Table of Contents
Retail display lighting plays a massive role in the overall feel and functionality of a retail shop. From making it more comfortable to browse, to turning over more sales, read on to see the kind of difference shop display case lighting can make.
How to Understand the Lighting Needs of a Retail Store
Retail store lighting is crucial to the shop. It helps enhance your merchandise, make the shopping experience more enjoyable, and even drive sales forward. When it comes to your retail shop, you can determine what sort of light best suits your needs by taking the specifics of your shop into account.
Before anything else, you need to figure out precisely what kinds of lights you want to have. You’ll want general ambient lighting to provide the overall illumination for the shop above all. In a bookstore or boutique, opt for warmer, softer lighting. If you own a sports or electronics shop, cooler light may work better.
Accent lighting is hugely important in retail design. This is especially true if you have any display cabinets. Smaller items hidden behind glass need plenty of light to make them visible to potential customers. If you sell jewellery and other small, intricate products, prioritise display cabinet lighting.
When it comes to encouraging longer shopping experiences, retail lighting can be used to encourage exploration. Have accent lights strategically placed in areas of interest to guide customers toward it. You should also make the lighting environment as comfortable as possible by choosing gentle illumination with no glare.
Why Display Cabinet Lighting Matters in a Retail Environment
Commercial cabinet lighting can be employed strategically to grab your customers’ interest and encourage sales. Using adjustable cabinet lighting, you can enhance the visibility of the products, while also drawing attention to them.
Good quality lighting can also help the general perception of a product. The way something is illuminated can influence the way a customer views the products, which can in turn influence sales. By ensuring your products–especially those higher ticket items–are being showcased to the fullest, you are more likely to lock in a sale.
High CRI lights that accurately show the colours and details of the item on display are important. They make products appear truer to life, increasing their value in the eyes of a customer. Display cabinet lighting can also give an air of exclusivity, making the products and the shop feel higher-end.
How to Select the Best LED Colour Temperature for Retail Display Cabinet Lights
Colour temperature is a way to discuss how warm or cool a light is perceived to be. It is a scale that ranges from 1,000K to 10,000K, with “K” being Kelvin units. Cooler lights are at the top of the scale, while warmer lights sit near the bottom.
Different retail shops will benefit from different colour temperatures. Depending on the atmosphere you want to project, warm or cool lights might suit your needs better than the other. Lighting can affect brand and personality, so choose whether you want something cosy or vibrant for the atmosphere of your shop.
For example, clothing boutiques, jewellery shops and other smaller, more intimate retail environments benefit from warmer colour temperatures. Warmer light creates an inviting atmosphere while also still being clear and bright enough to easily see by.
For display cabinets, warm white light between 2,700K and 3,300K is considered ideal. When it comes to fashion stores, neutral white light between 3,500K and 4,000K is recommended.
For shops that sell electronics, sports equipment or anything else that is considered modern and high-energy, cooler lights may work better. Cool lights between 5000K and 6000K are livelier and more energetic. They also provide a more modern, sophisticated feel.
Why Are LEDs the Best Choice for Shop Cabinet Display Lights
When choosing lights for your shop, you may notice several options available such as incandescent, halogen and LED. Increasingly, LED lights are taking center stage as the preferred option. This is especially true in retail environments. LED display lighting is considered to be the best style of light, and for many reasons.
- ENERGY EFFICIENT. LED lights are much more energy efficient than their traditional counterparts. These bulbs turn energy directly into lighting instead of first having to generate heat to do so.
- LONG LASTING. Due to the energy efficient nature of LED lights, you can expect them to last for much longer. LEDs can go for tens of thousands of hours without needing a replacement. Compare that to the 1,000 hours that halogen lights provide.
- COST EFFECTIVE. A combination of their energy efficiency and long life makes running LED lights more budget-friendly overall. Longer lifespans mean fewer replacements of the bulbs. Similarly, more efficient use of energy means a reduction in your electricity bills–something crucial for retail shops that have a lot of lights on constantly.
- Whether you want warm or cool lights to fit your brand personality, LEDs have it all. Beyond that, they come in a number of brightness levels so you can stay in total control over the look of your lights.
