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Starbucks is known all over the world for its signature coffee and baked goods, but the company has also established itself as a lifestyle brand—a place for people to hang out, talk over coffee, and relax. If your business is in retail or food and beverage, it makes sense to learn a thing or two about how Starbucks attracts so many customers.

The Starbucks Image

One of the key factors behind Starbucks’ success is how it maintains a relatively uniform brand image in all of its stores across the world. Every Starbucks exudes the same mood and ambiance. When you step into a Starbucks, you feel it. And a lot that has to do with lighting.

Below are a few tricks Starbucks uses to create its signature in-store atmosphere.

1. Using Light to Highlight Shelves and Displays

Most people don’t notice it, but Starbucks actually uses specific lighting that makes you want to spend more. When you walk into a Starbucks, the coffee shop is often dim but the shelves, displays, and cash register are often very well lit. This causes customers to pay more attention to these areas and look at the products and merchandise being displayed.

As a result, customers end up making impulse purchases simply because the items caught their attention first.

2. Using Soft Lighting for Coziness

Starbucks uses soft and warm lighting in their coffee shops to create a cozy and relaxing atmosphere, which makes customers feel at home and want to spend more time in the coffee shop.

We’ve all had that experience where we meet up with our friends at a café and spend the next couple of hours talking and catching up, without even realizing that we’ve not only ordered a second cup of coffee but a cake or pastry as well. This welcoming, homey atmosphere makes you want to relax and kick back, making you more prone to ordering more from the menu.

3. Using Lighting to Create a Premium Look

Starbucks separated itself from other coffee shops by going for a premium look to reach a more high-end market. The brand’s target audience are people willing to pay more for their coffee or baked goods. Marketers have even coined a term called the “Starbucks Effect,” where companies deliberately create a “premium” image and sell their products at a higher than average price to generate hype and brand awareness.

The idea is that consumers like the feeling of being elite, and brands like Starbucks cater to this desire by decking out stores with sophisticated interiors and premium lighting. This explains why all Starbucks branches have relatively similar store designs, integrating design elements depending on the city or country the branch is in.

These are just some of the many design and lighting tricks Starbucks uses to attract and keep customers. Try to integrate a few of them into your business in [city].

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