Applications > Retail
Lighting in retail
Retail environments have changed, and with them the role of lighting design. Lighting is no longer purely functional; technology has turned it into an effective branding and marketing tool, with the aim of improving the consumer experience.
Retail Experience
Shopping environments have changed, and with them the role of lighting design. Lighting is no longer just about function and ensuring merchandise is well lit. It is evolving into an effective branding and marketing tool, culminating in an enhanced consumer experience.
In this competitive market, retailers compete not only with each other, but also with the Internet. It is in the shops where consumers can physically experience a brand and emotionally connect with it, and good shop lighting design can facilitate this.
Light can arouse emotions and manipulate consumer behaviour. This makes it a very influential tool in shops that should not be underestimated.
Lighting design
The correct use of contrast - the balance of light between merchandise and surroundings - in a room is of fundamental importance. This can be extreme, for example in a dark and moody room the ratio can be 50:1 in favour of the merchandise. At the other end of the spectrum, in a light and airy room, the ratio can be 2:1. What is important is that the contrast ratio does not go the other way - illuminating the circulation or the surrounding space more than the merchandise is never a good thing. The right contrast is achieved by combining layers of light.
Quantity and quality of light are very different things. It's not about the quantity of light; it's about the quality of the light. Consumers do not want to come home after buying a product and discover that the colour is different from the one in the shop. The colour rendering of a light source measures its ability to accurately reproduce the colour of an object - this is called the Colour Rendering Index (CRI) and therefore light sources with a high CRI should be used, as they provide the most flattering and true light. It may mean spending a little more, but it can add value to the end result.
Lighting control & sustainability
Lighting control systems must be carefully considered. In fitting rooms, different scenes can personalise the experience and create the perfect selfie.
Ensure ease of maintenance of luminaires, the position of the luminaires and their components must remain accessible.
Saving energy is a priority. Apply light only where it is needed to help reduce costs - fewer light fittings mean lower investment and lower energy consumption.
Customers today are more concerned with how a retailer deals with the consequences of overconsumption (social responsibility) and sustainability.
Convert visitors into customers
It is generally said that a shop sells to 10-20 % of all customers entering the shop.
What is your sales share today? The purpose of working with counting systems is to help you understand and improve the current relationship with your customer. There are periods when the sales share is high and there are down periods. You don't have to sell to the same percentage of customers every hour and every day. It's about knowing when and under what circumstances your shop is performing best, this will help you maximise your efforts to convert more visitors into customers.
Imagine if you could predict with high probability how much traffic will come into your shop every hour, every day, how much they will buy and what the average sales will be? The reality is that weekly traffic to your shop is more predictable than you think, and in proportion to your sales volume.
