Keep an eye on your music choices for the optimal shopping experience this Black Friday

Black Friday has come back around for another year – retailers across the globe will host massive discounts and huge special offers on Friday 24 November, which could save you hundreds of pounds. You may think that it’s the great deals that entices shoppers into stores, and caused British customers to spend £1.2 billion on last year’s Black Friday – but what you might not know is retailers are also considering the music that they play while customers are shopping. However, they’re not just choosing their favourite tunes, they’re using it to influence what you and your fellow shoppers are thinking.

Musicologist Dr Rupert Till has conducted an extensive study on behalf of voucherbox.co.uk into how music affects the mood and attitude of buyers. Through this he has discovered which artists can save you money (and which won’t!), and even which ones might calm your nerves if you’re anxiously searching for those bargains, or deliberating over a big purchase.

But with up tempo songs, like the music of Calvin Harris, Zara Larson, or Maroon 5, shoppers keep moving and get out of the store quickly, which can improve the flow of customers

Professor Till revealed that “retailers often use music in sophisticated ways to manipulate the moods and behaviours of their customers”. With well curated playlists, a shop can encourage a punter to amble through the store, making sure they peruse every last item on the shelves. But with up tempo songs, like the music of Calvin Harris, Zara Larson, or Maroon 5, shoppers keep moving and get out of the store quickly, which can improve the flow of customers on busy sale days. This is especially true of up tempo songs in a major key, which under 25s respond to extremely positively, forcing them to move to the beat and rush through the retailers.

Beyond that, he has also researched and discovered that even listening to different music online can make you shop differently, with much of the same effects. To avoid being persuaded by the high street, Till recommends that shoppers should “take control and set their own mood” by playing their own music. If in person shopping isn’t for you, you can also utilise music’s effects when trying to nab those Amazon lightning deals. With this in mind he’s prepared a few top-tips on what songs to use to help you take advantage when scouring the sales.

Match the genre of music you’re playing to the kind of products you’re buying to place yourself in the right frame of mind for the purchase

• If you want to save money, try playing fast music for a quick, fun, money-saving shop. The Professor recommends songs like ‘Shape of You’, ‘Despacito’, and ‘Big for your Boots’ (Ed Sheeran, Luis Fonsi, and Stormzy respectively). Tracks like these can make sure you’re in and out before you’ve accidentally managed to browse and find something you might want to waste your student loan on!
• If you’re someone who gets anxious whilst shopping, try some slow, almost background music. Tracks like ‘Thank You’ by Dido, and ‘Teardrop’ by Massive Attack will make sure you can calm down and make an informed decision in the Black Friday rush.
• If you find shopping boring, try some down-tempo music. Till says it can soothe you and help you to perceive the duration of your shop as shorter than it is – artists like Tony Bennett, Fleetwood Mac, and Dean Martin are suggested for this.
• Match the genre of music you’re playing to the kind of products you’re buying to place yourself in the right frame of mind for the purchase. If you’re buying cutting edge tech, Till recommends breakthrough artists like Rag ‘n’ Bone Man, or for very high quality, ornate products, consider classical music.

As students who don’t have all the wealth in the world, it’s important that we don’t waste quite all of our loans on frivolous purchases. Next time you’re out shopping, keep an eye on the music they’re playing, as it might be affecting you in ways you don’t know – and if you want to get one up on the marketers, play music that’s to your advantage.