5 Key Things To Remember About Retail Lighting

Most light design experts will tell you that your lighting system plays a huge role in your customers’ experience. Indeed, lights are more than just a decorative piece. Customers want to visit a well-lit shop with displays that really highlight your products.

Choosing the best lights for your retail store creates an attractive environment that makes customers want to shop or make repeat visits. Ultimately, this can have a huge effect on your sales and brand. Below are 5 key factors to consider when choosing lights for your retail store.

Choose Bulbs with High CRI Ratings

The appearance of color can change depending on the light it’s exposed to. For example, a red apple can have a darker or lighter hue under a certain light source. For retail, you need lighting that generates a glow that’s flattering for your merchandise.

To do this, choose light bulbs with a high CRI rating. The CRI (Color Rendering Index) is a measure of how accurate colors appear under a light source compared to natural sunlight. The higher the CRI of a light bulb, the better objects look under it.

Color Temperature for Mood

Correlated Color Temperature or CCT is an indicator of color temperature for lighting. This spans a range of slightly yellow at 2700K (degrees Kelvin) to slightly blue at 6500K.

Color temperature helps you set the tone and mood of a space. For example, bulbs with a slightly yellow light can give your store a homey and cozy atmosphere. This can be ideal for waiting areas, entrances, and the registry area.

On the other hand, slightly blue or cool light can create a more modern, lively, look. This is a perfect color temperature for electronics stores and hardware stores.

Different Areas Use Different Lights

Apart from displays, you also have to consider the effect of light on other spaces in your shop like the storage area, the registry, the office, and the storage.

Keep in mind that different spaces have different lighting needs. Your display and showroom area should have even light, but you also need lights that highlight your displays. Your registry also needs task lights to help your staff see what they’re doing while they work. Likewise, the storage area should have enough light for employees to quickly find stored goods.

Layer Your Lights

Add different layers of lighting to your space to give it more depth and life. The basic layers are:

• Ambient or general lighting, which provides most of the general brightness
• Accent lights, which add brightness and decorative flair to the space
• Task lights, which help brighten where work is done like counters or food prep areas

Ease of Control

Many modern lighting systems now come with automation features that allow your lights to switch on and off automatically. You can create schedules for lights to switch on and off at specific times of the day, which means you no longer have to worry about forgetting to turn the lights off at night. These modern systems are also compatible with dimmers and sensors, both of which give you better control over your light.

Keep these tips in mind when choosing lights for your retail store and get the most of your lighting system.