Every single year, there is one thing you will realize while shopping during the winter, and that is as soon as Halloween leaves us — or maybe sometimes even before Halloween even happens — stores will start playing their really corny holiday playlist. You could be in the store for your last-minute Halloween costume and all of a sudden hear Mariah Carey and familiar Christmas jingles bleeding from store speakers. For a large majority of people, Christmas music comes way too early. So the burning question is: why do many retailers get way too ahead of themselves and roll out the Christmas soundtrack weeks before December even arrives?
A key factor is psychology. Holiday music triggers many strong emotional reactions in people, especially certain songs that could remind people of their vivid childhood memories, such as cozy winters with their loved ones, family gatherings, and most importantly, gift-giving traditions. When shoppers end up feeling warm and nostalgic, they often will tend to linger in stores for a bit longer, which directly ends in them maybe picking up and buying one more — or maybe even a couple — items, racking up their totals. And retailers know this, so they use this hack to essentially signal to consumers that it is the start of the buying season. This helps encourage customers to get into the holiday spirit and into a shopping mindset.
Another important factor is the competition. The holiday season brings in the most customers into retail stores during the year, so it is vital to capture shoppers’ attention as soon as possible. By playing Christmas music, decorating their aisles, and stocking seasonal products as soon as they can, stores can create a friendly environment that gets customers to start shopping for the holidays slightly earlier, creating a sense of urgency. People often get scared that they might forget to grab something, and since it’s already right in front of them, they might as well buy it right then. It’s a domino effect. Once one major retailer makes their first move, other retailers — not wanting to get left behind — immediately follow. If one store creates its own festive atmosphere earlier, customers might spend their money and time there first and might blow more cash there than visiting their competitors, and no store wants to be the last one to give off the Christmas vibe.
Even though this helps generate millions in revenue, it doesn’t mean this technique is loved by all. In fact, many shoppers get annoyed by the fact that they have to listen to Christmas music so early. Many shoppers believe hearing Christmas music before Thanksgiving doesn’t give them enough time to appreciate the fall, and it literally cuts out the whole feeling of Thanksgiving. It feels like a rushed feeling instead of excitement. Some customers even say that holiday music can be overwhelming or irritating to them when played for way too long. Research in consumer behavior suggests that while holiday music can lift some people’s moods, it will and can also stress out customers if played a bit too early or way too frequently, especially if the store is particularly crowded and if people have long shopping lists, which will keep them in the stores for a long time. Still, most retailers think the positives outweigh the negatives and keep the holiday tunes pumping.
At the end of the day, you have to face the music and realize early Christmas music is a very small part of the marketing pattern retail stores use, which they call “seasonal creep,” where brands will introduce holiday themes earlier in the year, hoping to bring in more cash. Whether you enjoy the music or find it annoying, as soon as you hear that soundtrack, just know it is a signal that the busiest shopping season has already begun. And if playing Christmas music early keeps bringing in more revenue for retailers and giving them more foot traffic, they will continue to blast it as early as possible.