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How to use music to delight customers

music
Photo by: Dennis Skley

Everyone of us has a music he or she loves listening to. I prefer to listen to music for many reasons. When I am too stressed, I like to turn on my favorite music and I discover that it is easier to relax.

I often combine listening to music with meditation then I choose a specific relaxation music to sustain my exercises. When I feel down I prefer to listen to very active and rhythmic music so my mood gets better and I find myself singing the songs. I also discovered that turning on some background music while working helps me to concentrate better on what I do and to work in a relaxing but productive atmosphere.

Music influences us in the way we choose to spend our money,too. There are three conditions, in which music can stimulate us customers to buy: on one hand objective characteristics of music like rhythm, speed or loudness of the music piece.  Businesses use music in a certain way depending on what they want to obtain from their customers.  The use of rapid, loud and rhythmic music has the role to activate its listener. Whereas slow and monotonous music will relax him or her. It is said that a middle activating music is the most acceptable. In favorite shopping times businesses can use a more relaxing type of music whereas in weaker shopping time periods a more rhythmic music can stimulate people to buy. This works, because we humans tend to adapt our body rhythm and  behavior to the music we hear: if the music is very load for example in a shop you will tend to exit that place very soon. If the rhythm of the music is very high, you will do things quicker like e.g in a fast food restaurant.

But not only the character of the music is important, but also even more important if the music is preferred by us the customers, if it fits to our music taste. This helps us to detach from our daily problems and to rise our appetite for buying.Different customers have different music tastes so business owners have to know their client avatar very well to be able to choose adequate music for them. If target customers are women or older people it is recommended to choose a lower activation level.

Thirdly, business owners should consider if the music they opt for fits to the situation– what is the business and what music is suitable for the context? Is it a Wellness Centre, where relaxation music is suitable or is it a fancy teen clothing shop where you will probably find very loud music. If businesses choose background music in selling discussions they should take care of using a soft, slow and pleasant music style to be successful. By this way peoples`attention gets a little distracted by music and their mind displays memories they connect with it. So they will judge the seller and its product in a more positive light.

Have you observed how music has influenced your behavior in different situations? How has this happened?

 

Literature

  • Kirchler, E. (2011). Wirtschaftspsychologie. Individuen, Gruppen, Märkte, Staat. 4. vollständig  überarbeitete Auflage. Hogrefe: Göttingen.

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