Lighting is a powerful tool that can affect the environment it illuminates and create a positive or a negative impact in any space. Nowhere is that more true than in the retail industry. While customers might be overall unaware of the effects that lighting in a store has on them, research has shown that it can be an important element that can draw attention to a particular shop, an area of that store or even an individual product line. The correct type of lighting can create certain moods in customers and certainly has an influence on their decisions to purchase or not.

Retail Lighting is As Much an Art as a Science

Different areas of your retail outlet will have different requirements too, in order for customers to be able to make sensible shopping decisions and staff to carry out their work comfortably and safely. So it’s important you are aware of the different types of lighting and get the right combinations in your store. There is a wealth of information out there on retail lighting and it can be confusing. Don’t forget too that every retail space is different and there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to planning lighting for an individual store.

It’s always best, therefore, to engage the skills of an experienced, professional lighting designer who can analyse your requirements, the layout of the shop and the products you’re displaying to come up with a comprehensive yet flexible lighting solution.

Four Important Lighting Principles

It’s likely they will focus on four main types of lighting for your premises. The first is ambient lighting. This is the way the store is lit overall and what will create the biggest impression as your customers enter over the threshold. It needs to be welcoming; in other words not offering too much glare. Yet it must also offer a strong enough light for customers to read informational signs and product labels, for instance. The numbers of lights you’ll need to achieve this will depend on factors such as the height of your ceiling, the amount of square footage and so on. Lighting designers will be able to calculate what’s required.

Task lighting is needed where activity is taking place, rather than browsing. In other words, stronger lighting is necessary at cash registers, so staff and customers can avoid errors. In changing rooms, lighting needs to be efficient for customers to assess the way they look in your clothes. Task lighting can also be used to highlight specific key information such as your store’s external signage, opening hours and so on.

Accent lighting will help draw customers to areas you’d particularly like them to focus on, whether that’s a specific product range, a seasonal display or a window display. Highlighting and drawing customers’ attention to these areas can increase sales.

Finally, decorative lighting is, as the name suggests, what helps make your store look good. It needs to fit with your brand – so a chandelier that may look perfect in other circumstances may not be appropriate for a very modern sportswear shop. So decorative lighting is very much unique to your store’s image and product ranges.

If you need assistance with designing a lighting plan for a new retail space, or with installation of new lights in an existing one, contact the experts at FL Design. With 50 years in the business, we have plenty of experience to offer.