Acousti-Board
How to Mitigate Noise Pollution in a Retail Store
Providing a pleasing retail environment is key to bringing customers back and driving sales. People like to choose where they like to shop not only because they like the product offerings, but also because they enjoy the environment. Curating this kind of atmosphere involves paying close attention to the way the store looks, the way employees greet guests, and even the way the store sounds.
A store full of customers can become noisy and disjointed without attention to this detail, which is why savvy business owners are investing time and attention into learning how to stop sound pollution. By understanding the common acoustic challenges faced by retail environments and the ways in which professionals treat the space to reduce noise, your store gains an important leg up in this arena.
Acoustic Challenges in Retail Environments
The retail environment itself lends this type of space to acoustic challenges. Many stores feature large, open layouts bound by hard surfaces. This opens the retail environment up to excessive echo and reverberation, which has a negative effect on the customer experience. Some measures of noise control must be taken to mitigate these negative effects.
Spaces that are too loud take some of the pleasure out of shopping. It makes it more difficult for customers to interact with employees and those they are with. It can also make for a more stressful atmosphere.
We want our customers to enjoy their shopping experiences, so there are some simple steps that we take to significantly improve the sound in our stores and keep customers coming back for more.
How to Stop Sound Pollution
There are many ways to reduce the amount of noise in any interior space, and some of them are particularly well-suited to the retail environment. Since the main cause of acoustical issues in retail environments is typically airborne noise created within the store, we will begin there. After that, we will look into stopping outside sounds from entering, since that can be troublesome for retail store owners as well. Let’s dig in.
Solutions for Echo Reduction
Reducing echo is a relatively simple concept. In order to achieve echo reduction, we must both reduce the number of reflections coming off of the hard interior spaces and redirect some of the remaining reflections to scatter them about the room. The main tools we use for this are acoustic panels, sound diffusers, and ceiling treatments.
Acoustic Panels
Acoustic panels are one of the most popular sound pollution solutions on the market. These attractive panels can be easily mounted with simple clips or adhesives, and do a great job of absorbing sound waves to prevent them from rattling around in the space.
Acoustic panels may be mounted directly to walls and ceilings, and are often suspended from the ceiling with wires to bring some sound absorption down into the overhead space. They are available in all kinds of standard and custom finishes, and there are many different material compositions to choose from as well. No matter what style you are looking for and what kind of abuse they must endure (moisture/pest damage/handling/etc.), there are options to meet your needs.
Ceiling Treatments
Since echoes need space to travel in order to become disruptive, ceiling treatments are an effective means of breaking up that space and preventing acoustical issues. In addition to using acoustic panels to absorb sound waves directly on the ceiling and lay-ins for drop ceiling grid systems, there are other modern ceiling treatment options that provide added benefits.
Ceiling Clouds
Ceiling clouds are acoustic panels that are suspended from the true ceiling to provide sound absorptions in the overhead void. They pull double duty by reducing noise in the space and providing eye-catching focal points that add a layer of modern flair to the space.
Ceiling Baffles
Ceiling baffles work in a similar fashion to ceiling clouds. They are most often suspended vertically from their narrow edges. They can be found in squares, circles, or long planks. A common application of plank baffles is to suspend them from their long narrow edges, parallel to one another. This not only improves sound in the space, but partially hides the overhead space from view.
Flooring Considerations
Another source of unwanted noise in retail environments is found in the foot traffic we all crave. It’s wonderful to get crowds of people in the door, but if the floor isn’t designed to handle all that traffic, the footfalls can create enough noise to become disruptive on their own. To tackle this, we often use soundproof flooring materials designed to deaden the vibrations associated with footfalls and reduce their audible impact.
Soundproof Underlayments
One of the most effective ways to damp vibrations and reduce footstep noise is to add a soundproof underlayment between the subfloor and the top flooring material. These underlays may be made of foam, rubber, cork, or mass-loaded vinyl. Each of these materials work well in certain situations, but for retail environments, rubber and mass-loaded vinyl are often chosen for their ability to reduce noise and withstand the elements year round.
Blocking Outside Sounds
If you are experiencing a lot of noise entering from outside sources, soundproofing walls, windows, and doors may be necessary. Loud sounds from adjacent units or the street can vibrate through these barriers and create noise issues inside your establishment.
As a first step, you should seal up any gaps and cracks to provide relief. But if everything is already well sealed, you will have to take more aggressive action. The most effective means of blocking outside sounds is the addition of mass and volume, and adding damping materials that convert sound energy into small amounts of heat energy. There are some common soundproofing materials business owners use to accomplish these things.
Mass-Loaded Vinyl
Mass-loaded vinyl, or MLV, is a very popular and effective solution for blocking sound energy from passing through walls, ceilings, and floors. This incredibly dense material is sold in rolls, and may be rolled out before the finishing layers of drywall or flooring are installed. You can even do this yourself, saving a considerable amount of money on labor. You can also save money by purchasing MLV in bulk to be used in all your walls, ceilings, and floors.
If more noise reduction is needed, MLV may be rolled out onto the existing drywall and covered with a second layer. If you go the double drywall route, make sure the structure is strong enough to hold the additional weight before you begin.
Window and Door Treatments
If noise coming through windows is the main culprit, there are some ways you can stop it. The most obvious solution is replacing outdated windows with a new double or triple paned set, but this can get expensive in a hurry.
Window inserts will provide the extra panes of glass and an air gap that make windows much more effective at reducing noise, but at a much lower cost than a new set. You can even fit the windows with acoustical curtains, which will provide both light and sound control at the same time.
If your doors aren’t heavy or well sealed, they will also allow sound to pass through. Replacing them with heavier soundproof doors or fitting them with new seals will help a lot. For interior doors, a door seal kit with an automatic door sweep will provide the biggest benefit. They retract to allow free use of the door, but expand to fill all gaps when the door closes.
Case Study: Gregg’s Cycle in Seattle Fixes Sound Problem with Echo Eliminator Baffles
FAQs
Why is echo control important in retail spaces?
Echo control in stores lowers the overall indoor volume, boasting positive effects on customer experience, communication, and brand perception. These benefits encourage longer visits and can improve both staff focus and productivity.
What are the most effective solutions for controlling echo in retail stores?
The most effective way to reduce echo in indoor spaces is to introduce soft, absorbent materials into the mix. Utilizing acoustic treatments like acoustic panels, ceiling clouds, and acoustic baffles is the most effective way to introduce these types of materials. They reduce retail store noise considerably, and greatly enhance the customer experience.
Conclusion
Learning how to stop sound pollution in retail spaces delivers a lot of benefits. Acoustically treating and soundproofing retail spaces improves customer experiences, enhances communication among employees and guests, and encourages guests to shop longer.
If one or more of your locations is experiencing unwanted noise, reach out to Acoustical Surfaces to learn more about your options. We specialize in improving retail acoustics through a combination of professional products and decades of experience.
