Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM MARCH 2022 50 BrandSource consultant Lyn M. Falk is owner/president of Retailworks, Inc., an award-winning design, branding and display firm. As a retail advisor, registered interior designer, BrandSource guest speaker, and contributor to the buying group's showroom Makeover Manual, Falk has devoted more than 37 years to helping retailers build healthy, purposeful, and productive spaces that move hearts, minds and merchandise. Please visit www.retailworksinc.com or contact Lyn at lfalk@retailworksinc.com H ave you ever walked into your store during a busy time, closed your eyes, and just … listened? Without the sense of sight to distract you, you can really tune into your auditory faculties and get a sense of how your store's sounds might be affecting your customers. START BY IDENTIFYING NOISE. When you take time to listen to your sales floor, start by zeroing-in on unwanted sounds. For instance, do you hear squeaky doors or carts? Are there annoying hums or reverberations from running appliances, or the HVAC system? Do any employees have extremely loud or high- pitched voices that travel across the selling floor? Are multiple flat screens streaming with on-going narrations that start to run together and add to the cacophony of sounds? Is your sound system playing music so loudly that it's getting in the way of verbal communication? First, it's important to pinpoint any noise in the environment, and then remove or tone down the racket. NEXT UP, WHAT'S YOUR STORE'S ACOUSTIC RATING? Understanding the finishes in your showroom and their acoustic- absorbing qualities will help a lot when it comes to reducing those irritating noises. Soft materials absorb more sound than hard surfaces, so a carpeted furniture department filled with upholstered lounge pieces will be a lot quieter than an appliance department with a hard floor. Don't forget your ceilings. Sound waves travel up and down, so high ceilings with exposed ductwork and a hard underdeck will bounce the waves back to the floor, whereas lower ceilings with acoustic ceiling tiles (ACT) will absorb sound waves, eliminating much of the reverberation. Now, not being a fan of ACT tiles in a retail environment (they make a store look like an office, which is where they're generally used), I suggest you consider hanging ceiling clouds made of acoustic absorbing material in areas where noise is an issue. The clouds can serve as fun, decorative design elements. Area rugs and hanging fabrics are other ways to absorb sound in noisy departments. SO, WHAT SHOULD YOUR STORE SOUND LIKE? The auditory ambience should be pleasant and upbeat. Pleasant means customers won't have to raise their voices to communicate. Upbeat means the music or videos playing in the background will put shoppers in a positive mode. Studies have shown that most customers do like to hear music while they're shopping, and they'll often say it kept them in the store longer. But what kind of music should you play? It depends on your target market, the product being sold, and the day and time of the week. For instance, your higher-priced items may need a more soothing genre of music, while entertainment products might need a fun, fast-beat, party type of sound. It's also been shown that instrumental music is more universally appealing than vocals. You may find that your weekday shoppers are different from your weekend guests. Perhaps they skew older during the week and younger (including families) over the weekend. Select your music to cater to their tastes. Using a satellite system will allow you to change genres easily. Do not allow staff to play what they want to hear on the floor. Music is a big part of your brand – how is your music supporting it? Finally, avoid making the environment too quiet. During slow-traffic periods it might even be more important to have videos or music playing to keep the customers from feeling conspicuous while they're shopping. A quiet store with few people on the floor can instill a sense that others are watching you. A selling environment needs some life to create an upbeat experience! So listen to your space, consider the acoustic-absorbing materials in your showroom, soften or eliminate noise, and add the right measure of music. Your customers' ears will thank you. WHAT DOES YOUR STORE SOUND LIKE? Lyn Falk Business Service Trends RO

• Cover