How music influences you while shopping
▲Click above to subscribe 点击上方蓝字关注我们▲
A Japanese citizen was curious as to why supermarkets in his country play "cheap" music and went into a quest to find out the reason. To many people, the quick answer will be to save money "because of licensing fees and restrictions on high quality music." But what he found out was a completely different reason.
These so-called "cheap" songs are not only played in supermarkets, but also in electronics specialty shops, discount stores, hundred-yen shops and thousands of other stores of sort. The common denominator in all these stores is that they are trying so hard to make you feel that you buying their goods at a price that is cheaper than other places.
This secret sauce was revealed on a TV show by musician Daisuke Asakura who said:
‘Supermarkets play cheap music so that customers will hear it and feel like the store’s prices are cheap. If they play solemn classical music, it makes the store seem expensive.’
The revelation stuck with Keisuke Fujita who went on to find out more about musical psychology and shopping, he then wrote on twitter "I looked it up, and apparently music has an effect on the psychology of shopping. Wow…"
According to what Fujita learned from the television program, and from his subsequent research, the music of supermarkets is carefully crafted to have a psychological effect on its customers. For example, the “cheap” sounding music–which sounds like generic background music–is meant to subconsciously convince customers that shopping at this supermarket is cheaper than others. That’s why it’s so popular among cheap neighborhood supermarkets, discount stores, used goods shops, and electronics shops.
Some netizens even had extra facts to add about the psychology of shop music:
“BGM is important! Playing faster-paced music around lunch and dinner time increases merchandise turnover in the restaurants and food shops, and some BGM can encourage customers to leave as well.”
“Apparently, playing French music by the sales corner increases the sales of French wine, and Italian music does the same for Italian wine.”
“I vaguely remember an experiment they did on TV a long time ago, which showed that playing faster music increased the number of people who walked fast, while people walked slower with slower music.”
“At the art section of the department store my dad used to work at, apparently when they played Debussy’s ‘Golliwog’s Cakewalk’ they would make a lot more sales.”
But the music might not all be for the sake of business. One YouTube user spoke with employees at Ito Yokado supermarkets, who said they have a special song they play when the registers are busy, to subtly ask for additional assistance at checkout. It’s called ‘help!’ and is based on a Beatles song. According to someone in charge, this BGM isn’t automated; the cashiers turn it on and off themselves, so when the registers are busy you will probably hear it.
Contributions will be appreciated！
欢迎投稿！
▲ QQ group
▲ Official account