Retail Lighting

What are the Different Types of Retail Lighting? 

Ambient Lighting 

This is your store’s general lighting. It sets the overall mood, making it the most important kind of lighting to note. You want your store to be welcoming to your customers. Dim lights make it hard to see labels and product details, while extremely bright lights hurt the eyes and push customers away. 

Always ensure that you have just the right amount of light to maintain an inviting atmosphere for your customers. Consider the ceiling height and total area of the space to determine how much illumination you need for ambient lighting. 

LED panel lights, downlights, and linear lights are good choices for retail lighting. 

Accent Lighting 

Accent lighting is all about drawing customer attention. In a commercial setting, you can highlight important products by literally shining light on them. When a display or shelf is brighter than the others around the store, that gets people’s attention. Like moths to a flame, people are generally drawn to bright lights, so use that to your advantage. 

You can use spotlights, under-cabinet lights, or downlights to highlight specific parts/products in your space. 

Task Lighting 

Focused light for ensuring clear visibility for doing tasks. This is generally used in the cash register area, the storefront, and the changing rooms. You can also put task lighting in storage areas and other parts of the commercial space where an activity that requires good lighting is expected to occur. 

Some good task lighting fixtures are downlights, under-cabinet lights, and pendant lights. 

Decorative Lighting 

These lights are all about aesthetics. It’s all the other kinds of lights you can think of that are added to enhance the visual impact of a space, like fairy lights, Neon LED lights, and candles. They are popular during big holidays like Halloween and Christmas. 

What are the Key Considerations for Retail Lighting Design? 

Before buying all these retail shop lights you just read about, consider some key factors to ensure that you’re getting the most out of your retail lighting. 

Uniform Lighting. You don’t want dark spots and harsh shadows in your commercial space. This defeats the whole welcoming atmosphere you’re aiming for. Check the ceiling height and total area to determine how much light you need to achieve good illumination. 

Energy Efficiency. LED retail lighting is now the name of the game. LEDs are generally a good choice for lighting solutions because they’re highly energy efficient, long-lasting, and eco-friendly. There’s a wide range of LED lights for retail stores to choose from, ensuring you can meet your retail lighting needs. 

Store Traffic. Consider how people will move about in your space, and place your lights strategically based on this to ensure proper illumination and safety. Don’t put task lighting where there are no tasks/activities going on. 

How Can Retail Lighting Enhance Product Displays? 

Proper retail lighting can help level up your store’s visibility. Using the correct retail lighting type has a lot of benefits: 

• Draw people’s attention towards your store 
• Enhance the visibility of specific products by making them stand out from the rest 
• Make product features pop to create more appeal to shoppers 
• Create an inviting and engaging atmosphere for an enjoyable shopping experience 

All these tips help to achieve one ultimate goal: to influence your customers' perceptions and buying behaviors, which in turn boosts your business' success rate. 

What are the Best Practices for Store Lighting Layout? 

A well-planned lighting layout can help you reap the benefits of retail lighting: enhanced customer experience, highlighted key products, and boosted sales. Here are 5 best practices to keep in mind when designing your lighting layout: 

1. Combine Lighting Types. Use a mix of ambient, accent, task, and decorative lighting to create depth and balance. Optimising the different lighting types helps guide your customers around your store and ensures they’re headed to the cashier. 
2. Highlight Key Products. You want to draw attention to the product you wish to feature. This is best for your best-selling and high-margin items. 
3. Choose the Right Colour Temperature. Check your branding. What light colour will fit your brand image? Warm-coloured lights create a cosy atmosphere, while white lights create a modern and vibrant look. 
4. Think About Your Customer’s Comfort. Light glares, harsh shadows, and flickering lights all make for an unpleasant customer experience. Harsh distracting lights don’t usually fit the retail setting. 
5. Leverage Natural Light (if you can). Nothing says “welcome” better than a little bit of daylight shining into your store. Incorporate natural light into your store layout when possible. 

Level Up Your Commercial Spaces Today 

It’s about time you used the right retail lighting types for your stores. Simple Lighting offers a complete list of lighting solutions suitable for all the applications you need, from outside to inside your commercial space. 

We have a wide variety of best-selling retail lights that are sure to keep your store shining brighter than your competition.