Have you ever gone into a restaurant for a quiet meal only to find that the staff have the stereo pounding loud music to every corner of the business? Background noise can be very enjoyable, but loud intrusive noise can be a real distraction for customers.

There has been a lot of research done on the effects of music on customers. In restaurants there is a common theme that states “eat to the beat”. If you want your customers to eat fast and move on, you have music with a faster beat. If you want them to take their time, perhaps to buy more, play music with a slow beat. On a similar basis, classical music gives the subconscious impression that a business is expensive (high quality, but expensive). So playing the blues could have a greater impact on your bottom line than you might ever have known.

When it comes to playing music in your business there are two main issues – the type of music and the volume of the music. When it comes to the type of music, play something that is indicative of your business. This theory goes out the door when you leave a member of staff in charge of your new age book store which works well with Enya playing in the background. Sadly, your staff member prefers AC/DC, played loudly. If you notice that sales drop on a particular shift check this out as a possible reason.

The same goes with the volume. Set the volume and if you are not sure if it is too loud, ask your customers. The music should not interfere with the conversation. After all, unless you own a music shop, your customers are not coming in to buy the music. In fact loud music is very disrespectful to your customers, it is sending the message that “we want the music loud because we enjoy it, and you will have to live with it or go elsewhere”.

Show your customers that you appreciate their business and that you respect them by being mindful of the type of music that you play in your business and the volume of the music that you play.