Retail

Lighting Design Goals

A well lit retail environment makes for a positive shopping experience and encourages customers to make purchase decisions. Think of lighting as you would any other marketing or sales promotion tool in your store. It should:

• Attract and guide customers into and through the store.
• Provide visual comfort
• Lead customers through merchandise areas safely and effectively
• Help them find and evaluate merchandise
• Call attention to specific merchandise and reinforce merchandising themes.
• Initiate a purchase

Good retail lighting design is a balance between the following three areas:

• Human Needs
• Visibility
• Task performance
• Visual comfort
• Safety
 
• Environmental and Economic Issues
• Cost of lighting system ownership
• Energy costs
• Sustainability
  
• Architectural
• Lighting systems complement building design

Regardless of the space or area being illuminated, the design scheme usually employs a “layered” approach, combining the three basic categories of lighting:

• General (also called ambient lighting),
• Local (also called accent or task lighting)
• Decorative

Lighting solutions for each store will vary depending on the target market, store concept and functional needs of the space.