Short answer: playlists that match your brand, the customer journey, and the store zones — generally energetic but not intrusive music for browsing areas; high-fidelity, sonically interesting tracks for demo/headphone zones; calmer, lower-energy music at checkout. Keep tempo, volume, and lyrics appropriate to the audience and make sure you have a commercial license.

Practical guidance (actionable, ready to implement)

1. Define the goal and audience

• Goal: increase dwell time, improve mood and perception of product quality, and nudge purchases.
• Audience: age, tech-savviness, and typical visit purpose (quick buy vs browsing demos) should drive genre and energy.

2. Energy/tempo by store area and daypart

• Entrance & general browsing: mid-tempo (90–120 BPM), upbeat but unobtrusive. Encourages browsing without rushed feeling.
• Demo/headphone zones: sonically rich, dynamic tracks with wide production (instrumentals, electronic, modern alt) to showcase gear.
• Gaming/VR areas: high-energy (120–140+ BPM) electronic, synthwave, or instrumental hip‑hop.
• Checkout & service desks: calm, lower tempo (60–90 BPM) to reduce friction and perceived wait time.
• Dayparting: mornings slower/milder, afternoons and weekends higher energy.

3. Genres and vocal content

• Good fits: modern electronic (chill‑house, downtempo), synthwave, ambient/electronica, modern indie pop/alt, instrumental hip‑hop, modern jazz/lounge for premium stores.
• Use fewer highly familiar sing‑along tracks (they can distract). Prefer tasteful vocals or instrumental mixes. Avoid explicit lyrics in public retail spaces.

4. Playlist structure & length

• Blocks of music: build sets of 30–60 minutes that flow (similar tempo/key) and sequence them into a 2–4 hour rotation.
• Rotation cadence: refresh playlists regularly — small tweaks weekly, broader refresh every 2–4 weeks to avoid repeat fatigue.
• Repeat policy: avoid any individual track repeating more than once per 4–6 hours.

5. Sound & playback considerations

• Volume: clearly audible but comfortably in the background (no sudden spikes). Keep consistent levels across tracks (use loudness normalization).
• Speaker zoning: separate zones (entrance, demo, checkout) with independent volume and playlists. Demo areas need better speakers and more dynamic content.
• EQ: reduce heavy bass bleed into quiet zones; treat high-frequency harshness for long-term listening comfort.

6. Legal/licensing

• Always use a commercial/business music license (retail/PROs). Consumer streaming accounts (Spotify, Apple Music) are not licensed for public retail use. Use a service designed for business or obtain appropriate licenses through PROs or licensed providers.

7. Testing & measurement

• A/B test playlists in similar stores or time blocks. Track dwell time, conversion rate, average basket size, and customer feedback.
• Small changes (tempo, vocal content) can be tested to see which improves metrics.

8. Example playlist templates (by store type)

• Premium boutique (sleek, minimal): downtempo electronic, ambient, modern classical. Artists to consider: Tycho, Nils Frahm, Ólafur Arnalds, Helios, Ólafur.
• Big-box mainstream: contemporary indie pop / clean pop / electronic. Artists to consider: CHVRCHES, Empire of the Sun, Foster the People, Phoenix, Disclosure (instrumental/clean edits).
• Gaming/demo zone: synthwave & heavy electronic instrumental: Kavinsky, Carpenter Brut, The Glitch Mob, Perturbator.
• Headphone demo: tracks with wide stereo imaging and interesting production — instrumental electronica, detailed acoustic recordings, binaural demos. Use clean/no-voice or instrumental mixes to show clarity.

9. Quick implementation checklist

• Choose a licensed business music provider.
• Create 3–4 playlists by store zone and daypart.
• Set volume and EQ per zone; audition playlists in-store.
• Track metrics for 2–4 weeks and iterate.

If you want, I can:

• draft 2–3 ready-to-use 2-hour playlist lineups (with specific track suggestions) tailored to your store’s brand (premium, big-box, gaming), or
• suggest an A/B test plan to measure impact on dwell time and sales.

Which would you like?