Chico’s

Retailers targeting younger shoppers typically pump up the volume into the low-flying-jet range. But while the kids may like their tunes cranked up, the in-your-ear approach could be a real turnoff in stores catering to an older clientele.

Chico's FAS (Fort Myers, Fla.) utilizes music as a soothing undercurrent within its roughly 400 specialty apparel stores catering to fashion-minded women ages 35-60.

“For Chico's, in-store music is icing on the cake,” says Stephanie Picone, director of visual merchandising. “First and foremost is the merchandise selection and customer service. But if the music we play increases our shopper's comfort level, and makes her feel more at home, she'll spend more time in our stores.”

Chico's recently hired PlayNetwork (Redmond, Wash.) to provide music in its shops. PlayNetwork sends out proprietary CDs containing up to 400 songs to the Chico's stores on a monthly basis. (The players in the stores will only accept PlayNetwork discs, which keeps Chico's workers from playing their own CDs on the system.)

Picone works collaboratively with the programmers at PlayNetwork to pick the songs Chico's shoppers hear. “Each month, they send me a test CD containing songs their programmers have identified as appealing to our demographic market,” she explains. “I give that disc a listen and, based on my expertise about our customers base, reject any that don't fit the feel we're looking for. The first month we went through that process, I rejected half the songs they suggested. But in a more recent month, I rejected just four tunes, which tells me PlayNetwork is 'getting' our brand.”

With Picone acting as the final arbiter of what the chain's shoppers hear, tracks like “Head Over Heels” – a mellow, Latin-tinged jazz tune by Matt Bianco – make the cut, while such songs as “New Sensation” by INXS do not. (“Too hard and too fast,” she says.) Overall, the soundtrack in the Chico's stores is a mixture of adult pop, cool jazz, foreign vocals and 60s pop.