Songs That Sell: How Background Music Shapes Behaviour, Mood, and Sales

About this webinar.

We ran the first known study into how background music affects behaviour and sales in a charity store environment, and the psychology behind the results applies far beyond it.

In partnership with leading UK charity retailer DEBRA, we tested three music genres across 21 days.

Join us as we break down the research, the psychology behind it, and what retail and hospitality venues can take from it.

Who is this for?

This webinar is for retail and hospitality businesses and the brand, marketing, and ops leaders within them. Anyone responsible for in-store experience who wants data behind their music decisions, not guesswork.

What you’ll learn.

1. The DEBRA study in full – How we designed it, what we measured, and what the data uncovers about music as a commercial driver in retail.
2. The psychology behind the results – Why genre, tempo, and "fit" influence customer behaviour, staff mood, and spend, and why the same principles hold across retail environments.
3. What this means in practice – How multi-site retail and hospitality businesses can approach music as a deliberate brand and revenue decision, not a default.

There will also be a live Q&A at the end where you can get your questions answered by Startle's expert team.

Your host.

This session will be hosted by James Picken, Creative Director at Startle. James holds an MA in Music and an MA in Music Psychology, and has spent 12 years at the intersection of music and commercial environments. He led the DEBRA research and will be walking you through the methodology, the data, and what it means in practice. If you have questions about the study or how music applies to your business, he's the right person to ask.