Lighting your business well: our tips and advice

The layout and arrangement of your business is an essential thing that should not be overlooked. The same goes for lighting, a necessary tool for showcasing your products and ensuring the comfort of your customers. Don't forget that better lighting means selling more! Therefore, basic rules must be respected and solutions exist to better illuminate your space without doubling your electricity bill. Choosing your lighting: the technical aspect, If you are not a lighting specialist, it is normal not to know all the technical aspects. It is important to have luminaires in perfect working order: a burnt-out bulb is never a good sign for your customers.

First of all, be aware that it is preferable, on a strictly economic level, to choose lamps with long lifespans which are more economical in consumption. Similarly, the luminous efficacy indicated in lumens / watt should be as strong as possible. To limit energy consumption, also be sure to use solutions that limit heat input.  From an aesthetic point of view, you must pay attention to two main criteria:

Colours and their temperatures

First of all the color temperature, expressed in kelvins, it tells you the real color of the light. Thus, cold colors are indicated by more than 5300 K, warm colors are below 3300K. Between these two values ​​lie the neutral colors. Depending on your business, and your products, the choice of color temperature will be different. Thus a bakery should not be lit in the same way as a ready-to-wear shop which should also be different from a fishmonger's.

In a ready-to-wear store, the color must be neutral, as faithful as possible to daylight as the light must not transform the appearance of the product. The same goes for a greengrocer or a butcher's shop, for example, whose temperature must be between 4,000 and 5,000 K. On the other hand, warm colors must be favored in the context of a bakery, so use color temperatures located between 2,800 and 3,000 Kelvin. Finally, for a fish shop it is preferable to use cold colors, as it indicates freshness.

Below is an example of a 3000 Kelvin light, the OH! LINE 60 by LZF

In addition to the color temperature, pay attention to the color rendering, measured by the CRI (the color rendering index). Lighting that has a CRI of less than 80 is not commercial lighting. Therefore, favor an IRC between 80 and 100.

Using bulbs that give a good quality light is therefore necessary, the opposite would devalue your goods and would therefore be completely counterproductive. This is particularly the case in the fitting room area of ​​clothing stores. Your goal is to encourage purchase: the light must therefore be particularly flattering and well thought out so as not to risk making the fitting unpleasant, it must highlight the customer and your product. In general, customer comfort is essential, which is why we recommend that you pay attention to the quality of your lighting: if the light level is too low, you risk not adding value to your products; if it is too strong on the contrary you can dazzle your customers.

Catch the eye, light types to use

Light should not only be used to illuminate, but it should also suggest desires in the customer or even convey a brand image: lighting must be thought out and implemented intelligently in order to encourage purchase. Indeed, light models and transforms space by guiding the perception of your customers. Highlighting your store and your products is therefore necessary. The latter must literally be in the spotlight, especially in the case of small-sized products. The same goes for the shelves: if they are well lit, they will be able to guide your customers to the back of the store, discovering then all the offers in it. If you want to attract the eye, there is nothing worse than a uniform light! Do not hesitate to play on contrasts and differences. The lighting at the cash register, for example, may be different from that in the produce section.

Finally, if you have a shop window, know that it must imperatively be lit correctly since it is your shop window, in the true sense of the term: the first impression is crucial and this is often formed on this shop window which must therefore be particularly neat.

There are tons of different types of lighting to illuminate and bring your products to life, the lighting selection is huge, but not all of them are suitable for all uses. Technical lighting, think spotlights on rails or recessed spotlights can be used in the presentation of your products because they center the light beam, are adjustable and easy to install. Both pendant lights and wall lights have different shapes and therefore allow you to create an atmosphere and a particular design for your business. Their lighting power is low, so it is above all a decorative object capable of providing landmarks within your store. Fluorescent luminaires allow general lighting and provide an important lighting quality for businesses. They exist in different forms and can be recessed or not.

The advantages of LED lighting

Save money: LED lighting solutions are a good choice for a business. First of all because LED lighting has a long lifespan of around 20,000 to 50,000 hours (a much longer life than a conventional incandescent lamp or a life relatively similar to fluorescent lamps). In addition, LED allows a fairly wide range of colors and color temperatures, allowing you to shape your business to your image or your idea, giving it a very special touch. This lighting mainly has an advantage in terms of consumption, which is lower than incandescent lamps.

It is estimated that the LED allows an energy saving of 50 to 80%.

Also, LED lights have a significant environmental advantage since its ecological impact is almost zero and more than 95% of its components are recyclable. It also presents no health hazard since LED bulbs do not generate electromagnetic fields. Lighting is not to be taken lightly and requires careful consideration of its lighting installation.  Good light will allow both to attract the customer, to influence them and to encourage the purchase, to animate your sales area and to make it comfortable.

Visit our LED lighting collection to see examples and the different types of lighting that can be made with LED bulbs. 

For more advice about the best ways to light up your business while saving energy, do not hesitate to contact us at info@luminesy.com. We will be able to introduce you to quality and specialized lighting solutions, dedicated and professional support and will be able to assist you in your illumination journey.