Member Article

Energy saving shop lighting expert advises retailers on lighting design

In this regular blog series, Andy Chell, Sales and Marketing Manager at Greenlite Lighting Solutions, makes sure you aren’t left in the dark about the lighting sector. This month, he says: Achieving good lighting design is vital, so follow these simple guidelines and cast yourself in a good light!

Last month, I shared trade secrets for a great-value and high-quality lighting installation. But that’s only the first hurdle. Without excellent lighting design – tailored to your unique requirements – you won’t be gaining the greatest potential sales boost.

Creating lighting that attracts and welcomes your customers and highlights your merchandise is key to bringing people into your store – and keeping them there. “How do I do that?” I hear you ask. You’re in luck, I have a few tips up my sleeve!

1. Invest in the interior. The secret of good lighting is having good stuff to light! As a retail lighting expert, I know that the merchandise should be the star. Good commercial lighting design is about flattering – not distracting from – your products.

2. Think about light – not technology. We all know my mantra on LEDs – don’t be drawn in by bold promises of life-spans and low energy costs if the end result doesn’t suit you. Decide what you want to achieve and then choose the best product for the job.

3. One size doesn’t fit all. Those with more than one store need to think about each individual space. Some buildings suit warm white, others need cooler colour temperatures. Standardising lighting across stores may make re-lamping easier, but it’s not fair to your customers and may damage sales.

4. Accessorize. While they are inefficient as a main form of illumination, pendant lights are fantastic for moving attention away from any unavoidable ‘boring’ lighting higher up. Think of them as the jewellery of the lighting world!

5. Don’t be afraid of drama. Pools of darkness or contrasts in lighting are great ways to create something a bit unexpected, drawing customers’ eyes towards a particular point.

6. More is more. It’s better to use lots of low-output lights rather than fewer higher-powered ones. If my time at a commercial lighting company has taught me anything, it’s that ‘retail is detail’ and the flexibility of lots of adjustable luminaires is useful. But, for the love of lighting, please don’t use this as an excuse to pepper the ceiling with cheap LEDs…

All in all, it’s worth investing in a lighting design professional that will work with your individual space and merchandise – especially since we’ve found well-designed energy efficient retail lighting can increase sales by as much as 278%. You could find yourself light years ahead of the rest!

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matthew Hyde .