The first major player to realize the role of professional music for stores was Muzak Ltd, which in the mid-20th century began offering carefully selected tracks as a specialized sound design for US supermarkets. Chains that had already exhausted standard marketing tools were looking for new ways to influence consumers. As a result, the introduction of functional music for shopping centers allowed to increase turnover by an average of 46%.

Since then, the principle has been established in many European countries and the USA: “not a single meter of space should be neutral — everything should work for sales.” In Ukraine, music for stores and supermarkets is only just gaining popularity, but is already becoming an element of a mandatory marketing strategy.

The main mission of musical accompaniment of a shopping hall is to create an atmosphere that increases customer loyalty and trust in the brand. A prime example is Nike stores: each pavilion features sounds associated with certain sports—the thumping of tennis rackets, the thumping of basketballs, the splashing of water in a pool. All of this creates a special emotional symphony of the sports world and increases the desire to purchase the product.

In mono-brand stores, music helps create a powerful brand space that conveys the company’s philosophy. Here, music, along with design, fragrances, lighting, and video, becomes a single story in which the buyer experiences all facets of style. The main goal is to immerse the customer in the brand’s world as much as possible and create an emotional connection.

For multi-brand stores, the role of musical accompaniment in the hall is different – it should highlight products among many other offers and facilitate the process of making a purchase decision. That is why the internal radio broadcasting system is of particular importance in such spaces. According to research by Arbitron Inc., more than 57% of consumers perceive such broadcasts as a completely acceptable form of advertising. More than 40% of people who heard audio advertisements in the sales hall made unplanned purchases, and 36% changed their brand choice.

In general, it is not easy to assess the direct impact of music on impulsive purchases, because statistics show that about 60% of purchase decisions arise spontaneously. Some experts believe that professional music for clothing stores or supermarkets can increase sales by 10–15%.

Audio branding experts are convinced that the best music is that which creates the desired background, but is not memorable after leaving the store. These can be calm jazz melodies, lounge, instrumental compositions combined with popular tracks.

To make a shopping mall unique, it is sometimes worth using a non-standard sound solution. For example, in the Moscow shopping center Crocus City Mall, visitors are accompanied by birdsong, which harmonizes perfectly with live palm trees.

The ideal musical map of a store is considered to be a playlist that includes jingles – short audio signals that fix the brand, address or offers of the chain in memory.

It is important to remember that each format has its own characteristics. For example, in grocery supermarkets, American researchers recommend instrumental tracks with a piano or violin that awaken the appetite. In women’s clothing stores, it is worth including romantic French, Italian or Spanish melodies, soundtracks of famous films or light instrumental solos. This helps the buyer to distract from everyday life and experience special emotions.

Mid-tempo instrumental music is considered a universal solution for various formats of trade. It has been established that calm melodies keep the buyer in the store for 17% longer and stimulate him to spend 38% more. However, this rule does not work in sports stores – there, on the contrary, it is better to turn on rhythmic energetic music, which causes an impulse to purchase additional goods.

Calm melodies are more suitable for mid-range and premium-segment stores, because impulsive purchases should not be too intrusive here. In democratic retail chains, dynamic music is played, which speeds up the decision to purchase and reduces the time spent in line.

Music for stores is conventionally divided into three groups:

• appropriate (creates a comfortable atmosphere);
• inappropriate (does not correspond to the concept);
• vampire music, which distracts and annoys the buyer.

The last category is the worst option. This includes jagged rhythms, disturbing melodies, music without pauses, and compositions with overly active lyrics that force people to concentrate on the words instead of the products. Often, this music is ordinary radio, where news, advertising, and sharp transitions from one style to another are heard.

For music for a supermarket or clothing store to work effectively, it is important to think through the chronology. For example, in the “Big Spoon” network, the music archive is divided into four blocks:

• 08:00–11:00 — optimistic retro music of the 50s–60s (Armstrong, Sinatra, Gipsy Kings, Ella Fitzgerald);
• 11:00–17:00 — dynamic hits of the 90s (A-Ha, Marc Almond, David Bowie, Lenny Kravitz);
• 17:00–22:00 — energetic tracks of the 70s–80s (Diana Ross, Madonna, Dalida)
• 22:00–08:00 — calm electronics without words (Warp rec., Ninja Tune).

In this distribution, the music corresponds to different groups of the audience: in the morning – business people, in the afternoon – housewives, in the evening – office workers, at night – rare visitors who choose goods without haste.

It is also important to take into account the peculiarities of the holiday periods. Some stores excessively use the same compositions to create a festive atmosphere. This can cause the customer to want to escape to where something different sounds.

Previously, the selection of music was entrusted to the hall administrators, who turned on popular radio stations. Today, this function is transferred to marketers or professional DJs. In the “Velika Lozhka” chain, the music editor not only selects tracks, but also controls the release of commercials and the introduction of music selections to new retail outlets.

In some chains, the musical accompaniment is composed by DJs who create mixes lasting up to 48 hours. Such selections are overlaid with jingles and announcements about promotions or benefits of the chain: free delivery, bonus programs, credits. This mix sounds throughout the store and is even broadcast to the street.

There is also an approach where the merchandiser is responsible for updating the music. He simultaneously deals with the display of goods, placement of POS materials and control of the musical repertoire.

For those who want to minimize time spent, there are ready-made music sets for stores and supermarkets that take into account the specifics of the business. This solution allows you to get high-quality musical design without involving individual specialists.