Lighting is essential for operating all businesses, but for retail businesses in particular, the brightness and intensity of store lighting can influence customers' shopping habits.
In 2014, researchers from the University of Toronto Scarborough in Canada and Northwestern University reported on lighting experiments they conducted in the Journal of Consumer Psychology. They found that both positive and negative emotions can be intensified by bright light, while lower lighting dampens emotions. 
Commenting in an article for Medical Daily, researcher Alison Jing Xu, now an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota, said the research has strong implications for the retail industry.
"If you are selling emotionally expressive products, such as flowers or engagement rings, it would make sense to make the store as bright as possible," Xu said .
Not only does bright light make the diamonds sparkle more, but it may also intensify 
the feelings that brought the couple into the jewelry store in the first place.
The implications can extend to other businesses as well. The scientists conducted a number of experiments and found that participants sitting in a brightly lit room thought food tasted better than participants in dimly lit areas.
However, depending on the particular business, increasing a customer's emotional state might not be the best option. Slightly dimmer lights at a return desk may bring a sense of calm.
"We suggest that these effects arise because light underlies perception of heat, and perception of heat can trigger the hot emotional system. Thus, turning down the light, as effortless and unassuming as it may seem, can reduce emotionality in everyday decisions, most of which take place under bright light," the study reported.
Whether you need to make your store lights brighter, or more subdued, contact us for all your lighting needs.
