Revisiting classic standards of retail lighting through the lens of modern technology

Just yesterday, the principle governing retail lighting was: the brighter the light, the brighter the store, the more customers and sales. Today, this principle has lost its relevance. It has been replaced by a trend toward a well-thought-out concept, intelligently applied lighting, and carefully selected lighting fixtures. Anastasia Efremova, SR's expert in retail lighting and lighting designer at Tochka Opory, discusses current lighting principles in fashion and footwear retail, and how light helps interact with merchandise, space, and customer emotions. She will help you understand the fundamental principles of lighting through the lens of new retail space requirements.

Anastasia Efremova - lighting designer for the company "Tochka Opory"

Today, fashion retail emphasizes creating an in-store atmosphere that not only attracts attention but also promotes a comfortable customer experience. Proper lighting plays a key role in this process. It should not only highlight products and highlight their best features, but also create a specific mood, help customers navigate the sales floor, and highlight areas with different functions—presentation areas, fitting areas, lounges, checkout areas, entrance areas, and staff areas. In this article, we will examine basic lighting standards through the lens of new retail space requirements.

The key to being successful and profitable now isn't simply being a bright and airy store; it's building your brand and customer loyalty to your brand and store, so they want to return again and again. Today, this can be achieved through a tightly integrated approach: the product itself and the customer experience of being in a live, physical store. Lighting helps with this, as it interacts with the product, the space, and the emotions.

The modern retail market is characterized by high levels of competition between marketplaces and offline stores. Over the past few years, the number of online stores and the number of purchases made there has grown exponentially. But despite the convenience of selecting, placing, and receiving purchases on marketplaces, many consumers still choose to shop in a physical store—a place where they don't just make a purchase, but also have a pleasant time. People come for positive emotions and an atmosphere that shapes impressions, and perhaps even memories. Sometimes, shopping in a physical store can become a true adventure. The store immerses the customer in its story, creating its own unique image. And lighting can be a key enabler here.

Today's buyer is a guest; he doesn't come to buy anything, he comes to visit the brand. And it is important to welcome this dear guest properly and with all your heart.

CRI as one of the key criteria for choosing a lighting fixture

So, what should you pay attention to when selecting lighting fixtures? The color rendering index, or CRI (Color Rendering Index), is one of the key parameters of a lighting fixture.

Historically, this parameter has been underestimated. When designing and implementing a store lighting project, a great deal of time and attention is devoted to illuminance calculations, choosing the shape, design, and color of the fixtures, without considering the fact that these fixtures can contain completely different technical components. And, as a rule, they overlook an important aspect: the color rendering index (CRI), which is rarely considered. It significantly impacts how merchandise is visible from different points in the sales area and the atmosphere created by the lighting in the store.

As lighting fixtures for retail and public spaces evolved from metal halide lamps to LED lighting, CRI has become increasingly important.

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Lighting experts consider sunlight, which has a color rendering index of 100, to be the standard. Therefore, color rendering works very well on a subconscious level and is an important component of a person's emotional perception of what they see, not just a technical characteristic. In a store with a low color rendering index, shoes will look unkempt and dull. The quality of even the most expensive models can be significantly reduced.

A lamp with a high color rendering index CRI>90 can show the best sides of the material of shoes, bags and accessories.

Good lighting can significantly increase store traffic, while poor lighting can negate the efforts of designers and merchandisers.

Today, lighting plays a key role in creating an attractive and functional atmosphere in retail spaces. It should not only illuminate but also highlight the unique characteristics of products, creating visual interest, tactile appeal (when shoes or bags are tempting to pick up and touch; for leather goods, tactile contact is crucial and often decisive in purchasing), and highlighting important details.

If you enter a retail space and want to pick up a product and touch it, then the lighting is done correctly.

Good lighting isn't just a functional element; it's an essential tool that helps create a unique customer experience and differentiate your product from the competition. For example, if your shoes have rhinestones, they should sparkle; if your shoe buckle or bag strap is made of matte metal, the metal shouldn't have any harsh reflections. If your shoes are made of soft kidleather or suede, the lighting should highlight the softness and matte finish of the material.

Interaction of light with space

The lighting that illuminates the retail space will interact not only with the merchandise but also with the overall architecture of the space. Lighting with a high color rendering index helps highlight the texture and color of finishing materials.

Immersing the customer in the store's atmosphere and interacting with the product are the very components that underpin a brand's concept, tell its story, and foster customer loyalty and a desire to return again and again.

Photo: Geox autumn-winter 2025/26