What role does lighting play in retail?

Customer experience is everything.

One negative experience for the user will decide if the customer chooses to either gaining a loyal customer who will actively use your business on all future business purchases, to losing the customer altogether. Making sure you provide the best customer service possible is the best chance of your business growing but it isn’t an easy task to achieve. 

The retail industry is an extremely competitive industry, which has resulted in customer expectations being at an all time high. This has led to companies having to optimise what they offer the customer to the finest detail.

Something customers wont think to consider but you as a business should is lighting. Store layout and interior design is always the forefront for retail businesses to help with the flow and experience of customers however, it doesn’t matter if you have an amazing design if customers aren’t able to effectively see your product due to poor lighting design.

Sadly, there isn’t a single blueprint for lighting that will work in every business. Currently, there are three standards of light used in retail that you have to consider delivering the best colour rendering for your business.

3,000 kelvin bulbs create a soft, warm white or yellowish light; 4,000 kelvin bulbs offer a cooler brighter white light; Finally, 5,000 kelvin bulbs create a bright daylight colour experience in your business.

The colours you choose depends on the experience and feeling you are creating for your customers. Clothing retailers often go for 3,000 kelvin bulbs due to the warmer lighting and including cosy furniture is used to get shoppers to hang out at the store resulting in them spending more time in the store. 

Whereas jewellers want to make their jewellery shine even brighter in the light and will go for 5,000 kelvin bulbs usually. Other industries such as supermarkets also use this strategy to make products looks fresher. 

Lighting has an impact on customers and it’s something some businesses won’t have even considered. Having access to British products will give you a variety of options that have also focused on quality and sustainability that we would recommend when deciding regarding what lighting you should use.