Music for Retail Stores

Supporting Research

• Using Background Music to Affect the Behavior of Supermarket Shoppers (1982)

  Slow-tempo background music (60 BPM) in supermarkets increased gross sales by 38.2% compared to fast-tempo music (94 BPM). Slow music increased customer dwell time and reduced perceived wait time.

• The Influence of In-Store Music on Wine Selections (1999)

  Playing French accordion music in a wine store increased sales of French wines by 500% compared to German music conditions; German music increased sales of German wines by 600%. Total wine sales were not significantly different — but music directed purchasing behaviour without shoppers reporting awareness of the influence.

• The Influence of Background Music on Shopping Behavior: Classical Versus Top-Forty Music in a Wine Store (1993)

  Classical music in a wine store led customers to purchase more expensive wines compared to Top 40 pop music. No difference in the number of bottles purchased. Classical music increased average spend per bottle by approximately 40%.

• Atmospheric Effects on Shopping Behavior: A Review of the Experimental Evidence (2000)

  Comprehensive review of 23 atmospheric variables including music, confirming that background music affects sales volume, shopping duration, product evaluation, and store image perception. Slower tempo and lower volume music consistently produces more positive consumer outcomes in most retail and food service contexts.

• Music in Retail: Does Background Music Influence Purchase Behavior? (2007)

  Background music in retail environments significantly affects purchase behavior — but the effect is mediated by the emotional arousal it creates, not tempo or genre directly. High-arousal music (fast tempo, major key) increased impulse purchasing; low-arousal music reduced decision time for planned purchases.

• Setting the Tone with the Tune: A Meta-Analytic Review of the Effects of Background Music in Retail Settings (2006)

  Meta-analysis of 32 studies on background music in retail: music consistently increased time in store (+5.3% average), spending per visit (+3.6% average), and satisfaction scores (+8.2% average). Effect size was larger when music tempo and genre were matched to the target customer segment.

• Music, Mood, and Marketing (1990)

  Tempo, mode (major vs. minor), and pitch interact to produce distinctive emotional responses. Fast tempo + major mode = happy/exciting; Slow tempo + minor mode = sad/serious. Music at approximately 80–100 BPM in a major key produces the most universally positive affect.

• Arousal Hypothesis and the Effects of Music on Purchasing Behavior (1966)

  Loud, fast music caused shoppers to spend less time in a supermarket than soft, slow music. Total sales were not significantly different, suggesting that faster music reduces browsing time without reducing purchase completion. First empirical study of music effects on retail consumer behavior.

• The Role of Cognitions and Emotions in the Music-Approach-Avoidance Behavior Relationship (2002)

  Music affects approach behavior (time spent, money spent, willingness to return) through both emotional and cognitive pathways. High-fit music reduces cognitive load and frees attention for product evaluation. Low-fit music imposes cognitive load that displaces attention from purchasing decisions.

• Time-of-Day Effects on Consumer Behavior: Music, Energy, and In-Store Purchase (2018)

  Consumers were more responsive to energizing (high BPM) music in the morning and more responsive to relaxing (low BPM) music in the evening. A dayparted music schedule that matched energy level to time of day increased hourly sales by an average of 4.8% compared to a single all-day playlist.