Bringing to Light

Lighting like all other retail sciences is constantly changing with innovations of new technologies - some arising from customer needs and others with emerging trends. These trends'catch the light' as they significantly impacting the way companies relook at their lighting designs to keep their stores one step ahead of competition.

Shopping is increasingly becoming a leisure activity for which special settings are createdto entertain visitors and convey selling messages. This has transformed the objective of lighting from pure functionality to adding value in arousing emotions andcreating brand identities and impacting boosting of sales. Lighting is used more and more to create different settings for communicating different propositions and messages to customers to sustain interest in the brand.

This has made adjustable accent lighting that allows new stories to be presented in the store and this has many leading retailers and brands relooking at their lighting strategy. VMRD did a quick scan of the popular international and national brands in the marketplace.

What was pretty evident is the use of high density narrow beam accent lighting to draw attention to fashion statements, highlight animportant section and also make the product look more attractive;. In contrast store that have used extensive ambient look washed out!

Another major influence has been the acceptance of sustainability in business which in lighting translates to energy efficient lighting. With energy prices on the rise stores are looking to switch to green, energy efficient lighting. This shift has made LED light fixtures much more popular. These are nearly 70% less on energy and last up to 30 times of incandescent. Their drawbacks have been addressed with innovations that now offer LEDs with similar properties of traditional CDMTs and halogens.Researchers have also discovered that LED lighting can create a safer store environment as these lamps give off a clearer and cooler light. We observed this in some famous brands that are known to practice sustainability seriously.

Leading light manufacturers like Philips, GE, Osram, Zumbtobel, Ansorg have innovated from consistent research many new products and applications followed closely by Indian lighting companies like RLT and Plus who have brought global technologies within reach for retailers in India.

VMRD spoke with key stake holders to get a pulse of lighting scenario in India in terms of Lighting design concepts, capital expenditure, availability and updated technology.