Asian grocery giants lead global push in sonic branding

Asian grocery retailers are outperforming their European and North American peers in the consistent use of sonic logos, according to a new global study by sound-branding agency amp. However, the research also reveals that nearly two-thirds (63%) of supermarket content worldwide still relies heavily on generic stock music.

The report by amp - a WPP-owned sound-branding specialist - analysed 100 global supermarket and grocery brands across six continents to evaluate how effectively they leverage sound to drive recognition, trust, and customer engagement.

Among Asian retailers, India’s Smart Bazaar ranked highest globally at eighth place, followed by Thailand’s Lotus’s at tenth and Southeast Asia’s Giant at twelfth. Other regional brands featured in the ranking include Aeon at 16th, Choithrams at 17th, Lotte Mart at 25th, Spinneys at 59th, FairPrice at 69th, Zoom UAE at 75th, LuLu Hypermarket at 87th, and SM Supermarket at 99th.

The findings highlight a pronounced geographical divide in how grocers approach audio identity. Approximately 45% of analysed brands in Asia and South America possess a sonic logo, compared to roughly 25% in Europe and North America. Furthermore, among brands with an established sonic identity, Asian grocers lead global deployment by featuring their audio logos in an average of 44% of their content—far ahead of South America at 26%, Europe at 17%, and North America at 16%.

Regionally, Giant and Lotus’s lead the pack by embedding their sonic logos in 60% of their digital output. Smart Bazaar follows closely, deploying its sonic logo across 43% of its content alongside custom music in 42% of uploads, which keeps its reliance on stock audio to a regional low of 47%. In 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 of the 100 brands relying on off-the-shelf audio for at least half of their media output. Only 31 brands possess a sonic logo, and a mere 15 utilise owned music assets - representing just 3% of all content produced across the industry. By comparison, all top ten brands in amp’s global ranking feature sonic logos, and nine leverage proprietary owned music.

The research also reveals that discount supermarkets take a far more sustained approach to sonic branding than their premium counterparts. Discount grocers use owned music in approximately 4.5% of their content compared to just 1% for premium retailers, and nearly three times as many discount brands possess a sonic logo. Furthermore, discount retailers’ sonic logos average 15 years in age compared to 4.5 years for premium brands, demonstrating how long-term investment in owned audio assets builds sustained brand recognition while reducing recurring licensing costs.

As physical grocers work to maintain foot traffic alongside the growth of online shopping, the report emphasises that sound offers something an app cannot easily replicate: atmosphere, presence, and emotional memory. Retailers are increasingly experimenting with audio touchpoints across the customer journey, from in-store radio retail media to social media activations. South Korea’s Lotte Mart, for instance, uploaded its custom in-store background music directly to Spotify, releasing a full EP in 2022 and a follow-up single in 2024.

Michele Arnese, founder and global CEO of amp and editorial director of amplify, said: "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. 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."

Björn Thorleifsson, director, research and insights at amp and executive editor of amplify, said: “Our research shows the opportunity is not simply to add more sound, but to connect existing touchpoints through a distinctive, flexible system. The strongest brands own their sound and use it consistently.” 

Related articles:

Singapore Airlines unveils new 'batik-inspired' sonic branding
Sonic branding firm Sixième Son enters SG, names Florent Adam MD