimulates the production of dopamine.
Types of music that increase productivity
Two experts from the topic Barolsky and Saunders believe that the best genre depends mainly on the type of music that each individual enjoys because that genre would increase dopamine levels and, in turn, productivity.
However, Saunders suggests that the best approach to choosing music is to create a playlist of songs that you really enjoy but have heard so often that you don't need to focus on the lyrics or the rhythm. This would create background noise that would increase dopamine but will not distract too much.
While all experts agree that the most efficient type of music varies by person.
Another subject expert: Tottle thinks that two specific genres are the best in general for productivity: classical music and the sounds of nature.
Classical music is that there are no words, and this reduces the potential for distraction.
The sounds of nature are able to increase your mood, increasing feelings of joy and satisfaction so that you feel more motivated and can work.
Other genres that Tottle believes can increase productivity include funk music, as well as video game and movie soundtracks.
Types of music that decrease productivity
For the reverse effect, experts agree that the musical genre that negatively affects productivity is also largely based on preference. If an individual does not like gender, it will result in distraction and less productivity.
Saunders and Tottle indicated that there is a very fine line between music that is energizing but not too attractive. The lyrics and tempo are factors in this.
If a person would need to concentrate but was listening to the lyrics, it would negatively affect the brain's ability to perform the task, Saunders said.
With the same melody, Tottle said that music with lyrics or a really fast tempo can distract and lead to lower productivity.
Similarly, if the pace is too low, it can leave you sleepy and cause a lack of motivation, he said.
Tasks affected by music
Experts agreed that different tasks are affected differently by music.
Saunders said a variety of tasks are positively affected, as long as they are controlled by the prefrontal cortex of the brain. This includes planning, organizing, paying attention, controlling impulses and working memory: the ability to have recently learned information ready.
Exercise is a task that is positively affected by the presence of cheerful music, according to Tottle. He said this is mainly because the tempo can motivate you to keep moving to the beat, and can even act as a positive distraction.
In general, the presence of music positively impacts productivity but depends on several factors. What are your preferences? Are you listening to music you enjoy? What task are you doing? Is music the right rhythm and how much attention do the lyrics demand? This may seem like a difficult combination of factors to perfect, but once you create the right playlist for your preferences, you can begin to notice a change in your productivity and efficiency.
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