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Cabinet Display Lighting

To ensure you have the best opportunity to sell your products you need to illuminate them as brightly as possible whether it be in a display cabinet or a shop window.

Our range of compact LED display cabinet lighting fixtures have something for most applications and offer superb light to give your products some bling.

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Why Display Cabinet Lighting Matters in a Retail Environment

Commmercial display case lights can be employed strategically to grab your customers’ interest and encourage sales. Using LED lights for display cabinets, you can enhance the visibility of the products, while also drawing attention to them.

Good quality cabinet LED display 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 LED showcase lighting 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.

Why Are LEDs the Best Choice for Shop Cabinet Display Lights

When choosing LED lights for display cabinets in your shop, you may notice several options available such as incandescent, halogen and LED. Increasingly, LED display box lights are taking center stage as the preferred option. This is especially true in retail environments. LED lights for display cases are considered to be the best style of light, and for many reasons.

  • ENERGY EFFICIENT. Cabinet LED display 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 glass cabinet lighting 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 jewellery, you may worry about the heat warping or otherwise damaging them. That’s not an issue with LED display cabinet light fittings since they barely output heat and are safe to touch.

What Maintenance do Display Cabinet Lights Need?

LED display case light fixtures will need the same sort of general maintenance that other lights might need. In order to ensure your glass display cabinet lights work their best for as long as possible, keep these maintenance tips in mind.

Clean Them Regularly

Be sure that you inspect the your glass cabinet lights on occasion and clear away any dust or debris. Using a damp cloth, wipe away any debris that might be blocking the light from shining fully from the lens.

Avoid High Temperatures

One way to avoid damage and prolong the life of your glass display cabinet lights is to avoid heat. Fortunately, LED lights give off very little heat. Even so, having a vent at the back of the cabinet to allow excess heat to dissipate is a good idea.

Look for Damage

When cleaning your jewellery display case lights, check them for things that need your attention: faulty wiring, burned out bulbs or cracked housings.

LSD 017 2 watt LED display case lights installed in glass cabinet

How Do You Avoid Glare and Reflections When Using Display Case Lighting?

Glass display lights require striking a balance between brightness without causing glare. Avoiding glare is crucial if you want customers to be able to see what’s inside clearly. There are a few ways you can prevent glare in your LED display cabinet lighting scheme.

Non-Reflective and Matte Backdrops

Be sure your display cabinet has a matte finish inside. Glossy finishes tend to cause glare, especially when looked at head-on. Matte finishes will absorb some of the light and prevent glare from occurring. Shelves and back panels both should be matte to achieve the best results.

Angled Lighting 

By positioning the jewellery showcase lighting at an angle instead of right in front of or above the lights, you can prevent glare. This works by directing light away from the line of sight while still providing ample illumination. Using angled LED showcase lighting will highlight products without making any direct reflections on the glass.

Play around with different angles to determine which angle provides the best results for your specific LED lights for your display cabinets. Adjustable fixtures, such as track lights, will give you the most control of the light angle.

Anti-glare or Frosted Glass

Some fixtures take glare into consideration and use diffusers to spread the light more evenly. By scattering the light, there is less of a chance of harsh reflections, especially with glass cases. Besides improving the overall visibility, it also enhances the overall appearance of the display case.

Choose glass cabinet lighting with built-in anti-glare features to get these results. You could also buy diffusers separately and attach them to the lights.

Indirect Lighting 

Reflecting display box lights off the sides and top of the cabinet can eliminate glare. This provides even, soft illumination that showcases the items without using any glare-causing direct light paths.

Strip lights on the back or edges of the display case can create indirect light sources. You can also specifically install reflective panels or materials to intentionally bounce the light around.

Dimmable Lights

A simple way to eliminate glare when using bright lights is to make the lights less bright. Dimmers allow you to control the brightness of display cabinet light fittings so you can create a balanced look.

Control them using dimmer switches outside of the cabinet, or connect them to a smart system for even more precise control.

What is The Best Colour Temperature For Display Case Lights?

Colour temperature is an important element to consider when it comes to LED showcase display lights. It is the metric to describe how warm or cool a light is, and is measured in units Kelvin. The spectrum ranges from 1,000k to 10,000k, with warm light towards the bottom and cool light towards the top.

