How music influences people and performance
MUSIC MAKES YOU SPEND MORE
It’s a well known fact that we spend more money when we go shopping whilst we’re hungry. 60% more in fact. But what if I told you the music playing in the background whilst you shopped could influence you to spend 8% more; and the music playing in the background in restaurants could influence you to spend 5.4% more?
It presents a pretty compelling case for businesses to invest in the use of music as a sales strategy. Perrie (2025) estimates Coles and Woolworths each spend about $6 million a year to play music in their stores. Based on their previous years revenue figures, he estimates the 8% lift in retail financial performance to be worth between $3.5 to $5.5 billion depending on which supermarket we’re talking about
But the influence of music on your customers is not so black and white. It’s much more subtle in when and how it exercises its power:
People spend 10% more in supermarkets that are playing pleasant music, but only on Mondays through to Thursdays. Weekday shoppers tend to be more mentally exhausted from work. Pleasant music lifts their moods, making their shopping decisions more intuitive. They don’t scrutinise their purchases as much, add treats for themselves, and upgrade the quality of the products they planned to purchase anyway
When French music is played, consumers are more likely to pick French products over other similar products. When German music is played, consumers are more likely to pick German products over other similar products. There is an influential relationship between music and product choice
When fast paced music is played in stores customers walk through more quickly, meaning they have less time to browse and less time to make impulsive purchases. When slow music is played in stores, it has the opposite effect. It slows the customer down, allows them to browse and they purchased more during their visit
Businesses can boost their financial performance by making conscious choices about the music that they do and don’t play as it has significant influence on the behaviour of their consumers
How does classical music influence you?
From a consumer standpoint, classical music encourages people to spend more on luxury items. High end retail stores, fine dining restaurants and luxury hotel lobbies are famous for greeting their guests with classical or instrumental music from the moment they set foot in the door. It sends the signal that a prestigious price tag will come with their goods and services
From a school and workplace perspective, classical or instrumental music is well suited for learning and development. Music without lyrics has also been shown to enhance mental performance for jobs that require more concentration
What if you want to collaborate with others?
Greatness and success is rarely the accomplishment of a single person. Workplaces require regular collaborations to get things done, and never is it more critical than when you are trying to turn around a bad situation. The need to deal with people and politics to resolve conflict and encourage cooperation is very real
Music can help. Music helps humans to connect, synchronise, and work together. Children who sing together are more cooperative and research has shown that happy music significantly and positively influences cooperative behaviour in colleagues
Leverage the human sense of hearing to influence your customers and colleagues with music
Want to learn more about how your five human senses can help you influence more effectively?
Let’s work together on this. Here are three ways:
Influencing for Impact: This practical 2-day workshop is for you if you want to influence a decision maker, influence a change in customer or colleague behaviour, or influence someone to buy something from you
Executive and Leadership Team Coaching: Work directly with Lai-Ling to problem solve for your specific situation in a confidential setting. This is for you if you want to develop and execute on a game plan that is 100% tailored to you
Leadership Development: Invest in the product and transformation leaders in your company with leadership development that is customised for their role. This is for you if you want to learn about people and politics
References
Bell, S. (2015). Research shows that shopping while hungry makes people buy more than just food. Science X Network. Retrieved 4 July 2025 from https://phys.org/news/2015-03-hungry-people-food.html
Briggs, F. (2025). World-first study reveals music can cause 8% spending boost for businesses. Retail Times. Retrieved 4 July 2025 from https://retailtimes.co.uk/world-first-study-reveals-music-can-cause-8-spending-boost-for-businesses/
Brown, R. (2016). Can the right music make you and your teams more productive? Quartz. Retrieved 4 July 2025 from https://www.hrmonline.com.au/section/hr-capability/can-right-music-make-teams-productive/
Flynn, E., Whyte, L., Krause, A. E., North, A. C., Areni, C., & Sheridan, L. (2022). Attribute accessibility, normative influence, and the effect of classical and country music on willingness to pay for social identity and utilitarian products. Psychology of Music, 50(1), 3-16. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735620976927
Kniffin, K. M., Yan, J., Wansink, B., & Schulze, W. D. (2017). The sound of cooperation: Musical influences on cooperative behavior. J Organ Behav, 38(3), 372-390. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2128
Mackay, J. (2022). Create the perfect playlist for productive work. Quartz. Retrieved 4 July 2025 from https://qz.com/620898/create-the-perfect-playlist-for-productive-work
North, A. C., Sheridan, L. P., & Areni, C. S. (2016). Music Congruity Effects on Product Memory, Perception, and Choice. Journal of Retailing, 92(1), 83-95. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2015.06.001
Perrie, S. (2025). $6 million cost Coles and Woolworths pay that Aldi refuses to cave on. Yahoo. Retrieved 4 July 2025 from https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/6-million-cost-coles-and-woolworths-pay-that-aldi-refuses-to-cave-on-200041830.html
Psychologist World. (2025). The Subliminal Influence of Ambient Music on Shoppers. Psychologist World. Retrieved 4 July 2025 from https://www.psychologistworld.com/behavior/ambient-music-retail-psychological-arousal-customers
University of Bath. (2023). In-store music makes supermarket shoppers spend more - but only on weekdays. University of Bath. Retrieved 4 July 2025 from https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/in-store-music-makes-supermarket-shoppers-spend-more-but-only-on-weekdays/