Adjustable Lighting Boosts Sales

People love the flexibility of controlling their own lighting in a retail setting, and they buy more when they can.

Clothes shopping can be an exasperating experience. But it's even more exasperating when you realize that, in daylight, your new clothes suddenly seem to have a completely different color from in the shop. It's been proven that poor lighting in changing rooms and the rest of the store can reduce sales. And a study by Philips (this site's sponsor) and the market research firm Synovate reveals that many customers are dissatisfied with the unsympathetic lighting often used in department stores.

All in all, 65,000 people were asked to state the most unsatisfactory aspects of shopping. Fitting rooms topped the list -- not because they're too small, but because their lighting is so bad. Changing rooms are important, because 80% of customers make their decision there about whether to make a purchase. Many retailers fail to grasp that a welcoming environment and pleasant lighting that makes the customer look good when trying on new clothes play big parts in their success. Philips found that creating an agreeable environment with suitable LED lighting could raise sales by 15% or more.

Sales boosted by lighting simulation

Philips conducted an experiment at Livera, a popular fashion chain in the Netherlands. Philips's LED-based AmbiScene was used to provide a flexible lighting concept that reflected the time of day and could be adapted to the type of apparel. For example, evening dresses could be tried on in the glow of party lights, while business attire could be inspected under typical office lighting. The LED lighting consisted of variable white light that shoppers could adjust for themselves. And, lo and behold, sales rose immediately. Moreover, Livera found that customers spent more time in their stores and had a higher inclination to buy.

Not just clothing

Philips achieved a similar effect with AmbiScene lights in a Dutch supermarket. Customers stayed in the store up to 8% longer, while the amount they bought increased by 5.5% -- big numbers in a market segment that often looks at profit margins in the single-digit percentages.

The impact of an adjustable lighting system has been impressively shown in the cosmetics sector, too. At Estée Lauder, for instance, a controllable light on the makeup mirror known as the AmbiScene Vanity Mirror (video here) increased sales by 10%. The light can be adjusted by the customer depending on the occasion for which makeup is required. However, the study could not tell whether the main reason for the upsurge in sales was the atmosphere created by the lighting or the feeling of being taken seriously.

The technology

For the study, Philips used the colors daylight white (5,000K) for everyday purposes, neutral white (4,000K) for the office, and warm white (2,700K) for evening occasions. The lighting was controlled by customers or the retailer using an iPad, something that adds a certain charm.

Philips been talking about customized light for years. In this system, retailers select a personal signature lighting from the white-light spectrum to create their own lighting brand identity.

One method that can be used for this is CrispWhite technology, which is based on LEDs. CrispWhite Fortimo LED spotlight modules have a color temperature of 3,000K and a color rendering index of 90. They combine the halogen MASTERColour bulbs that have been used in retail for 20 years with Philips's Fortimo LED technology.

Unfortunately, too little attention was previously paid to lighting in department stores. However, the study by Synovate and Philips impressively demonstrated how quickly good lighting pays for itself through higher sales. Admittedly, using individual lighting is tricky in areas dominated by general lighting. But even there, stores can take proactive steps by using the techniques such as those embodied in the AmbiScene Vanity Mirror or AmbiScene lighting.