Different colour temperatures are appropriate for different uses. Even LED lights for display cabinets need different colour temperatures depending on what’s inside.

In a display case full of gold jewellery or warm-coloured gemstones, glass cabinet lights with a colour temperature between 2200k to 3000k warm white is recommended. This helps draw out the oranges and reds of the items within and makes them more noticeable.

For jewellery display cases that have diamonds or other special jewellery you want to display, 5000k to 6500k lighting is recommended. This is often referred to as “daylight” colour and gives the most accurate representation of the items. It also improves the sparkle factor of the gems, giving them a more attractive and opulent appeal.

Any other kind of jewellery or similar items tend to work best with cool white light. This tends to run around 4100k. It is ideal for general purposes since it is more neutral in appearance.

LED colour temperature guide

Jewellery store with display case spotlights

Below, you’ll find a few things to keep in mind when you are using LED lights for display cases: 

  • ILLUMINATION AND SHADOWS – The appearance of the items within your cabinet will depend on where you place the lights. The placement of your glass cabinet lighting will also dictate the level of shadows. For instance, lighting from the top runs the risk of creating shadows if the products below aren’t carefully positioned.
  • SURROUNDING LIGHT SOURCES – Consider the display case lights that you will have around the case when lighting it up. If you have other lights too close to the fixture, you run the risk of causing a glare. One way to avoid this is to add diffusers or change the fixtures themselves to soften the light.
  • LUMEN COUNT – Whether you are using the case for the usual purpose of highlighting products or hoping to set a mood, the lumens are important to consider. Fewer lumens will create a dimmer light, while more lumens will make it brighter.

All LED showcase lighting runs on low voltage. Because of this, they will indeed need a transformer. A transformer will do the work to convert the mains 240 volt supply to the proper low voltage to allow them to operate safely. With a converter, you won’t have to worry about the power supply being interrupted. It will also prevent flickering, colour changes and overheating. Overall, the driver will make up for the changes in temperature and conductivity in the LED lights. Small transformers are often known as drivers. They are usually fitted in the body of the light or will otherwise rest in a safe place outside of the cabinet.

An LED driver works by adapting to the voltage requirements as the temperature of the LED light changes. When it gets hotter, the light will need less voltage and use less power. If this is left unchecked, the temperature will keep climbing, resulting in the possibility of the LED light burning out. This is called thermal runaway. A driver will prevent this from happening.

The types of LED drivers are:

  • Small LED drivers made to be used with 4 watt rated LED lights.
  • Dimmable LED drivers let the user adjust the brightness of the LED lights.
  • High power LED drivers are used in larger lighting systems, often commercial.
  • COB LED drivers, or Chip on Board drivers, are used with integrated circuitry. They usually are dimmable.

What LED drivers you need will depend on the following:

  • Voltage of the mains power supply
  • Total amount of power consumed by the system’s LEDs
  • Whether the LEDs need a steady current or a steady voltage

Because LED lights in display cabinets are normally placed very close to the objects that they are illuminating, they don’t need to be too bright. Because they don’t need a high wattage or lumen count, you can usually use a single watt LED bulb. A 1 watt LED light will produce 70 lumens of light, which is the equivalent of a typical 10 watt halogen bulb. This means an LED light gives you all of the power of a halogen bulb at a fraction of the heat and energy consumption.

Since glass cabinet lighting requires electricity, you may run the risk of shock or electrocution if you try to install them yourself. It is best to get a qualified, professional electrician to install your retail display lighting. This way, you can be sure they are not only properly installed, but safely installed as well.

Glass cabinet lights are an easy way to highlight items for sale in a display case. It can bring out the details and the colour and shine of the merchandise, attracting the attention of customers to potentially increase sales. LED lights specifically have many benefits when it comes to retail display lighting — from limited heat output to energy efficiency to versatility, they are a popular option in retail settings.

Above, we outlined some information on how to use LED cabinet lights in your retail shop. We also gave you some tips on how to choose the brightness and colour temperature that is best for your space. Keep this close at hand as you shop for your new LED lights to make the best choices for your shop’s needs.

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