Lighting plays a crucial role in commercial retail spaces, not just for functional reasons but also to enhance the customer experience. Of course, good lighting is necessary for customers to navigate stores and aisles, see products clearly, and read signs. However, lighting can also be used to set moods and subtly influence behaviour.

Here’s a look at how the highly competitive retail sector can use luxury lighting to create a welcoming and memorable customer experience, and enhance brand identity. 

Creating the right atmosphere

Lighting and colour temperature can be used to create an atmosphere that is in keeping with the brand and the products. For example, cool bright lights are energising, and can make a store feel modern, upbeat, and spacious. This might suit a retailer selling tech products, sports and fitness gear, or fashions aimed at young people.

Warmer lights with vintage fixtures such as chandeliers can create a sense of luxury and intimacy. They can be suited to high-end retailers who have an older clientele. 

Softer, warmer lighting can encourage customers to linger, which is an advantage when you have expensive products that they are likely to spend some time deliberating over before making a purchase.

Brighter colder lighting can encourage people to move faster, which is an advantage if the store has a high footfall and is aiming for a high turnover of goods. Consider how the interior lighting integrates with any natural light sources. 

Showcasing merchandise

Lighting can be used to showcase merchandise to the best advantage. For example, accent lighting or spot lighting can be used to create a focal point for a product display, or to illuminate details and textures. Also consider the effect that lighting can have on colour, and aim for the optimum level of brightness to bring out the richness of colour to catch the eye.

Directional lighting

Lighting can be used to influence the customer’s journey around the store. This process can begin with a well-lit window display to draw customers to the entrance. All entry and exit points and passageways need to be clearly lit of course, but think beyond the functional when considering store navigation.

For example, subtly brighter lighting in particular areas can attract customers to travel in a certain direction, which may encourage them to browse more widely, notice promotional items or new product lines, or be drawn to higher-end product ranges. 

Use layered lighting to create depth and to draw attention to the areas you want customers to spend the most time.

Smart lighting

Lighting can now be integrated with technology to adapt to a range of conditions, such as adapting the brightness or colour temperature to the time of day, the level of occupation in the store, or the outside weather conditions. 

This adds to the overall ambience of the store, and is also an energy efficient setup that adds to the longevity of the lights and reduces running costs.