The Crucial Role of Retail Lighting Design

While it may have previously been an afterthought, more and more store owners are beginning to realise the importance of retail lighting design.

Lighting Design

From drawing customers in and providing them with an enhanced shopping experience to lowering energy costs and store carbon footprint, the right retail lighting solution can greatly benefit store owners, staff, customers, and the environment.

In this article, we will explore some of the biggest advantages of excellent, energy-saving retail lighting design.

 

Advantages of Excellent Retail Lighting Design

 

1. Enhances Sales

One of the biggest, and often missed opportunities of retail lighting is its potential to positively influence sales.

Lighting can be instrumental in bringing product displays to life, and enticing potential customers.

Retail lighting can influence our subconscious and therefore, our purchasing behaviours. In some instances, a carefully designed lighting plan that not only adheres to the personality of your brand and customers but emphasises it can increase sales by about 12%.

In contrast, poorly lit stores can actually detract from your bottom line as consumers will want to spend less time in your store and consequently, purchase fewer items and become increasingly unlikely to return.

We have also discussed in a previous article the impact lighting can have on staff morale and productivity. The ideal lighting solution can not only keep issues such as headaches and eye strain at bay, but it can also energise employees.

This can make your sales staff more effective and foster more positive and enthusiastic interactions with customers.

 

The 7 Ps of Marketing

Store lighting directly influences the 7 Ps of Marketing, namely ‘Place’ and ‘Physical’.

The 7 Ps of Marketing or Marketing Mix is a framework used by businesses to determine their position in a market.

‘Place’ is all about how you make your products and services available to purchase, and ‘Physical’ relates to the tangible experience of using your brand, for example, interactions with a physical storefront. Therefore, lighting can have a significant impact.

Facade lighting can be used to draw customers in and other interior lighting solutions can be employed to create attractive product displays.

In fact, many outlets use interior lighting design to direct and guide customers to the most important areas of their stores as people are naturally drawn to settings that are bright and well-lit.

The above provides ample evidence of the merit of retail lighting design in supporting sales.

 

Lighting Design

 

2. Saves Energy

Retail is an incredibly energy-intensive industry. Long opening hours and accessibility requirements can see stores accumulate some rather hefty bills.

In fact, the ongoing energy crisis has led many supermarkets across Europe to consider reducing hours of lighting and even opening hours.

Energy-efficient LED lighting and smart lighting control and building management systems can help you gain control over your organisation’s energy usage.

For example, our work with Lexus Ireland saw us help the car retailer achieve long-term energy savings through energy efficient lighting upgrades.

We supplied and commissioned lighting and control systems for the recently refreshed showrooms. This included Color Kinetics and Philips lighting solutions capped off with an intuitive Dynalite lighting control system.

LED lighting also continues to evolve and grow in efficiency. Our partners, Signify, recently announced the arrival of its new ultra-efficient LED tube, capable of consuming 60% less energy than its standard Philips LED tube.

 

Energy Upgrades Grants

In Ireland, there is a range of grants and supports available to support businesses looking to complete energy upgrades.

One such grant is the EXEED (Excellence in Energy Efficiency Design) grant scheme which provides financial support of up to €1 million to organisations embarking on an energy investment project.

 

3. Reduces Carbon Footprint

More and more businesses in the retail space are looking for ways to be more sustainable and reduce their carbon footprint.

Retail brands can take a notable step in reducing CO2 emissions with a switch to more energy efficient LED lighting. LEDs are void of harmful substances such as mercury, have an incredible lifespan and use significantly less energy than traditional lighting.

Brown Thomas department store, for example, has reduced the carbon footprint of its outlet on Dublin’s Grafton Street by 256 tonnes of carbon through a substantial lighting upgrade.

 

Brand Image

Amidst the current climate crisis, significant efforts to reduce environmental impact can have an overwhelmingly positive effect on brand image.

The shopping habits of the newer generations and their desire to see firms take more environmental protection measures are indicative of this. 75% of Gen Z consumers prioritise sustainability over brand name when making purchasing decisions.

Through lighting design a great opportunity exists for retail brands to contribute to and promote sustainability.

 

4. Provides a Better Customer Experience

The perfect retail lighting design can also help you fight back against the rise of online shopping by creating a pleasant and inviting atmosphere and experience that shoppers want to return to.

Smart LED lighting can enhance the customer experience. For instance, many smart LED lighting solutions can mimic the pattern of natural light over the course of the day. This is extremely beneficial to a building’s occupants as lighting is said to directly affect the body’s circadian rhythm.

Brands such as Starbucks put a great deal of consideration into the lighting of its stores and how it contributes to the overall ambiance and experience.

Starbucks sets out to create a warm and welcoming environment that people see as a “third place” to go outside of home and work.

Lighting design is imperative to this strategy, ensuring lights are the right warmth, colour temperature and level of dim to subconsciously encourage people to stay and spend more.

 

Lighting Design

 


We hope you enjoyed our article on the ‘Crucial Role of Retail Lighting Design’.

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If you know like to know how we can help you to transform your retail environment with Smart LED Lighting and lighting control, contact us today!