“Lighting is a silent marketing tool,” says Mukesh Bhatia, Director, SSB Architects, while sharing his views on the role of lighting in retail. “Lighting creates an inviting factor and draws attention to the product. When merchandise is highlighted, it creates a better bond with the customers, which helps in better sales,” he adds.

The challenge continues…

But like most other architects, Mukesh does agree that convincing retailers on the need to invest in the right kind of lighting can be challenging. “Interiors and lighting are no longer considered to be independent aspects of design. If you need the right kind of interior for selling your products, then lighting is the key factor. Since our eyes capture 80% of all the sensory data, lighting plays a key role in influencing our senses and purchase decisions. However, convincing retail brands to invest in the right kind of lighting can be a challenge.”

Elaborating further, Mukesh adds, “Many retail brands may not fully understand the impact that lighting can have on their sales and customer experience. Additionally, some may be hesitant to invest in new lighting technology or systems due to concerns about cost and disruption to their operations. However, as the retail industry becomes increasingly competitive and online shopping continues to grow in popularity, creating a compelling in-store experience is more critical than ever. Therefore, it is essential to educate retail brands on the benefits of investing in the right kind of lighting and on how it can help them stand out from their competitors.“

Besides the challenge of convincing retailers, the other challenges in terms of getting the right lighting for a store, according to Mukesh, include, “Long-lasting quality product, good lighting scheme and appropriate product design that matches the store design.”

Myths and misconceptions

Like many other aspects, lighting continues to be impacted by some common misconceptions. “When it comes to retail lighting, even though the industry is growing and changing very fast, some common misconceptions continue to influence retailers,” says Mukesh. 

According to him, some of these misconceptions/myths include:

- Emphasis on more light features on the ceiling for more brightness 

- Need for higher lighting intensity across the entire store space  

Quality parameters

The fact is that these common misconceptions with regard to lighting could have an adverse impact on the overall store experience. On the other hand, having a standard set of parameters for lighting quality would deliver better ROI.  

Talking about some of these standard parameters or criteria, Mukesh says, ”Right lighting should highlight products in the store, must be soothing to the eye, should come with longer life-span and create an inviting atmosphere.”

The role of lighting partner

One critical factor in the context of the right lighting is the choice of lighting partner/vendor. As Mukesh says, “The right lighting partner helps in creating a balance between aesthetics and cost. So ultimately, the right lighting partner helps in creating an inviting store where lighting, by highlighting the product in the right manner, becomes an integral part of the store.”  

Finally, sharing his checklist for evaluating and finding the right lighting vendor/partner, Mukesh lists out these factors, “Product setup, cost, clientele and reliability.” 

Pictures courtesy: SSB Architects