Asian grocery retailers are outperforming European and North American rivals in the consistent deployment of sonic logos, according to a global ranking of supermarket and grocery brands by sound-branding agency amp. The study also found that nearly two-thirds (63%) of supermarket content worldwide relies on generic stock music.
The study by amp, a global sound-branding specialist that is part of WPP’s brand and design collective, analyzes 100 supermarket and grocery brands across six continents, examining how effectively they use sound to build recognition, trust, belonging and engagement.
“In grocery shopping, sound shapes how people feel, how long they stay, how loyal they become and how much they trust the brand, across every experience, physical and digital, and across the flood of creator content,” said Michele Arnese, Founder and Global CEO of amp and Editorial Director of amplify.
“In-store, sound creates atmosphere, presence and emotional memory; online, it is what keeps a brand recognisable when everyone else is making your content. Yet a flexible sonic identity remains one of the sector’s most underdeveloped brand assets.”
Asia top ten
- Smart Bazaar – 8th globally
- Lotus’s – 10th
- Giant – 12th
- Aeon – 16th
- Choithrams – 17th
- Lotte Mart – 25th
- Spinneys – 59th
- FairPrice – 69th
- Zoom (UAE) – 75th
- Lulu Hypermarket – 87th
The research reveals a geographical divide. Approximately 40–45% of brands analyzed in Asia and South America have sonic logos, compared with roughly 20–25% in Europe and North America.
Among brands with sonic logos, average deployment reaches 44% of content in Asia, the highest regional average globally, compared with 26% in South America, 17% in Europe and 16% in North America.
Giant and Lotus’s lead the region in sonic logo application, deploying their logos in 60% of digital content. Smart Bazaar deployed its sonic logo in 43% of content, with custom music in 42% of uploads and stock music reliance at a regional low of 47%. By contrast, Lulu Hypermarket fills 91% of its content with generic stock music.
Across the global grocery sector as a whole, stock music appears in 63% of content on average, with 77 brands using it in at least half of their content. Thirty-one brands have a sonic logo, while 15 use owned music, representing 3% of industry content. All of the top 10 brands in amp’s global ranking have sonic logos and nine use owned music.
Discount supermarkets outpace premium supermarkets
amp’s research finds that discount supermarkets globally are taking a more sustained approach to sonic branding than their premium counterparts.
Discount supermarkets use owned music in approximately 4.5% of content, compared with 1% for premium retailers. Almost three times as many discount brands have sonic logos, with those logos appearing in 12% of their content compared with 3% for premium brands.
The difference has also been built over time, said the report. Discount retailers’ sonic logos are 15 years old on average, compared with 4.5 years for premium supermarkets. amp says the difference shows how owned sonic assets can build recognition over the long term while reducing recurring licensing costs.
Physical retail and in-store sound
The findings come as supermarkets face the challenge of making physical retail compelling alongside the convenience of online shopping and delivery, according to amp.
It explores how audio can work throughout the physical grocery experience, including in-store radio and retail media, where sound can simultaneously build the brand, improve the customer journey and influence purchasing behavior.
The report makes the case that sound can help stores create something an app cannot easily replicate: atmosphere, presence, community and emotional memory.
Supermarket fandom on Spotify, in-store audio as retail media, luxury grocery’s approach to sound, and retail audio’s evolution from Muzak to AI-curated playlists are also explored. South Korea’s Lotte Mart is highlighted for uploading its custom in-store music directly to Spotify, releasing a full EP in 2022 and a single in 2024.
Mexican supermarket Chedraui tops amp’s global ranking with a sonic score of 58.2 and an efficiency score of 63%. Its more than 25-year-old sonic logo appears in 78% of content, while owned music appears in 45%.
Woolworths New Zealand ranks second globally, followed by Chile’s Líder.
“Our research shows the opportunity is not simply to add more sound, but to connect existing touchpoints through a distinctive, flexible system,” said Björn Thorleifsson, Director, Research & Insights at amp and Executive Editor of amplify.
“The strongest brands own their sound and use it consistently.”
Methodology: The research reviewed each brand’s content from the preceding 12 months. The sonic score assesses Experience, Trust, Belonging, Recognition and Engagement using amp’s Best Audio Brands methodology; the efficiency score compares sonic performance with estimated annual spend.
The report is available here.
