In our third and final blogpost covering ambiance, let’s discuss how customers feel when they enter a business—specifically, what the temperature is like. How does a chilly room versus a warm room impact a customer’s experience? When it comes to the thermostat, can we really set-it-and-forget-it?
Heating and cooling can present a significant cost each month, especially if your business is located in an environment with extreme temperatures. The Brandt Group, for example, is headquartered in Bozeman, MT, where the average January low is 13º, which is far too cold for indoor comfort, so our heater works overtime. In the face of high electric (or gas) bills, there is a temptation to be frugal. Here’s why you should think twice about that:
Promote Comfort
The ideal thermal comfort zone, often thought of as room temperature, is between 68 and 72º Fahrenheit1. But this is only a general rule-of-thumb because “factors such as activity level, clothing, and humidity” will impact comfort.
This is important because an uncomfortable environment is not one where your customers will want to shop, nor is it one where your staff will be happy to work. Comfort impacts mood, so we need to prioritize this to promote happier clients and employees alike, which will equate to more sales opportunities and higher productivity. As such, heating and cooling expenditures will pay for themselves.
Be Mindful of the Time of Year
As mentioned, Bozeman, MT, gets pretty cold during the winter. A storm can send those temperatures well below zero, so the natural instinct would then be to make sure the inside is as warm as possible. This can go too far too, however, so you must consider how your customers will be dressed. During winter, they’ll likely don more layers (and even heavy coats), so you don’t want them to feel suffocated as they browse your heated location. While you should still target the thermal comfort zone, err towards being slightly cooler to counter their extra layers of clothing.
The reverse is true in summer. If your business is in a warm and humid climate, say, your instinct might be to cool the interior down as much as possible. Again, remember how people will be dressed because your customers will probably wear single layers without a lot of covering in summer, so make sure you don’t overwhelm them with cooling. As you target that thermal comfort zone, err towards slightly warmer.
Don’t forget about how temperatures change throughout the day, too. Make sure you program the thermostat to adjust itself up or down a degree or two accordingly, especially if your geographic area sees large temperature swings between the morning and evening.
Context Matters
Are your customers more likely to wear t-shirts and shorts, or three-piece suits? What will they be doing while visiting your business? In a restaurant, for example, they’re going to be eating, so digestion will make them feel warmer naturally. At a grocery store, the time shoppers spend in front of open-air cold cases or in the freezer section will make them feel colder. And depending on whether they’ll be walking or sitting for most of the time of their visit will likely decide whether they remove a coat or not.
Honestly, finding the right temperatures for your store, restaurant, or other type of business can be challenging. It’s not as simple as choosing based on how you feel, because you in your management capacity might be dressed differently than the customers would, and you may be more or less active than they are as well.
As we’ve said the last couple of weeks, ambiance is one of the most critical components for your brand’s identity, so you want to take the time to make these decisions carefully. As with choosing good background music or visual design, customer feedback surveys and mystery shops will reveal how comfortable they find your business’s temperature. It’s a question wee always ask on our surveys. Speaking of, we’re here to help! Contact us now to get started, and we’ll work with you to design the best overall experience for your business.
