The Most Effective In-Store Retail Lighting Solutions

Savvy retailers need to come up with brilliant retail lighting solutions to satisfy customers and hopefully increase sales. The right illumination depends on the kind of retail enterprise and products it sells.

Lights should give more than light to shoppers. The bottom line is to increase sales through lighting. The three categories in store lighting are Basic, Immediate and Higher End. Choose the proper category to maximize your overall design and layout.

Basic is more suitable for supermarkets, fast food outlets, hardware stores, and box-like establishments. There are mainly self-service businesses that compete with each other by offering customers substantial discounts (price-offs) and solid value for their goods. The objective of these retailers is to ensure a well-lit and clean space and not to attract people. The lights should make it easier for patrons to check out the entire shop.

The most effective method of achieving this is through ambient lighting or fluorescent lamps. Said lights last longer and brighten the place by way of light-colored finishes on the walls that help replicate the glow.

The second option is Immediate Lighting which is appropriate for apparel and beauty shops, furniture and stationery establishments with minimal customer activity. Of all the retail lighting solutions, the aim is to create balance and provide a bright atmosphere so people will see the merchandise right away. The technique is to combine accent and ambient lighting. Accent helps buyers see valuable commodities.
Conceal the ambient fixtures partially by installing baffles (restraining devices) or louvers (frames with horizontal slats). This will put additional emphasis on the display items. The seller can also utilize ornamental accent lights to emphasize specific areas of the shop.

The third approach is High-end which is intended for stores that sell luxurious products. These include high-end apparel, jewelry, antique pieces, and expensive gift items. The store must not be too bright so sales persons can show shoppers around minus distractions. The accent lights should be controlled and positioned in featured sections.

What are the retail lighting best practices? Lighting is an essential component of merchandise display. Without the proper illumination, establishments will fail to draw in the desired number of customers.

Unfortunately, some store proprietors do not realize the impact of retail lighting on sales. Retailers should figure out main elements in the use of lighting. An advanced system can contribute to more sales and productivity.

The following are important factors to consider in retail lighting best practices:

• Contrast guides buyers to particular product locations or items. The key is to balance the use of spotlights with ambient lamps. The latter should not be too dazzling. Otherwise, it will overwhelm the accent lights. An option is a usage of T8 fluorescent (rapid-start) lamps as well as low-wattage Light Emitting Diode lamps for spot lighting. This is capable of maximizing energy savings.
• Another important element is Color Rendering Index (CRI). It identifies accurately the source of light that shows colors. Sources must be 80 plus CRI to make merchandising shades more radiant
• Co-related Color Temperature (CCT) indicates light source appearance or manifestation. This is rated in Kelvin (Degrees). Lowe Kelvin temperature will underscore red or yellow color spectrum while increased temperatures show up the colors of blue and green. Hence, it is necessary to determine the kind of products being displayed and sold. The cardinal rule, in this case, is 3, 000 Kelvin for luxury shops and apparel. It must be 3, 500 Kelvin for intermediate-sized establishments and 4, 100 up to 5, 000 Kelvin for basic shops.

One more facet of retail lighting best practices in a possible upgrade of the retail lighting system is to perform lighting audit (interior and exterior) of the entire store. This will enable retailers to validate all opportunities.

Here are the important factors in the audit process:

• Take notice of all exterior areas as a well-made system that can attract the attention of retailers to the store as well as make them relaxed and safe especially at night.
• Try to find lighting for special merchandise and signs. Evaluate all spaces and record required improvements.
• You may consider minimizing different lamps used in the space and standardize lighting fixtures or use lighting with longer life span. These measures can increase savings on maintenance.

Retail shop owners may have to complete lighting projects according to phases and find out what the improvements are. The bottom line is increased in sales.

What is the impact of retail lighting on sales? This is one area that the store owner must concentrate on. To begin with, lighting showcases products and complements store design to a great extent. The success of store layouts depends largely on when and why a retailer uses lighting.

These should be the primary considerations:

• Lighting needs to mark out the overall image or look at a particular facility.
• It has to emphasize merchandise and make them more noticeable.
• Lights must encourage customer purchase by way of visual augmentation or improvement.
• Retail lighting solutions must attract consumers into the establishment and persuade them to make purchases.
• It must facilitate pleasant shopping experiences so customers will keep coming back.

Retail businessmen must take into account there is no definite formula that will ensure the use of correct lighting. The above mentioned points are only recommendations in the implementation of lighting layouts for your stores. It is necessary to make modifications to floor plans, sign posts as well as products. Review all your plans repeatedly before coming up with a final decision. This will help you avoid any major problems and formulate the best retail lighting solutions for your enterprise.