How to Select the Best Retail Lighting Option

To offer your customers a successful retail experience, you must focus on the lighting. Lightning is a very powerful tool that can create a very warm and welcoming atmosphere inside the store, draw customers’ attention to special products, and lead the customers to the checkout counter.

But with so many lighting options available, how do you know which one to buy for your store? Let us look at the different lighting options available and how you can use them to produce the best results.

Types of retail lighting

The key role of lighting inside a store is to create a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere in the store. This can be done by using the following four types of lighting effects. They can be combined in different ways, and you can create the perfect atmosphere according to your taste and liking.

1.    Task lighting

Task lighting offers greater illumination and is used in areas that require higher levels of light, such as the changing rooms or the checkout counter. Having higher levels of light in these key areas makes it easier for the customers to find the checkout counter and changing rooms. This is the key role of task lighting, especially in very large stores.

2.    Ambient lighting

Ambient lighting is used to create a welcoming atmosphere and ambiance. This is why it is very important to get ambient lighting levels just right. Dark stores look shady and dingy, whereas very highly lit stores might make some customers uncomfortable.

The right level of lighting depends on multiple factors, such as the size of the store, the height of the ceiling, and the kind of atmosphere or vibe you wish to set forward. There is no thumb rule for ambient lighting, and you should consult an experienced and skilled lighting engineer to achieve the best results.

3.    Decorative lighting

The key role of decorative lighting is to get the customer’s attention to individual products. This can be achieved by using different color lights and light fittings such as pendants and lanterns. Difficult colored LED bulbs can also be used to create different lighting effects.

4.    Accent lighting

Accent lighting can be used to draw attention to individual products or create a welcoming atmosphere inside the store. Accent lighting is used to highlight display cabinets or shelves. It is usually used to highlight window displays.

Types of retail light fittings

Now that you know about the different types of lighting effects and where they can be used, it is also important that you know the different types of lighting fittings used. Let us look at the different types of light fittings available.

Recessed lighting

Recessed lighting is placed into the ceiling and used to illuminate a small area from above. It is combined with adjustable or fixed units, which make it ideal for use for both task or ambient lighting.

Recessed lights have a very focused beam of light which is why they are not an economical solution for illuminating big areas. Recessed lighting is found in small stores where there is a need for an intimate atmosphere.

Track lighting

Track lighting consists of many spots mounted on a track which allows the lights to be adjusted at different angles. This makes track lighting suitable for a wide range of angles.

This makes these lights very versatile, and they can be used as a task, decorative, or accent lighting. Track lighting can be attached to the ceiling or wall. This is why they are found nearly everywhere, such as in car showrooms, restaurants, and retail outlets.

Pendant lighting

Pendant lighting is hung from the ceiling and used as decorative lighting to illuminate countertops. However, they have multiple uses, such as pendants of different lengths to be mounted on a wall.

They produce a very low level of light which is why they are not ideal for large areas. They can also be fixed to the ceiling, so they are not suitable for warehouses.

Wall Lighting

Wall lights are perfect for creating a welcoming ambiance. They are available in different styles that produce light beams in a horizontal or vertical direction. This allows designers to create many lighting effects.

However, wall lights make the ceiling look lower, which is an illusion, which is why they should always be used with other lighting options, such as recessed lighting, to create the perfect effect.

Fixture lighting

Fixture lighting is made up of strips of LED lights that can be attached to the edges of shelves, tables, around countertops, and inside the cabinets. This is why they are usually used as accent lighting to highlight special products.

The best benefit of fixture lighting is that they can be mounted onto any type of surface, be it flat or curved.

Maintaining retail lighting

LED lighting is commonly used to give the best retail experience as they require minimum maintenance as compared to fluorescent, halogen, or incandescent lighting. However, the amount of light emitted by the LED bulbs decreases over time and needs to be maintained to some degree.

When considering which type of lighting to install in your store or warehouse, you should keep in mind the amount of energy they consume. Utility bidders can help you save on your monthly energy bills by suggesting economical lighting solutions. Find out more about utility bidder here.

In a nutshell

As seen above, there are many lighting options available in the market. Once you install the perfect lighting, you need to maintain it so that your lighting systems keep working properly and produce the optimum level of light.

The type of lighting option you choose depends upon different factors, such as your budget, the size of the space, the purpose of lighting, and your area. Research the market before you make the final decision.

Photo by Etienne Girardet on Unsplash 

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