Music has a surprisingly strong influence on what products consumers buy and how much they’re willing to pay for them, according to a new study from psychological scientists Adrian North and Lorraine Sheridan of Curtin University and Charles Areni of Macquarie University. North and colleagues hypothesised that specific songs or musical genres could prime congruent concepts in a person’s memory, ultimately shifting people’s preferences and buying behaviour.
“Several studies have indicated that the upmarket stereotype of classical music is associated with customers being prepared to pay more for the same products than when other musical styles or no music are played,” North says.
This makes a motivating case for upmarket stores in New Zealand, suggesting that perhaps the proposal for in-store live music, such as DJs, could be profitable in the New Zealand market place.
In Australian-owned menswear store Culture Kings, the presence of an in-store DJ is constant. Culture Kings prides itself on creating an exhilerating atmosphere, and present some of Australia’s leading DJs performing daily.
Closer to home, music retailer Real Groovy has long had DJs playing regular sets at its Queen St store. Liquorland has used DJs in-store as well.
The challenge for those seeking to emulate the offering will be selecting what sort of background music would be most suitable to your business and your shop’s customer demographics.