- MINIMAL HEAT. When you have traditional lights close to delicate items like fine fabrics or luxury jewelry, you may worry about the heat warping or otherwise damaging them. That’s not an issue with LEDs, since they barely output heat and are safe to touch.
How to Position Display Cabinet Lights for Maximum Impact
To get the most out of your display lighting, follow the tips below:
- ILLUMINATE IMPORTANT ITEMS. Whether that is a particularly pricey piece of jewellery or any other high-ticket item, focus your display lighting on it in particular. With any other product, put emphasis on highlighting textures, sparkles, colours and fine details of the item.
- PROPER PLACEMENT. For items displayed on shelves, consider employing top-down lighting. With smaller items that need more subtle illumination, choose edge- or side-mounted lights. Back-mounted lighting is ideal for reducing the glare from behind cabinet glass and is a good choice as well.
- WORK WITH ANGLES. Light angles can create visually appealing displays to draw attention to the cabinet. By angling the lighting and creating focal points and shadows, you can create a more dramatic look that is sure to catch the eye.
- AVOID GLARE. The last thing you want to do is make your customers look away from the display. Ensure their attention is comfortably grabbed by avoiding causing glares on the glass. Use lights with diffusers and narrow beams to avoid this issue.
Common Errors When Using Shop Display Cabinet Lighting
Make the most out of your display lighting by avoiding these frequent mistakes.
Improper Light Levels
Just like having too little illumination is a problem, there is such a thing as too much light as well. Aim for balanced illumination that shows off key product features without being too bright and intense.
Incorrect Light Types
There are different types of lights that are best for certain products. Tailor your lights to the kind of items you are selling. For example, use warm lighting on luxury pieces like jewellery. For clothes, neutral white light with a high CRI is ideal.
Not Using LEDs
As mentioned, LED lights have many benefits, especially in retail environments. By choosing halogen bulbs over them, you run the risk of too much heat exposure. Not only could this potentially damage the products, but it could make the space warmer and uncomfortable to shop in as well.
How Lighting Can Increase a Retail Stores Sales Volume
Visual merchandising lighting can be employed strategically to help boost sales in your shop. The longer a customer spends browsing your wares, the more likely they are to find something they want to buy. By creating a comfortable environment where they are more likely to linger, you can increase the likelihood of a sale.
You can also employ the use of product showcase lighting to draw attention to certain products above others. Good quality lighting for product displays can entice guests to approach the display, piquing their interest and encouraging sales.
Similarly, you can use accent lighting for retail shops to guide customers around the store. People tend to naturally gravitate to well lit areas, especially if there is a well-defined path forward. This can move them throughout the shop and expose them to more products.
Finally, you can use lighting to properly illuminate your wares and make them more appealing. Good display cabinet lighting can make smaller items sparkle and shine, presenting their best selves to the customers. A good presentation is more likely to positively influence a customer’s perception of the item.
Conclusion
Retail lighting goes a long way toward driving sales and improving a customer’s shopping experience. In this article, we’ve explored just why that is, as well as provided a few tips to help you incorporate your own low energy display lighting into your shop.
Retail Display Lighting Solutions
Show off the best assets in your display cabinet with the LSD016 1 Watt Black LED Cabinet Display Spot Light. This spot light is perfect for cabinet displays with its 70 lumens of 6000K warm white light shining at a 30 degree beam angle. The light head measures only 20 millimeters by 20 millimeters and can be tilted and turned to position it how you like. It comes finished in black, making it subtle and neutral.
With its two tiers of light heads, this LSD017 2 Watt Black Twin LED Cabinet Display Spot Lights, you can easily light taller display cabinets. The fixture generates a total of 140 lumens of 6000K cool white lighting, shining at a glare-free 30 degree beam angle. Each light head measures 20 millimeters in diameter and can be tilted and twisted to shine right where you want them. The light post itself is fashioned out of durable aluminium and measures 200 millimeters in height.
Employ beautiful top down lighting in your display cabinets with the LDC367 3 Watt Black Triple Recessed Cabinet Display Spotlights. This flush mount light features three adjustable light heads that shine illumination at a 30 degree beam angle. They output a total of 210 lumens of 6000K cool white light, making them ideal for medium to large display cabinets. The fixture measures 160 millimeters by 40 millimeters and is fashioned out of high quality aluminium.
