Every retailer tries to employ new and relevant methods to improve customer loyalty and increase sales. Many times shop owners start the process of creating, improving or remodeling their store by working with a store designer to improve traffic flow, lighting, colors, finishes, fixtures, merchandising etc. Though these elements are important, music can also be one of the most effective tools in any retailer’s arsenal when it comes to improving profitability and customer experience.

Research has shown that in-store music influences customers from the moment they walk in your door. It connects to a person’s emotions and can be used to relax, excite, entertain and motivate a shopper while adding value to your store’s brand. Further, music can have an influence on sales by increasing “stay time” and slowing down the pace of travel throughout a store, potentially increasing the amount of money a person will spend during their visit.

This study by Michael Morrison of Monash University in Australia presents case studies on the use of in-store music by several international brands. His critique of various retail environments from Abercrombie & Fitch to Borders Books demonstrates the importance of not just having music in your store, but making sure that the music you choose is representative of your customer’s tastes and the overall image you want for your brand.

Of course, there are critics of in-store music. Some warn of music so loud or so out of synch with the customer demographic that shoppers leave early. Target stores refrain from using music because they feel that it gives customers a way to determine just how long they have been in the store, causing them to leave earlier then they would have otherwise.

As a store designer and planner, my personal experience is that those of my clients who pay attention to the music used in their stores feel that they have increased sales and customer satisfaction. I encourage my clients to work with an experienced music provider to develop a program that works for their retail environment. Here are a few of those providers whose websites you can review:

http://www.muzak.com
http://www.dmx.com
http://www.creativeretail.com

Take some time to think about your customer base and your brand image and how music could be employed to enhance the overall success of your store. You just might have your cash registers singing right along with your customers.

Welcome to 2009! This past year has been an emotional roller coaster to say the least. Innovative business practices and the continued rise of technology in retail have allowed shop owners to reach out and serve their customers like never before. Unfortunately, these exciting trends have been underscored by economic catastrophe and a nose dive in consumer confidence. Through it all, I can say without a doubt that there was no difficulty finding subject matter for this blog. As is becoming tradition, I present to you my favorite posts for 2008.

You Still Have a Store? (February 4th) Evangelizing the importance of the web for a retailer’s overall strategy continued to be a common theme for this blog as noted in this post.

Addicted to Text (April 24th) Taking a cue from the Obama Campaign (or was it the other way around?), retailers harnessed the power of the text message as an alternative method of keeping in touch with their customers.

Is Your Store Your Customers’ Favorite? (June 4th) A long time mantra of mine, this ideal became even more important as the competition for customers heated up throughout the later part of 2008.

Go Green to Stay Out of the Red (September 9th) I’m incredibly pleased that this trend continued to gain steam throughout the year as retailers recognized both the environmental and financial benefits to going green.

The Many Ways to Get Into Retail (October 6th) Times of economic hardship can be windows of opportunity, and this post reminded me that the clever and the resilient can find themselves better off as a result of it.

The writing is pretty much on the wall that at least the first half of the coming year will be a difficult period for retailers both large and small. For better or worse, I’ll continue to keep you up to date on what you can do to make sure you come out the other end of this rough spot in one piece. Here’s wishing you a happy and prosperous new year – you deserve it!

Looks like retailers are not only selling merchandise at deep discounts - they’re also getting hit with record breaking thefts from burglaries. This store in Utah was stripped to the walls with the thieves grabbing everything including the security tapes.

The merchant had to let 9 employees go and close the shop. So how do you protect yourself?

1) Make sure your insurance covers both theft and business interruption.
2) Have a security consultant analyze your shop. How easy is it to break in to? Do you need additional alarms, security gates, etc.?
3) Assess how vulnerable you are to employee theft.

These are tough times, and with home and car burglaries also soaring don’t let your business falter by becoming a victim.

What steps are you taking right now to further protect your business?