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Quality lighting for retail stores will go a long way toward improving everything from customer satisfaction to actual sales. In this article, we’ll explore some retail lighting design tips and other important things to know about commercial lighting.
Why Effective Retail Lighting MattersÂ
Perhaps more than in any other setting, lighting for retail stores is absolutely crucial. It plays a pivotal role in the overall satisfaction of your customers’ experiences, as well as their ability to comfortably and confidently shop your wares.
Perhaps the most obvious reason for this is product visibility and lighting for sales growth. Visual merchandising lighting can attract the attention of customers to the products you wish to sell. Once they are examining the items, good quality lighting will ensure they are able to clearly see what they are interested in buying.
Quality lighting will also create a more inviting atmosphere that is conducive to longer periods of shopping. By encouraging them to spend as much time in the retail shop as possible, you increase the chances that you’ll make a sale. Customers won’t want to linger in a place that is too dim to see or too bright that it hurts their eyes. It’s all about striking a balance with your store lighting design.
Retail store lighting also makes it safer for customers and employees alike to navigate the shop. Good lighting throughout the store, including emergency exit lights, ensures that people can safely move through the shop no matter what.
The Influence of Lighting on the Customer ExperienceÂ
As mentioned, retail lighting plays a rather large role in the overall shopping experience for the customer. A positive customer experience is crucial for ensuring sales and repeat business.
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Emotional Influence
There are many ways that lighting can influence the experience of the customer. For one, lighting is known to influence people’s moods and experiences more than once believed. With the emotional influence that lights can have on people, good quality lighting that sets a comfortable atmosphere is sure to make the experience memorable in their minds.
You can use warmer lights to create a more relaxed atmosphere that promotes leisurely browsing. Conversely, you can employ cool white light to encourage a more energising shopping experience that prompts them to make quick decisions.
Ease of Navigation
Good lighting throughout the shop will help your customers actually move through the store with greater efficiency. Of course, this does mean they can move through the space without crashing into shelves, but there is more to it than that. Lighting can lead your customers through the store in a purposeful way. It can be used to draw attention to certain displays or other areas of interest you want them to note.
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Seasonal Changes
One way to make your customer experience more engaging is to have the lights change for the season. By adjusting the brightness levels and colour temperatures according to the natural sunlight outdoors, you can create a consistently comfortable environment indoors all year long.
Beyond that, you can also change up the lighting to reflect the holidays as they come. By including festive lighting, customers may feel more excited to come into your shop and spend time shopping there.
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How to Achieve Great Customer Experience LightingÂ
Ultimately, everything from sales to customer comfort starts with good lighting. In order to ensure that the light is consistent throughout the store and is capable of doing its job, consider layering your store lighting solutions. Even lighting for small retail spaces can include layers.
Layered lighting is when you install three types of lights: ambient, accent and task.
Ambient Light
Ambient light is the main layer of illumination in a space. Usually in the form of ceiling lights, ambient lighting shines over a larger area of space and is then supplemented by accent and task lighting.
Accent Light
Accent lighting in retail is a surefire way to make an impression on your customers. Through accent lights, you can highlight certain products or end caps that you want to draw attention to. This is especially useful if you want to light up any shop window displays.
Retail ambiance lighting is also made possible by way of accent light. If you want to set a more relaxed, intimate mood in the shop, accent lighting is the way to go. It can be used to create visual interest as well, adding drama with intentional shadows.
Task Light
Task lights do just that: provide ample illumination for completing certain tasks. Task lights in shop lights can be incorporated in a number of ways. The most common task lights in retail environments are usually placed over checkout tills, and inside of dressing rooms.
Getting Colour Temperature and CRI RightÂ
To understand the importance of colour temperature and CRI, it is good to first understand what exactly these things are. Colour temperature, sometimes referred to as colour correlated temperature or CCT, is a way to define the perceived warmth or coolness of a light. It exists on a scale of Kelvin units ranging from 1,000 to 10,000K. Toward the top of the spectrum are the cooler lights, where warmer lights are found toward the bottom.
CRI, or colour rendering index, indicates how well a light shows the true colours of the object it is illuminating. Lights with a high CRI will more accurately reflect the colours of said objects.
When it comes to lighting design for shops, both of these elements matter a great deal. Warmer colour temperatures create a more intimate, comfortable environment that is relaxing and inviting for guests. Cooler lights, on the other hand, are better for modern shops and electronics stores that need a more invigorating atmosphere.
It likely goes without saying, but, when possible, you’ll always want to get a light with the highest CRI rating you can find. Higher CRI provides a more accurate look at the colours of the items. This way, guests won’t feel like their clothing or jewelry looks different in the sun from how it looked under the product display lighting.
Cost Savings through Energy Efficiency in Retail LightingÂ
Retail shops tend to have a lot of lights turned on and for long periods of time. Energy consumption and the price of running them constantly can quickly begin to add up. Choosing energy-efficient lighting for retail shops is one way to control those costs and expenditures.
LED lighting is an energy efficient alternative to traditional halogen and incandescent bulbs; LED lights use up to 80 percent less energy than their traditional counterparts. This is because LEDs transform all of their energy into light instead of generating light through heat.
With less energy being used, the costs of keeping the lights on will go down. You will also be able to enjoy these lights for tens of thousands of hours as opposed to the 1,000 hours that traditional bulbs offer. In this way, you will spend less on upfront costs of replacements as well.
LED lighting for stores offers more perks than just energy efficiency, though. They are also highly versatile, with many colour temperatures and brightness levels to choose from. This allows you total control over the style and look of the light that influences the shop itself.
ConclusionÂ
Retail lighting can make or break the success of your shop by influencing the customer experience and more. In the article above, we’ve outlined the ways that quality retail lighting benefits your shop so you can begin your lighting design on a strong foundation.
Retail Lighting Ideas
Draw attention to window displays and beyond with the LSP176 30 Watt LED Track Light Fitting. This track light generates 2400 lumens of ultra bright light in your choice of warm or cool illumination. The bulbs are nestled within a durable aluminium body available in black, silver or white finishes. Its light shines at a beam angle of 23 degrees, ideal for displaying smaller items. Overall, the track light and its track measures 235 millimeters in length.
Show off jewelry and other small wares with the LSD017 2 Watt Black Twin LED Cabinet Display Spot Lights. This vertical spotlight features two spotlight heads that you can twist and turn into various positions depending on your needs. They generate a combined output of 140 lumens of 6000K cool white light at a 30 degree beam angle. This makes them especially beneficial for jewelry displays. The aluminium fixture comes finished in black, ensuring it is subtle and non-distracting. It measures 200 millimeters in total height.
Create modern task or ambient lighting with the DPL311 20 Watt Dimmable Large Black LED Pendant Light. This fixture generates 1600 lumens of 3000K warm white light with a CRI of >80. It features a durable shade fashioned out of both stainless steel and aluminium that attaches to the ceiling using an adjustable 2,000 millimeter drop chain. The shade measures 350 millimeters wide.
Light up your retail shop in a modern way with the LDC703 15 Watt LED Dimmable Triple White Recessed Downlight. This light shines 1290 lumens of light at a slim 24 degree beam angle. It features three heads, each of which can be rotated 350 degrees around to give you control over where exactly it shines. It measures 258 millimeters in total length and is fashioned out of durable aluminium. The white finish of the light makes it a subtle addition to any shop.
