In store music: how to create the perfect radio project

It is not only a strategy aimed at the customers, but a key instrument to motivate the personnel.

The most recent market research data on the dynamics between music and brand confirm what M-Cube has seen in its years of experience in the field of in-store radio: the ability of background music to influence not only the customers and their inclination to buy, but also staff productivity (98%) and motivation (97%)

Milan, 15 May 2015 – M-Cube, leading company in the creation of digital audio-visual solutions for in-store marketing, has come up with a handbook to help brands in the production of in-store radio projects that satisfy the requirements of everybody involved: marketing management, customers and store staff. The suggestions offered by M-Cube – always engaged in evaluating the behavioural aspects linked to music broadcasts inside the stores – are the results of years of experience in the field of in-store radio, as confirmed by recent market research carried out by the well known English agency PPL and by SCF Italia.

The staff is one of the key elements too often overlooked by a marketing oriented approach, when in fact it is the personnel to be particularly affected by background music. Store staff regard in-store music as an important element for improving mood (98%), motivation (98%), and productivity (97%).

Market data confirms the universal value that M-Cube attributes to in-store music, with positive effects on the customers – who feel relaxed and therefore prolong their visit to the store, leading to increased sales- and on sales staff, who become more productive. In order to come up with a better strategy for the use of in-store music, it is important for us to know the tastes of the customers and the feedback of the sales staff, and the effects music has on their behaviour.

says Mike Sponza, artistic director at M-Cube

MUSICAL TASTES: NOT JUST PURE ENTERTAINMENT

It is fundamental, when defining a project of in-store radio, to keep in mind the musical tastes of the sales staff, although the music must not be seen by them as mere entertainment during their working hours. Personnel must be made aware of the role that background music plays in the sales strategy and the brand positioning it supports. It is important that sales staff are involved by the company in the development of the strategy, so they are more aware of the role and aim of in-store music.

HOW TO CREATE THE IDEAL PLAYLIST

When defining an in-store radio project, the duration of the playlist is another important aspect to be kept in mind. It is fundamental to find the correct compromise between a specific and extremely selective approach in identifying the music that represent the brand perfectly – resulting in a very short, but repetitive and de-motivating playlist for the staff – and the adoption of a too varied and generalised choice, that could represent insufficiently the brand style.

Starting from these two extremes, M-Cube has come up with a general rule that consists in multiplying by three the duration of a workday (8hrs), creating a playlist of 24 hrs of music that includes three different daily playlists. By adding new tracks or removing others every week, there should be enough music tracks in the playlists to cover five working days.

The definition of a good in- store radio programme starts from the promotion of the brand through music that, thanks to a playlist choice that reflects the brand’s values, manages to improve greatly the shopping experience, by creating a pleasant atmosphere in the store, both for the customers, and the people that work there.

concludes Sponza.