Store lighting has a huge impact on customer experiences in retail, although good retail lighting design often goes unnoticed as a subtle part of the ambience.
Poor retail lighting, on the other hand, stands out immediately as stores can feel dark and unwelcoming. With a professionally designed smart lighting installation, you can make sure your store lighting is noticed for all the right reasons, giving customers a memorable and positive shopping experience. A comfortable shopping environment is one customers want to return to. This return custom is what helps drive profits.
Why are retailers using smart lighting?
Smart lighting controls give you new ways to adjust lighting conditions in different parts of your store, including one-touch pre-programmed lighting states and automatic sensors that respond to ambient light levels or motion detection, for example.
With the help of experienced smart lighting consultants like Intecho, we can provide the solutions to operate your lighting seamlessly.
Retailers use smart lighting to enhance their customers’ shopping experience and improve operational efficiency. Smart lighting solutions automatically adjust the lighting throughout the day, mimicking natural light patterns to create a welcoming and inviting atmosphere. This not only improves the customer experience by providing a comfortable environment, but it also enhances operational efficiency by freeing up staff from having to manually adjust the lighting. This gives them more time to focus on providing excellent customer service.
Additionally, smart lighting solutions can also be used to highlight specific products or areas of the store, increasing the chances of customer engagement and sales. Overall, smart lighting solutions are a win-win for retailers and their customers, providing a seamless and efficient shopping experience. You can browse example of our work here.
How smart lighting can be used in different retail environments
The exact type of store lighting you install – and the smart lighting controls you use – will depend on the type of retail environment you are illuminating, with the option of multiple zones within the same premises:
- Automatic lighting controls that increase artificial light levels as natural light fades
- Bright, motion-activated overhead lighting for stock rooms and staff-only areas
- Customer-activated lighting schemes to simulate different conditions in fitting rooms
Artificial lighting can have a big effect on the perception of colour – a red garment under blue lights will look black – so smart lighting controls that adjust the warmth of your retail lighting can have a direct influence on whether customers see your products in the way intended. When products are perceived accurately, we can increase customers satisfaction, as they know exactly what they are getting.
How does smart lighting enhance the customer experience?
The best retail lighting design will be noticed and appreciated by some customers, especially if it makes it easier for them to see what a product will look like out in the real .
Fitting room lighting controls are a great example of this, allowing shoppers to see what an outfit might look like outdoors, in daytime vs. night-time, in a dimly lit bar, and so on.
Out on the shop floor, smart lighting can operate on a predetermined schedule or in response to ambient natural light levels, to keep everything brightly lit as the sun goes down.
While a really excellent smart lighting has the potential to wow customers, often it’s just about making sure they can browse in comfort, while creating the right aesthetic for the products you want to sell.
Integrate smart lighting with existing retail lighting
Intecho’s smart lighting consultants can integrate new retail lighting and appropriate smart lighting controls with your existing lights – in most cases allowing you to turn your old lights on and off or dim them from the same central dashboard.
Using existing electrics and connectivity such as your on-premises Wi-Fi, your newly installed smart retail lighting can extend this functionality much further, with manual and automatic control, adjustable colour and warmth, and so on.
To find out more, contact Intecho today to speak to our smart lighting consultants and tell us what you need.