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Supermarket Lighting Design Guide

Customer Centric Lighting Design

What makes Supermarket lighting a crucial element of the store’s overall design, and ultimately – its success?

We should all know, we are living in this overly competitive, customer-oriented 21st century. Online shopping is gaining more and more traction as the years go by, especially since the Pandemic started. Giants of the retail industries have decided that enough is enough.

Some well-known names have decided to fight against the coziness of ordering online by providing a polished and convenient shopping experience to their customers. While doing so, they must also lower their operating costs in order to pass on the savings and stay competitive.

These changes were facilitated by the development of new technologies which gave grocery stores a chance to lower energy consumption thanks to the latest generations of solid-state lighting and more sophisticated control systems.

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We all know, that at its core, shopping is an activity that is experienced with five senses. There is no single “right” way to provide a shopping experience as long as that experience is a perfect fit for the product or service you are trying to sell.

We are here to help you maximize your success by providing a great customer journey through smart choices and creative design.

Questions we suggest you ask yourself before starting:

• What is the emotion you would like to invoke in your customers while they are shopping?
• What is the philosophy/market approach of your supermarket chain?
• What specifically do you want to put an emphasis on / highlight?

Marketing research have, throughout the decades, shown without a shadow of a doubt that even the supermarket’s layout influences purchasing decisions.

Where products are placed often (unconsciously) determines what products end up landing in the shopping cart.

What is the icing on the cake when it comes to understanding this trend? 

Lighting.  

Combining an effective layout with the right light source can not only elevate your supermarket experience but its profit margins as well.

It is understood that different food products require specific types of fixtures – with LED technology being integrated into all types of products these days there are no limits.

Improve general lighting

When customers look at your supermarket as a whole, what they are first experiencing is your Supermarket’s general lighting, which should be used to guide and direct the shopper through the store.

A combination of well-defined sales areas and ambiance will most definitely elevate the experience directly impacting the decision-making process.  Research has shown that a welcoming ambiance and the right illumination will improve the time spent inside the store thus increasing the amount of revenue generated per visit.

With customer centric design, you can include contrasts creating a dynamic environment that will guide visitors throughout the different zones.

A crucial element of this is making sure that visual attention is always directed towards the desired goods with the right fixtures in the right area.

Vertical direct lighting from shelving that puts an emphasis on the products by pointing the light with laser precision is usually the most recommended choice for high ticket items for example.

Fresh goods preservation

Few people know that LEDs can play a crucial role in fresh goods preservation. LED technology can do wonders at helping the preservation of fresh goods, especially meat products. It is also incredibly useful for other UV-sensitive products. Due to low IR and UV radiation production, LED lighting can spare food and packaging materials from unnecessary damage and hastened aging.

Increase shoppers’ appetite through the appropriate color temperature

Our eyes are our most used sense out of all five and are the first and most important level of interaction with the environment. A product’s color and vibrancy don’t just attract the eye immediately but it is also the first indicator of its freshness. Therefore, the right color temperature along with a high CRI (color rendering index) is crucial.

By utilizing a color temperature adapted to the specific product group, fresh produce such as vegetables, cheese, meat, and fruit can be optimally presented – making them particularly attractive to customers.

Costs reductions

Besides boosting your sales and increasing your revenue, choosing the right fixture type for supermarket Lighting can also save energy thus reducing operating costs.

It is known that, after the fridges and freezers, lighting presents the second-largest financial expenditure of a supermarket.

Research has shown that cutting Lighting costs can add up to a quite substantial amount of annual savings. Experts suggest that LED works in several ways to reduce cost and save you money.

1. They provide you with reduced energy consumption, saving you money on electricity bills.
2. They last longer and need lower maintenance to maintain adequate lighting levels. This results in fewer maintenance bills.
3. They generate much less radiated heat resulting in reduced HVAC cost.

 Type of luminaire fixtures for a supermarket:

In retail areas, we need more than one source of light. To create different layers of light, we should mix different types of lighting fixtures. Here are the lighting fixtures we recommend adding in a supermarket:

• Track Lighting

• Downlighting

• Refrigeration Lighting

• Decorative Lighting

• Linear Lighting

• Strip Lighting

• Emergency Lighting

The right lighting in the right area

Fruits and vegetables:

• Warm White – 3000K
• Root vegetables need a warmer light 2700K – 3000K
• A high-intensity light above lettuce and other leafy vegetables is needed, the lux level needed will vary on the area but ranges between 500 and 750 Lux

Meat, fish, and poultry: 

Lighting sources have a significant impact on animal stock products. Choosing the right one is imperative in order to conserve and keep products fresh.

Meat

• Warm White – 2700K to 3500K
• A warm white color freshens the look of products by providing increased light in the red spectrum. This type of light brings out truer colors, this is specifically true for meat

Fish and poultry: 

• Cool white – 4500-5000K

 Cheese, bread, and pastries:

• By choosing the right light, we can prevent cheeses oxidation and keep dairy fresh, and cheese preserved longer
• Warm White: 2700K-3000K. This type of light emphasizes the red and brown tints
• 300 to 400 Lux is the ideal for grab-and-go displays such as shelves, refrigerators among others

Wine:

• 250-300 Lux and low wattage lamp sources are optimal to avoid glare on wine bottles
• Warm light – 2700-3000K

Kitchen:

• Cool White – 3500K – 4500K
• The recommended levels for task areas are between 500 and 750 Lux
• General kitchen lighting, daylight- 4000K, it allows for a better concentration and will allow finding things easier thanks to an improved color contrast

Check out and Cashier:

• Cool White – 3000-4000K.
• The recommended levels for task areas are 500 – 1250 Lux

We can safely say, and market research and experts would agree, that Supermarket Lighting is one of the most essential elements of your Supermarket’s design.

When conceptualizing your Supermarket’s overall layout, you should consider Lighting as an integral part of the process, and plan accordingly from the very initial stages to ensure the best results.

Innovation and optimization are crucial in this modern and competitive landscape. If you fail to get more creative and put the customer first, your competitors certainly won’t.

Now is the time to adopt a customer centric approach and improve the shopping experience you are providing by experimenting with the appropriate lighting fixtures and color temperatures.

Are you renovating or opening a new supermarket and you are not sure what lighting fixtures are best suited to your needs?

Try out our Supermarket Project Template to help you choose the right lighting fixtures.

Find Inspiration and check out our latest supermarket projects:

Avril Supermarket

B&W Urban Market