Lighting in Retail
Lighting in stores is an important aspect that goes far beyond improving visibility or safety in stores. It also serves and should be considered to enhance the customer's shopping experience. Good lighting creates a unique experience that the customer will appreciate. Additionally, good lighting can also help highlight store products to increase sales, among other things.
If you want to know how lighting can help your business and improve sales thanks to strategic lighting, keep reading because this will interest you.
In this article, various topics important for maximizing store lighting will be discussed. Some of these points are:
- The Importance of Lighting in Retail
- Psychological Effects of Lighting in Stores
- Trends in Retail Lighting
- Ideal Types of Lighting for Stores
- Tips for Properly Lighting a Store
- Mistakes to Avoid for Proper Lighting
Good store lighting is really important, as it can have a direct impact on potential customers and attract more traffic to your establishment, which in turn can increase sales by approximately 15% to 30%. This is because people are more attracted to and pay more attention to well-lit points of sale. It is important to note that consumers are exposed to multiple visual stimuli, and their attention naturally goes to those places with adequate lighting.
Moreover, good window lighting can create a more pleasant shopping experience, encouraging future recurring sales.
On the other hand, lighting also effectively highlights products. It can favor the perception of colors, textures, and product details by the customer, facilitating decision-making. It can also help customers more easily find the products they are looking for, as well as encourage the purchase of those products that the business wants to liquidate due to excess stock.
In turn, lighting creates cozy and attractive environments. Warm and welcoming lighting contributes to providing a pleasant experience for consumers, as good lighting can influence customers' moods.
In summary, lighting is not just about improving visibility or the safety of a space as mentioned earlier, but also plays a crucial role in the consumer experience and, consequently, in sales. Proper lighting at the point of sale can make a difference and stand out above the competition.
Psychological Effects of Lighting in Stores
As mentioned earlier, lighting can influence the shopping experience, the mood of customers, and their decision-making. The psychology of retail lighting is a tool that shows how colors and light intensity can provoke emotional responses in customers.
When a customer enters a store with soft, warm lighting due to yellowish tones, what they experience is a cozy and comfortable sensation. This makes customers feel more relaxed and spend more time in the store, encouraging purchases.
In contrast, brighter lighting with a cooler tone can convey a sense of professionalism and modernity. However, excessive use of cold light can result in an impersonal and unwelcoming atmosphere, so it's essential to find a balance.
Lighting can also direct the customer's attention to more specific areas. By highlighting products with more focused lighting, you can "force" the customer to look in a particular direction. Additionally, it can also influence the duration of a customer's stay in a store.
In summary, lighting in a store goes beyond basic functionalities. It has the power to influence customer behavior.
Trends in Retail Lighting
In this section, we will explain in detail the most prominent trends in store lighting that are redefining the way commercial establishments interact with their customers. Some of these trends are:
1. Minimalism:
The trend of minimalism seems to have returned to stay. This trend aims to create open stores and spaces, with soft colors and eco-friendly materials. In turn, there is a trend towards smaller, subtle, and less obtrusive spotlights.
2. Provocation:
As the word suggests, what is also sought in more daring stores with more energetic values is to attract consumer attention through the use of color. This can be achieved through the store itself or through lighting.
3. Flexibility:
The aim is to play with increasingly flexible spotlights that facilitate changes in the store. For this, track lighting is important, making it feasible to play with different types of lighting in the same space (spot and diffuse).
4. Theatrical Spotlights:
To provide different experiences to customers, theatrical spotlights are used that can achieve different lighting effects.
Ideal Types of Lighting for Stores
Choosing the right type of lighting for a store is an important task to achieve the desired objective. Depending on the type of luminaire or spotlight chosen, you can achieve different results:
For general lighting throughout your store, we recommend using ambient lighting to obtain soft and uniform lighting throughout the space. This type of lighting can be obtained through recessed ceiling lights, pendant lamps, etc.
If the aim is to highlight products in the store, we advise using versatile luminaires with angle adjustments. These types of spotlights allow directing the light towards the areas and products that you want to highlight.
In shop windows and/or display cases, we recommend recessed or track lamps designed to highlight products. This way, you can highlight the shape and details of each element.
Lastly, if you want to use decorative lighting to create a cozier atmosphere in the space, we recommend using pendant lamps or light chains. These luminaires add a touch of style and personality to the place.
Tips for Properly Lighting a Space
Next, you will see some lighting tips for stores that can be useful and you should keep in mind when lighting your business to make the most of it:
1. Consider the objectives and function of the space to be illuminated. Considering the purpose of each area and what you want to achieve with the lighting can help determine the appropriate number and location of luminaires.
2. Use different types of lighting to achieve better results. Combine ambient lighting to create a pleasant atmosphere for customers with spot lighting to highlight products.
3. When choosing the type of light, it is important to consider the appropriate color temperature. As mentioned, depending on the selected temperature, a specific sensation will be generated in customers.
- Warm light creates a cozy and relaxing atmosphere that helps promote a feeling of calm and comfort.
- Neutral light helps create a state of alertness and concentration.
- Cold light generates a more active and stimulating environment. This is because bright and white light is emitted.
4. Color rendering should not be overlooked. It is important that luminaires have a good ability to reproduce colors naturally and avoid distortions. This will prevent confusion in customers regarding the perception of the color of products, both inside and outside the store.
5. The energy efficiency of luminaires is also important. Using efficient LED luminaires helps reduce energy consumption and, therefore, contributes to sustainability by reducing the carbon footprint.
6. Finally, the intensity and angle of the light must be controlled. It is important to adjust the light intensity according to the needs that the space requires to achieve adequate lighting. There must be a balance between direct and indirect light to create the ideal environment for your customer.
Mistakes to Avoid for Proper Lighting
1. Insufficient lighting in the store. Not having good lighting in the store can make it look dark and unattractive. This creates a feeling of rejection in the customer when entering the store. It also hinders the visualization of products.
2. Direct light spots in the eyes of customers. Light that may bother or dazzle customers should be avoided. Direct light in the eyes can create discomfort for shoppers and generate a bad shopping experience.
3. Luminaires with little versatility. A rigid spotlight can hinder the adaptation of the store's lighting according to the needs of the space and the changes made in the store. It is important to choose adjustable and adjustable luminaires in both direction and intensity or light tone.
4. Not performing periodic maintenance. We may think that since a luminaire performs its function of generating light, everything is correct, but there may be other problems that are not visually perceived and may be causing problems. Therefore, not maintaining the luminaires can affect their lifespan and functionality. Regular checks and cleanings must be carried out to ensure optimal performance.
In conclusion, lighting in stores plays a fundamental role, not only in terms of visualization and safety but also in the consumer experience. There are several important aspects that must be considered to achieve good lighting. If you want to make sure you don't overlook any details, we invite you to contact us through contact@superwin.es. We will be delighted to assist you.
