Step into the festive season as we explore the magic of holiday music and its impact on retail experiences. Just as you’re drawn to the joy of the holidays, we’re driven by a curiosity to uncover the musical rhythms that resonate in stores and influence shoppers’ choices.
In this campaign, we analyzed Spotify data to find the top songs, artists, and genres featured on diverse shopping and retail playlists. We also surveyed 1,005 Americans to gain insights into their shopping behaviors and categorized their responses by their favorite music genres.
Let’s begin with a look at the most-played holiday songs, artists, and genres on shopping and retail playlists on Spotify.
Top holiday songs:
Top artists:
Top genres:
Next, we’ll explore how music can affect American shopping habits.
Music genres influencing shoppers to enter a store or stay longer:
Music genres influencing shoppers to leave a store:
19% of people want to leave or avoid entering when a store plays holiday music. Those most likely to agree are:
30% want to enter or stay longer when a store plays holiday music. Those most likely to agree are:
Over half of Americans (52%) say holiday music enhances their shopping mood, but 1 in 8 experience the opposite effect.
1 in 6 Americans want concert tickets as a gift this holiday season. Punk music fans are the most likely to say so (41%).
1 in 8 Americans want band t-shirts as a gift this holiday season. Metal music fans are the most likely to say so (42%).
1 in 8 Americans want music merchandise as a gift this holiday season. Punk (35%) and metal music fans (33%) are the most likely to say so.
The last part of our study addresses questions like, who experiences buyer’s remorse after making a purchase? Who are the most generous spenders when it comes to holiday gifts?
Nearly 1 in 2 Americans experience buyer’s remorse after a purchase.
More than half of Americans have regretted a holiday purchase.
When it comes to this year’s holiday gift spending compared to last year’s:
Americans plan to spend an average of $409 on holiday gifts this year.
Planned holiday gift spending by generation:
Top factors contributing to Americans’ holiday shopping splurges:
Top holiday shopping splurge influences by favorite music genre:
As the holiday season approaches, the right melody might just be a key to unlocking greater shopper satisfaction and increased sales. Our findings suggest a tailored approach to in-store music could enhance the shopping atmosphere, potentially increasing consumer spending. Retailers might consider these insights to curate holiday playlists that resonate with their target audience.
Overall, pop music is likely a safe bet. And since holiday music-averse Gen Zers are more likely to shop in-store than most other generations, some retailers might consider playing something other than “Winter Wonderland.” No matter who you want to attract, avoid playing metal for the best results (unless you sell metal band t-shirts).
For this campaign, we analyzed Spotify data to pinpoint the top songs, artists, and genres featured on diverse shopping and retail playlists. We also surveyed 1,005 Americans to explore their retail shopping behaviors, categorizing their responses based on their favorite music genres. Among them, 11% were baby boomers, 32% were Gen X, 48% were millennials, and 10% were Gen Z (percentages don’t total 100 due to rounding).
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Feel free to share the melodic insights from our study with fellow holiday retail enthusiasts, provided you do so for non-commercial use. Please attribute the findings by linking back to this page, ensuring our data remains intact for all to reference.