World Music Day: Inside luxe retail’s music strategy
Step into a luxury boutique, and it is often the music, rather than the products, that first captures your attention. For luxury brands, music has become a powerful tool for selling aspiration—evoking elegance, exclusivity, and desire. “Consumers don’t separate what they see from what they hear,” ex
By Anagha Sawant
Step into a luxury boutique, and it is often the music, rather than the products, that first captures your attention.
For luxury brands, music has become a powerful tool for selling aspiration—evoking elegance, exclusivity, and desire. “Consumers don’t separate what they see from what they hear,” explains Pune-based fashion psychologist Aadhya Khare, adding, “Through sensory synchronisation, fashion and music work together to create a feeling, which is why music can completely change how a brand is experienced.”As luxury becomes increasingly defined by experience, sound has emerged as an essential part of the brand story. “Music changes everything.
People may notice the clothes or the interiors when they walk into our stores, but music is what makes the whole thing come alive,” expresses fashion designer Kunal Rawal.
Creating Identity in-storeAccording to experts, in-store music serves as an extension of a brand’s identity.
Speaking about the close relationship between his collections and the music played in-store, Rawal says he personally curates the soundtrack. “Our clothes are rooted in tradition… but they belong to a different generation.
I couldn’t find music that reflected that feeling, so we started creating our own.
Today, every collection comes with its own soundtrack.”Echoing similar thoughts, fashion designer Anita Dongre says, “Our stores are designed sensorially, not just visually.
Music, along with our signature fragrance, helps create moments of memory.
Music is never incidental in our stores.
We maintain a carefully curated playlist that evolves every few months, but the mood remains consistent.
Like our design language, the soundtrack is an integral part of the Anita Dongre experience.”Hemant Mediratta, India Representative for Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann, adds, “At Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann, music forms part of a broader experiential strategy that evolves throughout the year alongside seasonal campaigns, festive moments, and cultural activations."Richa Chopra, a fashion consumer behaviour expert, says, “Research on luxury retail experiences suggests that consumers perceive music as an important part of the brand experience, particularly when there is a strong fit between the music and the brand’s identity.”‘Music helps shape pace and mood’Chopra shares, “In luxury retail, music helps shape pace and mood.
A peppy, playful soundtrack can create momentum in a store, encourage shoppers to move through the space with ease, and help them feel more connected to the brand environment.”Ashwin Menon, chief marketing officer of Art of Time, adds, “This is where the right sensory environment can enhance the brand story.
For a category like fine watchmaking, where the emotional connection behind a purchase is everything, sound becomes part of the ritual.
Once a customer enters a store, sound becomes a smart way to create a more distinctive and memorable luxury experience.” "When a customer hears something familiar—a folk note or a particular rhythm—it doesn't feel like a design choice.
It feels like memory.
That sense of familiarity can make people stay longer and feel more connected to a space" - Anita Dongre, a fashion designerSelling aspirationAspiration, ultimately, is about identity, says fashion psychologist Aadhya Khare. “Music allows consumers to emotionally step into a lifestyle, while clothes make them feel they belong to it.
When the two align, a purchase becomes more than a transaction—it becomes a way of getting closer to a desired version of oneself.”Aspiration is increasingly shaped by experience rather than ownership. “Today’s luxury consumer is seeking more than a transaction; they want moments that evoke emotion and leave a lasting impression,” says Hemant Mediratta, official India representative for Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann, adding, “Music creates the emotional and cultural connection that transforms a luxury retail space into a destination.”Menon adds, “We’ve seen how the right sonic environment can elevate both the store experience and the purchase journey.
Music that aligns with a brand creates the right mood and helps customers connect more deeply with its world.
Increasingly, AI is helping retailers tailor in-store music based on factors such as location, time of day and customer behaviour, reinforcing the role of sound in shaping the luxury retail experience.” "As luxury increasingly shifts from being product-led to experience-led, consumers are engaging with brands through all five senses.
While architecture, lighting, design, and visual storytelling create the setting, music often defines the emotional atmosphere" - Hemant Mediratta, Indian representative, Galeries Lafayette Paris HaussmannCurating the brand soundtrackFor both Anita Dongre and Kunal Rawal, music is an extension of the brand's creative identity rather than an afterthought. "I grew up between two worlds: the cosmopolitan, pop energy of Mumbai and the folk musicians I would hear drifting through my grandparents' home in Jaipur," says Anita Dongre.
That duality continues to shape the music curated for her brand, which she describes as "a quiet dialogue between familiar folk and global texturing." The label has also created original compositions for runway shows and campaigns, collaborating with artists such as Gaurav Raina of Midival Punditz, Mooralala, Karsh Kale, Rajakumari, and Monica Dogra.Rawal is equally hands-on. "Fashion is obviously my first love, but music and films come immediately after that, so I'm very involved in what plays in our stores," he says.
Drawn to "a contemporary take on tradition", his playlists mirror the same cultural-meets-modern sensibility that defines his collections.
The playlist effectLuxury brands are increasingly building cultural ecosystems rather than simply selling products.
During the Covid-19 lockdowns, labels such as Alexander McQueen and Dries Van Noten launched Spotify playlists featuring music from their runway shows, while Gucci and The Row later expanded their presence on the platform.“It is interesting to note that these playlists weren’t selling products directly.
Instead, they extended the brand experience into consumers’ daily lives.
A customer may not visit a boutique every week, but they may engage with a brand through music,” says Richa Chopra.Reflecting on his brand’s aesthetic, Kunal says, “Last year, we put out an EP with Akshay & IP, and now we’ve come back with projects like Rawalgarh Ki Jugni.
Punjabi folk sits at the core of much of our music, but it’s layered with electronic sounds, digital textures, and contemporary influences.
That’s the music you’ll hear in our stores because it’s the most honest representation of who we are as a brand.”Creating emotional memorySpeaking about what makes music a powerful branding tool for luxury brands, Chopra says, “Music creates emotional memory.
Consumers may forget what a campaign looked like, but they often remember how it made them feel.”Adding to her point, Khare says, “Luxury brands use music much like creative directors use runway soundtracks to create an immersive experience that enhances perceived value.” "Through subconscious associations, people connect the mood of the music to the brand itself.
When sound and visuals are synchronised, the entire environment feels more elevated, exclusive, and desirable, shaping how consumers experience the space" - Aadhya Khare, a fashion psychologistGet the latest lifestyle news and trends.
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