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Never underestimate the importance of lighting in any retail or rental showroom situation. It can make a big difference on a customer’s impression of the store — and a real effect on business. For a few dollars, anyone, in any situation, can make improvements. In the long run, it will pay for itself many times over.
Lighting also has a big effect on your employees. Studies have proven that lighting not only brightens a store environment, but also makes people feel more comfortable — it even makes them more productive.
Darker environments are not inviting and tend to make employees slow down, be less productive and wish they were somewhere else. Brighter, properly lit environments invite, captivate, entertain and inspire movement — they create a pleasant overall experience that’s more productive.
The purpose of this article is to introduce you to different lighting ideas that may be the answer to your store’s needs. For greater details, contact your local lighting supplier or salesman. Note that not all suppliers carry all manufacturers’ lines; some may have only certain brands. Shop around and compare types and costs.
There are three main lighting categories to consider:
It is extremely important for any retailer to fully understand that these three groups should be combined to create visual contrast in the store — brighter areas here, shadows there. This variance in light levels actually guides the customer’s eyes through the store and quickly differentiates specific areas from the rest of the space.
Ambient general
illumination
In most situations, recessed fluorescent lighting is the main lighting source. When new store plans are developed, they typically start with recessed fluorescent 24-by-48-inch, three- or four-lamp fixtures, or 24-by-24-inch units. This provides adequate lighting but in most cases meets only minimal requirements of 30 to 50 footcandles at 36 inches above finished floor. Most times the fixtures specified and installed are the least expensive possible — especially if you are dealing with leased space in which the landlord is responsible for providing the lighting.
The lenses in the fixtures are opaque prismatic frosted, which actually trap light within the fixture, never allowing it to fully reach the space. What results is a dimmer glow, not the full effect of the lamps.
To remedy this situation and allow greater light contribution to a space, store owners should always consider parabolic louvers. There are two basic types available on the market.
Injection-molded polystyrene plastic, often referred to as eggcrate and usually formed in 1¼2-inch-square cells, is available in white, silver, brass and metalized specular finishes.
There’s also a deeper cell with a larger opening that increases light downward; the cells are a minimum of 31¼2 inches square by 11¼2 deep. Aluminum is the typical material and finish of choice. This fixture tends to direct the light downward and decrease the spread of light, vis-a-vis the basic prismatic. However, the light is brighter and not as diffused.
With all recessed fluorescent light sources, the actual ceiling height has an effect on the end result. The higher the ceiling, the more the light spreads outward to the sides.
Recessed downlighting is commonly referred to as “can lights” because the fixtures are round metal cylinders recessed in the ceiling.
The beauty of these lights is that they provide a light source without occupying a lot of ceiling space. They produce a more focused downlight effect with either compact fluorescent, high-intensity discharge (HID) or incandescent lamp sources. They can be fixed to force light straight down or installed with adjustable sockets to direct the light at angles.
These lights are much more decorative and are typically found in front display windows, over service counters, inside offices and over main traffic aisles, and sometimes in large rooms and meeting halls.
Variations of these lights have even been designed to go on stems or hang as pendant light sources.
The suspended fluorescent light for higher ceiling areas is still a downward light source and may have a louver lens. It is not uncommon in many warehouse or open-ceiling situations to actually suspend open industrial, or shop lights in the main space. This type of light lends itself to a more industrial or mechanical image, which may be just the thing you want, depending on the store.
There are optional designs available in this lighting group that reflect light upwards, too, and a combination of both up and down lighting.
The obvious benefits of fluorescent lighting sources is energy efficiency and long-life lamps.
As for ballast, magnetic types are preferred over electronic, since they are more energy-efficient and quieter. The typical lamps of choice these days are the T-8 and T-12.
Suspended high-bay and low-bay lighting types are in a group most commonly known as HID — high-intensity discharge lighting — and can be found in warehouses, industrial installations, gymnasiums and sports arenas. They are designed to withstand vibration and are dust- and corrosion-free when shielded.
They offer a softer illumination than the standard flourescents, but at similar energy efficiency. These lights take a bit longer to warm up.
Standard lamp sources are metal halide, ceramic metal halide and high-pressure sodium.
Focused task lighting
This group is mainly intended to shed light on the subject, so employees can see what they’re doing — a work bench, service counter or desk. But this source of light can be decorative as well as functional.
Among the three lighting groups, some sources or types function in multiple categories. Recessed lights can be used as task lighting, for
example.
You can achieve task lighting with wall-mounted fixtures — it doesn’t have to come from the ceiling. Be
creative with the applications.
Focused accent lighting
This is usually surface-mounted or suspended track lighting. To properly achieve its role, it should be adjust-able; of course, that’s why track lighting meets this need so well.
Track can be used very creatively — it can send “a decorative message” in a store environment. It doesn’t have to look like everybody’s standard track from the local home center. Use the accent lighting as a statement. Make it stand out and also complement the overall environment. A couple of examples are track heads that have glass globes of various colorations, or metal shields of a different shape and finish.
You can find a wide variety of low-voltage lamp fixtures; there are even some wonderful fluorescent track heads that are designed for use as accent lights. These fixtures reduce energy consumption and still provide a very powerful and useful light source. In addition, they produce less heat.
The most typical application is in front of wall-focal areas, graphics or signage, the back-wall area of the
service counter and even endcaps on main aisles. This provides a brighter light source to focus specific areas.
Trackheads should be no less than eight or nine feet above the finished floor and four or five feet from the front surface that is to be illuminated.
One of the most common installation mistakes that many electricians and general contractors make is to automatically install the track four feet from the wall surface. You must allow for the depth of the product or image that the light source is being installed to illuminate.
If not, the angle of the light doesn’t have any depth on the shelves or the merchandise; it doesn’t wash the area in light and loses the potential effect it could produce.
Use some imagination when designing and laying out the store’s lighting package. Yes, it will cost you additional dollars. Yes, it will add time to the schedule.
And yes, you definitely will get credit for the expense and time it took to do it right — customers will notice how this statement differentiates you from the norm.
Is that important? It’s a must! It takes your image to a higher level of credibility with the customer. It encourages conversation. It increases word-of-mouth marketing, which is priceless.
Whatever the lighting type, it is imperative to use commercial-quality products. Residential-quality products will not perform as well or as long under the demands of typical use. Ballasts will burn out quicker and the units will not last through many lamp changes or adjustments. Don’t skimp or try to get by; do it right. |
