When you go to a supermarket you are amazed at the layout and the way everything is stacked up and on display. There are many things that are important for things that you ensuring the perfect supermarket layout but one of the main things that we often tend to overlook is the way the supermarket is illuminated to enhance the look and feel of the interiors. As such, you will see that supermarkets will have different lighting patterns for different items they stock to create the required visual effects. These visual effects are one of the major factors for driving customer’s decisions to make a purchase.
It is therefore imperative for designers to factor the use of lights properly in the interior design and layout plan. Using the right kind of lighting is important for every supermarket layout. In this piece, we will walk you through the various aspects of lighting up a Supermarket along with our recommendation that may come very handy in your supermarket lighting projects.
We pointed out that lighting is an important aspect of a supermarket design but why is lighting so important? Let us find out
Why lighting is important in the supermarket?
Consider a real-life situation where you have two doors of two unknown or lesser-known places. One you know is a properly illuminated room behind the door and the other you are told is a dark room with no lights. You are more likely and almost certainly going to open the room that is well-lit and bright. Applying this simple human psychology to the lighting needs of a supermarket, you will certainly want to visit a nicely lit supermarket more than a sparsely lit one. On the basis of this basic tendency amongst humans and certain other factors, the importance of lighting can be pointed out as below:
1. Creates visual appeal
Well-lit supermarkets and retail stores typically attract more customers than the not so well-lit ones. That is obviously due to the visual appeal that the lights add to the superstore. That which looks good and feels good is perceived to be good. As such lighting, if appropriately used is going to attract more customers with that initial perception of goodness in their minds.
2. Enhances the appearance of the stocked items
If you have ever walked into a brightly lit supermarket with all those well illuminated freezing cases, wine racks and other sections, you might have observed how everything looks so great with a little bit of lighting around these items. There is no denying the fact that these lighting patterns make the ordinary retail items look extraordinary. And it is obvious for the customers coming and seeing these extraordinary looking products to purchase them as well.
3. Improves the general lighting of the store
The right kind of light is to be used in such a way that a customer should feel welcome even from the parking of the supermarket. Appropriate lighting allows the customers to be directed properly into and through the various departments of the store. The perfectly stocked sales areas with proper lighting can greatly influence the purchase decisions of the buyers. Good overall lighting also translates into the customer lingering in the store longer and thereby buying more than he probably came for.
4. Increases the temptation in the shoppers to buy
Buyers usually judge the quality and freshness of a product by looking at the color and using the right kind of lighting just enhances the way the color reception of all goods. For instance, an orange would look more orange and fresh if placed on a well-lit shelf and customers will be more influenced to buy them. As such lighting enhances the color and optimizes the look and feel of these products and as such, they are an instant hit and go into the shopping carts of the customers.
5. Reduces energy costs
Apart from giving a boost in sales, using the right kind of lighting can create a lot of cost savings for the supermarket as well. Effectively using the lighting design and layouts ensures that they save big on their energy bills. This will obviously mean they will have to use the LED lighting technology and a design expert to set it all up. Once it is all set up, the supermarket is good to go with all the benefits of superb lighting and saving big on maintenance and other costs.
Now that we have covered the importance of lighting in the supermarkets let us find out more about what kind of lighting can be appropriate in the various supermarket sections and how that is going to impact the appearance of the items in the supermarket.
What kind of lighting is needed in the different parts of the supermarket?
The different parts of the supermarket need to be lit differently because of the simple reason that all the different sections of the supermarkets stock different types of products and items. Based on the type of items that are made available in the various sections of the supermarket, the lighting has to be appropriately selected as well. These lighting requirements for the various sections can be identified and listed as below:
1. Grocery section
The grocery section stores all your dry food packets and products that are packed in boxes, bags, bottles, and huge plastic bags, etc. These food items are stacked up in parallel shelves running through long corridors. In these sections, lighting has to be appropriately made so that the corridors are illuminated properly so that the food boxes and packets are properly visible. The ratio that can be used for lighting in these sections vertical to horizontal can be 2:1 to effectively bring out the colors of the packages and make them look bright and clear.
2. Fruits, vegetables and other perishable items
This is the main area of focus for many supermarkets and they make an all-out effort to make sure the food in this section is able to grab the attention of the customers so that these items with very less shelf lives can quickly be sold. The lighting in these sections has to be made in such a way that the customer instantly feels that these products are fresh and of the highest quality. Directional lighting with bright and warm white light focusing on these items can be of great help in creating the required visual feel for these items to be quickly purchased.
