What do you want customers to feel when they visit your business? Is it a space for relaxation and privacy or an expansive store that’s meant for power-shopping excursions?
More factors than you might think play into the atmosphere of your shop. From scents and music to display design and color schemes, the details of your brick-and-mortar location come together to create the overall vibe. A big part of this ambience comes from the lighting you choose.
Let’s talk about the different types of lights you can use in your store and how to decide what’s best for the overall customer experience.
Light’s impact on a space
Research has been conducted around the world to discover how light affects mood and store environments.
“Unique light design differentiates your business.”
A study about lighting as an atmospheric tool in commercial spaces completed at Sheffield Hallam University in the U.K. explained that manufacturers often prefer business owners use bright lights in store displays that feature their products because they want shoppers to see every impressive detail. However, most retailers understand that a variety of light that creates contrasted areas of highlights and shadows entices customers more than an evenly lit space.
The Association for Consumer Research found that lighting can impact shoppers’ moods once they decide to make a purchase. At this point, customers’ dispositions can be turned around quite easily, whether it’s from a positive experience with the staff or an amazing playlist bumping through the store’s sound system. If there’s something about your shop’s atmosphere that you can improve to boost your patron’s spirits, such as appealing lighting or dynamic wall art, it’s likely worth the effort and expense.
Additionally, using a unique light design can help differentiate your business from competitors and increase brand awareness and recognition.
Attractive and interesting lights add dimension to your store.How to select your store’s lighting
The American Society of Interior Designers discussed three general categories of lighting: bright, mood and decorative. Bright lights are best for completing a task, like examining merchandise up close, while mood lighting is better for crafting a relaxing shopping environment. Options such as Clear Rope Lighting and LED String Lights can bring a more emotional element to your store while providing enough illumination for browsing. Finally, spice up the aesthetics of your shop with more decorative lights, including Rose Leaf Lights.
When you’re deciding on a lights for the store, there are a few factors to consider. Should the light be well distributed through the space or isolated to one section? What display fixtures do you want to highlight, and where should there be more shadows?
Light can determine whether the store is pleasant or unpleasant, relaxed or tense, spacious or confined and visually clear or hazy. Pleasant spaces have have a variety of light sources that cast different levels of brightness. Low lighting and lamps mounted or hung on the walls can add to a relaxing environment. Try using bright lights for your most important displays, then create the atmosphere you’re aiming for with peripheral lighting.
