When you enter a supermarket, you often expect to be greeted by a very particular soundscape. But at Lidl, this is not the case. Silence is required and we explain why.
In most supermarkets, doing your shopping comes with a almost familiar background sound. A discreet playlist, popular hits or a carefully chosen musical atmosphere often punctuate the shelves and make the experience more “pleasant”.
This way of doing things is not not trivial. “According to some research, playing relaxing music in stores makes customers relax and browse more music. This is why many stores play music »Kristin McGrath, rédactrice en chef et spécialiste du shopping, auprès du site Offers.com.
But have you ever shopped in one of the Lidl brand stores? When you take the time to go there, one detail immediately strikes you: the silence quasi total which reigns in the aisles. Did you realize this?
The wheels of shopping carts, conversations between customers and the beep of checkouts then become the only perceptible sound elements. Why did the hard discount giant choose to do without an element that has become almost essential in mass distribution?
Why doesn’t Lidl play music in its stores?
This choice may seem surprising, given that in-store music has become a classic tool for influencing the purchasing experience. However, at Lidl, this absence is perfectly assumed and is part of a very precise global strategy. The first explanation is economical.
Lidl belongs to the hard-discount model, which is based on a simple promise: to offer the lowest possible prices. To achieve this objective, the brand seeks to reduce all non-essential expenses. By distributing current or even older titles, the mass distribution giants must pay rights to SACEM notably.
Even if these amounts may seem modest on the scale of a point of sale, they become significant when they are multiplied by the entire store network. By removing music, Lidl therefore avoids a recurring expense. And the explanation does not stop at the financial aspect. The absence of music also has a concrete impact on customer behavior.
In a quiet environment, consumers are generally more focused on their purchases. They take less time wandering around the shelvescompare products more quickly and follow a more direct route. This more efficient pace corresponds perfectly to the identity of the brand, which focuses on simplicity and speed.
Margot Iodice
After training as a journalist at ESJ Paris and several experiences in the women’s press, I chose to combine my two passions: writing, cooking and more precisely pastry making. My guilty pleasure: tiramisu without hesitation. Always on the lookout for new culinary news and curious to discover new ways of cooking, I will be able to find you all the recipes and good tips from your favorite chefs.
