Experiential Marketing Secrets: How to Increase Customer Dwell Time In-Store
Create exciting experiences with the power of sound
‘Clients don’t buy if they don’t feel’; this statement is forever valid but became much more apparent in recent times. Nowadays, we don’t shop only due to a need but more-so for pleasure, especially when we visit a store.
Clients are more picky, sensitive and educated, have a vast choice and are driven by feeling. This makes the brands’ battle for attention a much more subliminal and experience-based one.
Therefore client behaviour suffered so many changes throughout time and shopper psychology became the secret to growth.
Some background…
The customer-brand relationship is never purely transactional, or product based. It is built on connection and emotion, where memorable experiences triumph.
Customer experience studies show that:
- 78% of people cite “an enjoyable in-store atmosphere” as a key consideration in choosing in-store over e-commerce;
- 90% of shoppers are more likely to revisit a store with an enjoyable atmosphere;
- 75% of shoppers are prone to stay longer in a place of business if they benefit from a full experience;
- 4 out of 10 consumers who are “feeling like the experience is personalized” for them, will encourage purchase;
- Over 8 in 10 global consumers would recommend a store if their senses were engaged and the experience felt good.
I always pay attention to the way a brand makes me feel, especially when I step into the store I (think I) like. Just a few seconds after this 1st step, I clearly sense the effort made to make my experience a special one. As a result, I make my decision to stay or go… and this decision is the breaking point for the end goal of any company: my purchase. So why is this happening?
It is clear, studied and researched, that a store’s atmosphere affects the emotional states of consumers and their purchasing decision. And there are a number of reasons why an in-store experience can either be a ‘retention experience’ or an ‘in-and-out experience’. As a brand, you want to focus on the first type (retention experience), since you want clients to enter and stay in your store as much as possible (and eventually return).
“A store’s atmosphere affects the emotional states of consumers and their purchasing decision.”
What I call an in-store “retention experience” is widely known as customer “dwell time”. This VIP metric is used to measure both the online and offline quality of your customer journey, and to optimize the customer experience in order to boost sales.
Obviously, from the name “dwell time”, you understand that “time” is a focus here, and represents the real currency as it is highly correlated with sales growth. If clients enjoy their time in your store, they stay, browse around and purchase what they desire (and often a lot more than that).
As a company, you must have a correct focus and allocate your resources in the right direction. For retail especially, this direction should be the metric mentioned above: increasing dwell time (the average time spent in-store).
So how do you increase dwell time? What is one of the main components of a great experience?
I’ ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Music is the answer.
“Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.” — Confucius
Have you ever thought that in-store music is trivial? If yes, please think again! Since you know your audience, you must know what beats make them tick, and use those to your advantage.
But, if you need convincing, here are some reasons why music has been the ace in the hole for many brands, for decades:
- People naturally have emotional reactions to music;
- Music Familiarity enhances positive experiences and feelings of comfort/relatability;
- Shows your audience that you ‘get them’ and pay real attention;
- It can become the differentiator for your brand and create brand affinity;
- Music yields likability;
- Music creates a sense of privacy;
- You can control the in-store flow of movement and give focus to products you want to sale more;
- Your employees will also enjoy their work more and therefore offer better customer service;
- Music creates purpose and conveys a message;
Some customer experience stats:
- A staggering of clients 85% said that MUSIC is the number one factor having an overall positive in-store impact. Music makes them stay longer and uplifts their mood!
- 57% of shoppers warn to lose interest if brands make poor music choices, the music is too loud or it is “unfitting;
- 1 in 2 shoppers recall hearing and enjoying music while shopping in a beauty store;
- 1 in 4 banking customers specifically recall a bank playing “appropriate” music;
- Gen Z customers (59%) say they’ve stayed in a physical place of business longer because they were enjoying the music.
Overall, all of the above shows that the right music affects the perception of passing-time (remember dwell time?) and leads to higher ROI.
So if you look back at my experience above, and the decision to stay or leave a store, it is a lot based on my audio experience. The thought that the brand puts into the music it serves me as a customer, matters! It shows the care and attention dedicated to understanding what I like, what mood I want to be in, and that is a motivator to stay and spend my money.
But choosing the right in-store music is not an easy task.
Like in any other field, music experience and people skills go a long way in curation and branding, as there are many finesses one must consider.
When choosing your own in-store music or when collaborating with a professional company you must be careful with the following:
- The sound you choose fits with your desired brand identity;
- You do not choose the tracks you listen to at home or allow a sales rep to plug-in their own playlists;
- The beats and lyrics resonate with your target audience;
- You create an experience throughout the playlist: have consistency in sound;
- You work with a professional (someone who knows music, people and branding);
- Your music is legal for business.
In relation to the last point, keep in mind that playing any music in-store, in a restaurant or any commercial facility requires a license. And what is more interesting is that by having such a license, brands now can leverage their playlists to create engaging content and share these with their audiences.
You can easily find on YouTube the in-store music of brands who already jumped on this strategy. Take a look at H&M or ZARA.
Luc van Stiphout from Massive Music stated in an interview for their blog that nowadays “brands are more in control of how they express themselves. But also, if you think of their online communication, they produce much more content. They’re in a continuous conversation with their target audience. [which makes] Marketing Directors and Heads of Brand ask themselves: “Are we using the right tone of voice?” And music is definitely part of that bigger picture.”
Looking at an immersive and cohesive omnichannel strategy, at a blended in-store shopping experience, this is a pretty cool approach if you ask me!
Clearly, awareness has increased in relation to clients’ sensitivity and the need for real shopping experiences, particularly in the context of music.
And, for a higher dwell time, choosing music that fits is only the beginning.
When you hit that PLAY button on that playlist you are so proud of, you have to take into account that Volume is just right. Generally, if the sound is too loud, dwell time decreases. And age plays a crucial role here. Young people prefer foreground music resulting in increased dwell time, while an older audience prefers background (low-volume) music. So I repeat, know your audience!
Tempo, or the speed of a piece of music, is another consideration you must think of. A calm tempo (lower than 72 bpm) can make the clients calm and slow down their pace, while high-tempo music (higher than 94 bpm) will cause the audience to be alert, excited and move at a faster pace.
Understanding that sounds can be a driving force of increased dwell time in-sore, higher brand affinity and overall amazing experiences are more crucial than ever.
All in all, music is a complex topic and concept. As a brand director, it is very important to adopt a holistic view of customer experiences and create the right brand personality. Therefore, your key take-away from this article should be understanding how to use the subliminal power of music to influence shopping behaviour and enhance those experiences.
