The challenge
Each boutique in a global beauty chain played its own locally curated playlist, often clashing with a serene visual identity. Customers rarely recalled any music after leaving. The brief: one cohesive sonic identity that travels between markets without sounding generic.
Our approach
We treat the store as an instrument. After acoustic surveys of archetype boutiques, we compose an evolving, time-of-day-aware soundscape rooted in a short brand motif. The system shifts from a calm morning palette to a richer evening one, with arrival, consultation and checkout moments triggered by the in-store playback system.
Process
1Phase 01
Acoustic audit
Reverb, ambient noise floor and speaker placement measured across representative stores.
2Phase 02
Sonic brief
A sound brief co-developed with creative leadership and anchored in the existing visual palette.
3Phase 03
Compose & layer
A brand motif and a set of ambient layers that combine by time of day and store occupancy.
4Phase 04
Pilot
A short pilot in a handful of stores, with mixes iterated on customer-flow data and staff feedback.
5Phase 05
Roll out & govern
Phased rollout, staff training on the playback system, and a seasonal refresh process.
What we delivered
Brand motif
Multiple instrument variants
Adaptive soundscape
Stems · time-of-day states
Moment cues
Arrival, consultation, checkout
Acoustic spec sheet
Speaker placement & EQ per store archetype
Playback integration
Scheduler for the store system
Seasonal refresh kit
Quarterly stems + governance doc
What this delivers
A single brand sound across every store, tuned to each interior, replacing a patchwork of licensed playlists with music the brand owns outright.