Music: Survey: Background music when shopping lets the bell ring ring

Music stimulates business – a current survey comes to this conclusion. In the retail trade, background music increases sales by an average of 8 percent, in which catering by 5.4 percent, according to a message from the recycling company GEMA in Munich. More than 200 companies had been interviewed for the Music Impact study nationwide, including shops, restaurants, bars, hardware stores, kiosks or cafés. A week was examined and a week without background music in the same operation.

This includes a gem – 76 percent of the retailers surveyed see it that way. In the catering trade, this view even shared 95 percent of the participants. To hear the most frequently: pop music and songs from the charts, followed by rock and hit music.

68 percent of the restaurateurs stated that they were selected according to the taste of their guests, who are obviously like to stay longer. In retail, too, a significantly positive effect on the mood of the customers can be seen. In addition, the motivation of the employees and their binding to the company increases.

But what does that mean in cash? According to the GEMA, retail companies with an annual turnover between 100,000 and 500,000 euros can bring additional revenues between 8,000 and 40,000 a year. In the catering trade, it could be up to 27,000 euros for comparable sales variables.

Targeted use of music?

“The fact that background music generally has a positive influence on consumer behavior has already been confirmed in studies, but so far there have been no empirical data on the direct value of the increase in sales,” said Sonjaschönfeld, Gema project manager of the Music Impact Study. And the scientist Klemens Knöferle looks into the future: The study opens up new opportunities for the targeted use of music in the business environment.

Companies from all over Germany were interviewed for the project from September 2023 to November 2024. It was about a week with and without background music. In Germany, GEMA represents the copyrights of its approximately 100,000 members, including composers, musicians or textors. It is responsible for more than two million rights holders worldwide.