3. Refrigerators stocking dairy, fish, and meat
Apart from that diary, milk and other dairy items that are stored and displayed in the refrigerator are to be properly lit with lighting within the refrigerator so that these products are able to grab the attention of the buyers. The meat and fish section also needs to be lit to show that they are fresh and of the highest quality that you can get. Cool white lighting that can resist low temperatures is recommended for such products.
4. Bread and confectionary section
This is another section that needs special lighting and illumination to tempt all the customers to devour on their favorite pastry or a doughnut. The idea is to enhance the appearance of freshly baked cakes, bread, and other items. All such food items are purchased with a sudden urge and impulse to buy and making them look tempting is the only way to make sure the customer buys the food item almost suddenly and immediately.
5. Wine and liquor areas
Many supermarkets will also have the wine and liquor sections and to ensure that the sales numbers are high these sections have to be properly lit as well. More so, because all the exquisite wine and champagne that you see is going to be an expensive buy and they need to look that exquisite and expensive as well which is achieved by proper and efficient lighting of these sections. They should look visually stimulating and create that urge in the buyers to buy it or at least walk in and have a look even if they did not have any plans to buy.
6. Overall general lighting
Though there are no standards for general lighting, the overall lighting is a very important part. The supermarket has to be lit in such a way that the customer finds it easy to navigate to the various sections with ease. Apart from that, the lighting should not be too bright to cause a strain and has to be pleasantly subtle and yet so beautiful and effective. It should be such that a customer should feel invited and welcome to the store. Ambient lighting is something that can be considered in such a case.
Having seen the kind of lighting that is to be used let us also list some recommendations and ideas that can be used for supermarket lighting.
Some Supermarket Lighting Ideas
Planning the lighting of any interiors be it a commercial space or a private property is an important interior designing area. Your interior designer will be the best person to give you a lighting plan and layout for your supermarket. However, since we have already listed the lighting needs for various areas and sections in a supermarket, let us quickly list some ideas that fit best with these lighting needs.
1. Use Ambient Lighting options for passages, corridors, and other general areas
All the general and common spaces in the supermarket have to be properly lit and therefore ensure that proper lighting fixtures which involve ceiling lights and other LED fixtures are used in creating the lighting effects. Make sure that you use bright ambient lighting to provide for ample lighting across the supermarket.
2. Use Accent Lighting for focusing on products, promotions and other focus items
When it is about highlighting the products that need special attention directional or accent lighting needs to be used. This is to pinpoint and highlight a product and drive its sales. This can also be used with promotional offers and other sections where a product needs to be given more focus on for clearance or meeting sales objectives.
3. Use task lighting for specific areas
You can use task and directional lighting for highlighting the cakes and bakes sections and other sections that need to look visually appealing. This can be achieved by achieving LED light fixtures inside the food displays and refrigerators so that the food is properly illuminated and visible. This can also be used in fruit and vegetable sections where food should appear fresh and good.
While looking at the above ideas of lighting the purpose is to ensure that everything in the supermarket looks awesome and up to the mark. A good idea would be to use a layout and a plan that combines all types of lighting in creating the best effect that solves the purpose of lighting in the best possible way. Though these ideas work best, they are only indicative and you can avail some creative liberty with your own ideas if you’re planning it yourself.
Summary & Conclusion
In this article, we have hence covered how lighting is an important aspect of a commercial space such as a supermarket and how it has the ability to enhance the overall look and feel of the supermarket and the products they stock. The lighting of all individual sections in the supermarket needs to be done differently and we pointed out how that can be done in the various departments and sections of the supermarket. You can use the three types of lighting that are used in interior designing to plan supermarket lighting as well and make use of the lighting ideas that we listed.
As such, we can conclude that appropriate lighting is a clear winner and a distinguishing factor between a successful business and a not so successful one and with supermarkets as well it is the same. Make use of this comprehensive supermarket lighting guide to make sure you are having the best lighting arrangement conducive to your business requirements. Alternatively, take help from an expert to figure things out if you find it difficult to do it yourself.
But in all scenarios, make sure you have the best lighting in your supermarket. Keep your supermarket nice and bright!! Let there be light!!
If you want to get the cheapest supermarket light quote and free lighting design, please feel free to contact us.