Düsseldorf, Germany – Philips Lighting (Euronext Amsterdam ticker: LIGHT) and Globus, a major grocery retailer in Germany, have measured the positive effects of lighting in a joint research project. In collaboration with German Research Center for Artificial Intellifence DFKI1 and EIT Digital2, a series of experiments were conducted at the Globus supermarket in Saarbrücken to study the impact of different combinations of colored lighting on sales and customer behavior. The results showed that using colored uplights together with Philips StoreWise lighting system helped increase sales while enabling energy savings of up to 75% compared to conventional lighting.
For the experiment, researchers spent two months testing different lighting conditions at the supermarket’s 180m2 promotional display area that was equipped with Philips StoreWise and Philips LED lighting. Three settings were tested: the store’s uniform overhead lighting, regular spotlights and a combination of spotlights with pastel colored uplights.
The study showed that the most effective setting for enticing shoppers was using spotlights with pastel colored uplights that led to a 6% increase in sales of goods from this promotional area. The same combination of colored lights created the best stopping power for this promotional area and increased customer visits by 15%, compared to the standard store lighting. When conventional lighting was replaced by spotlights alone, 7% more customer visits occurred.
“Adding soft pastel colors to highlight products is a potential game-changer for the retail industry. For the first time research has shown that different lighting conditions can affect shopper behavior and drive increased store revenues,” said Gonneke Gros, Segment Lead Food and Large Retail, Philips Lighting. "With new lighting systems like Philips StoreWise and Philips’ indoor positioning system, we anticipate retailers to analyze sales and traffic data within their store in real-time and adjust the lighting conditions to optimize sales.”
Retailers have traditionally lit stores using uniform, white, overhead lighting. The research showed that the 58 spotlights used in the experiment strengthened the appearance of products by increasing contrast. Adding colored uplighting (aimed at the ceiling) as well, helped differentiate the promotional zone and make it more visible from far away.
Norbert Scheller, Store Manager at Globus supermarket in Saarbrücken commented: “As a retailer, to stay ahead of the competition, you have to create a multi-sensory environment and a ‘wow-factor’ in your stores. Working with Philips Lighting has helped us realize the immense potential lighting can have and we have successfully been able to create triggers to direct our customers to promotional areas in our store and to inspire them in new ways.”
This new study reaffirms earlier findings from Philips Lighting research3 showing that soft pastel colors make customers feel happier and more comfortable when shopping, while saturated colors increase stress levels.
Notes to editors
The research at Globus supermarket in Saarbrücken, Germany, was done in collaboration with German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) and European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). During two months, different lighting conditions were tested at the store’s 180m2 promotional area. Sensors in the ceiling and in 300 shopping trolleys were used for recording the number of visitors and the time they spent within this zone compared to the rest of the store. The data was also analyzed against sales figures, examining the number of products bought from within this specially-lit area.
For the experiment, Philips StoreWise, an intuitive lighting system for retailers, was used in combination with Philips’ LED lighting. Each light point in this lighting system could be independently controlled via the Philips StoreWise web app and be individually adjusted for color, brightness and saturation. This allowed store managers to fine-tune the lighting conditions at the tap of smartphone, tablet or computer whenever they wanted. Three lighting scenes were applied: (1) uniform lighting to mimic regular lighting (baseline for research), (2) spotlights to illuminate and make promotions stand out using light and shadow, (3) uplights with soft pastel colors to create a distinct atmosphere and to play to the moods of the shoppers.
Following the successful pilot, Globus supermarket has decided to leave the Philips StoreWise and LED lighting installation in place at its store in Saarbrücken.
1 Deutsche Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz (DFKI)
2 EIT Digital, European Institute of Innovation and Technology
3 The impact of (colored) cove lighting in a grocery store on shoppers’ emotions, Prof. dr. M. Brengman, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 17 September, 2013
