4 Lighting Strategies That Will Completely Transform Your Retail Space

Other than adding brightness to your store, your light fixtures play a huge role in setting the mood and atmosphere of your retail spaces. In fact, light can and should be an extension of your brand. Starbucks for example, is associated with the warm yet bright lighting of its interiors and the familiar green glow of its logo.

You want to use lighting in a way that your customers in [city] can experience a specific mood or atmosphere the moment they step into your store. Here are four strategies to do just that.

1. Choose the Right Fixtures

The most basic thing you can do to create a desired mood in your store is to choose the right fixtures for the job. Fixtures house the light bulb and contribute an element of design to the space. For a more intimate, classy, and expensive feel, choose chandeliers, vintage fixtures, and dome lights. For a more modern and active look, choose track lights, versus recess, and suspended fixtures that have a more industrial or rugged look to them.

You can also use fixtures to break up indoor spaces. For example, use different fixtures for the display area, the entrance, the counter, and changing rooms. This is a big help especially if you’re only working with a limited space but you still want to create the appearance of sections in your store.

2. Layer Your Lighting

Layering your light fixtures gives your retail space life and dimension.

• Ambient lights are used as a general source of light in the store. The space, however, will look flat when only the ambient lights are switched on.
• Display lights help you highlight your merchandise and goods, drawing peoples’ eyes to shelves or displays.
• Decorative lights like neon signs and colorful bulbs add a dash of whimsy and fun to the shop.

Different layers of light work together to create a well-lit retail space—one that adds to the experience you wish to create in your store.

3. Choose Between Warm or Cool Lighting

Light bulbs generally come in two types of color temperatures.

• Warm bulbs have a yellowish tone to them
• Cool bulbs are known for their bluish-white light output

A simple way to create a welcoming atmosphere is to choose the color temperature that matches your brand. As a general rule, lights with cool color temperatures help spaces appear larger than they are. On the other hand, lights with warm color temperatures give a homier and familiar look to your store. Also, cool color temperatures are often linked with consumer-end brands whereas warm color temperatures are associated with more high-end brands.

But don’t limit yourself to lights in a single category of color temperature. Mixing different color temperatures can create an interesting look, but don’t overdo this as it can be an eyesore.

4. Backlighting

A very popular choice amongst retailers, backlighting helps you highlight sales, high-ticket items, new items, or anything that you want your customers to notice right away. It lets you create a strong contrast with your ambient lighting, which, in turn, makes displays pop.

For areas where you want to showcase a large display rather than focus on a single spot, try backlighting the whole display or section of displays. Softer backlighting can be effective at drawing attention to counters and shelves that are lower than eye level and, as such, are often overlooked by customers

Keep these tips in mind when planning your store’s lighting system to create the mood and atmosphere you want your customers to experience.