Properly Lighting a Salon’s Retail Area is one way to increase your profits
Salon Lighting for Haircoloring
June 20, 2016
Having manufactured and produced lighting for the specialty retail market for over 30 years we’ve learned a thing or two about the importance of retail lighting. With over 900 salons under our belt since Minardi Color Perfect Lighting was created we’ve seen what does and doesn’t work when it comes to your salons retail area. Despite retail playing a major role in overall profitability, what we’ve found is that the retail area is an often neglected part of a salon. Many salons simply put product on a shelf and either light it improperly or don’t bother to light it at all. This is a sure recipe for DECREASED retail sales.
(Note how dull and boring this product display appears due to a lack of lighting – nothing stands out and says “look at me”)
Using proper lighting in a retail environment will impact the consumers' emotional state, behavioral intentions, and perceptions. Consumers are attracted to certain lighting and in a retail environment knowing the correct ways to illuminate that environment is critical. The type of lighting needed for the retail areas of a salon is often referred to as accent lighting. Accent lighting is generally much brighter than the surrounding lighting. The reason for this is that accent lighting must stand out and make an impact. If accent lighting were not brighter than the general lighting in a salon the retail areas would not stand out and be noticed, they would simply blend in and risk being ignored.
(Notice how just two shelves have a little bit of lighting and the rest are dark – the product on the lower shelves are basically hidden and the likelihood of a customer noticing them are minimal)
Accent lighting creates visual interest for your clients and puts products in their sight. Once a product has captured your clients attention the chances of them making a purchase greatly increases. The most effective way to make the retail area of a salon more “eye-catching” is to use a higher temperature (Kelvin) color light as compared to the light surrounding the retail area. The brighter light will instantly draw attention to the retail area which is half the battle and it will make the colors commonly used in retail products “pop”. If possible illuminate the retail products from the front. This means positioning a light a few feet in front of the display and aiming the light directly at the products. Nothing makes products stand out as well as utilizing this method. However, the size and shape of a display will govern the best type of lighting to use. In many applications lighting from above each shelf will be the best way to do it if the configuration of the ceiling in front of the displays does not permit direct lighting to be installed.
(Notice how the retail area stands out from a distance along with the product colors looking vibrant due to the brightness of the lighting in the retail area as compared to its surroundings)
While using a backlit display is visually attractive it does not create the same impact as direct lighting does. The “look” of a backlit display is more on the “exotic” side and in certain applications they are quite effective. However, for most salons, the amount of light that is produced by this type of lighting will not cause it to be noticed as much as a front lit display.
(The display gets noticed but the product and their colors don’t “pop”)
If money is no object than the best way to light retail displays will be a combination of both backlit and direct lighting. This will combine the exotic look that the backlit display creates while making the products and their colors “pop”.
(Notice how the combination of backlit and direct lighting create a perfectly lit display that is almost guaranteed to attract attention)
In closing, promoting the retail area of a salon through the proper use of lighting is essential to increasing this profit center. If salons go through the trouble of choosing the best products for their clients the least they can do is to make them stand out and be noticed. The more your clients use your carefully chosen retail products the better they will look between visits which is a compliment to the hard work of the colorists and stylists.
(Note how dull and boring this product display appears due to a lack of lighting – nothing stands out and says “look at me”)
Using proper lighting in a retail environment will impact the consumers' emotional state, behavioral intentions, and perceptions. Consumers are attracted to certain lighting and in a retail environment knowing the correct ways to illuminate that environment is critical. The type of lighting needed for the retail areas of a salon is often referred to as accent lighting. Accent lighting is generally much brighter than the surrounding lighting. The reason for this is that accent lighting must stand out and make an impact. If accent lighting were not brighter than the general lighting in a salon the retail areas would not stand out and be noticed, they would simply blend in and risk being ignored.
(Notice how just two shelves have a little bit of lighting and the rest are dark – the product on the lower shelves are basically hidden and the likelihood of a customer noticing them are minimal)
Accent lighting creates visual interest for your clients and puts products in their sight. Once a product has captured your clients attention the chances of them making a purchase greatly increases. The most effective way to make the retail area of a salon more “eye-catching” is to use a higher temperature (Kelvin) color light as compared to the light surrounding the retail area. The brighter light will instantly draw attention to the retail area which is half the battle and it will make the colors commonly used in retail products “pop”. If possible illuminate the retail products from the front. This means positioning a light a few feet in front of the display and aiming the light directly at the products. Nothing makes products stand out as well as utilizing this method. However, the size and shape of a display will govern the best type of lighting to use. In many applications lighting from above each shelf will be the best way to do it if the configuration of the ceiling in front of the displays does not permit direct lighting to be installed.
(Notice how the retail area stands out from a distance along with the product colors looking vibrant due to the brightness of the lighting in the retail area as compared to its surroundings)
While using a backlit display is visually attractive it does not create the same impact as direct lighting does. The “look” of a backlit display is more on the “exotic” side and in certain applications they are quite effective. However, for most salons, the amount of light that is produced by this type of lighting will not cause it to be noticed as much as a front lit display.
(The display gets noticed but the product and their colors don’t “pop”)
If money is no object than the best way to light retail displays will be a combination of both backlit and direct lighting. This will combine the exotic look that the backlit display creates while making the products and their colors “pop”.
(Notice how the combination of backlit and direct lighting create a perfectly lit display that is almost guaranteed to attract attention)
In closing, promoting the retail area of a salon through the proper use of lighting is essential to increasing this profit center. If salons go through the trouble of choosing the best products for their clients the least they can do is to make them stand out and be noticed. The more your clients use your carefully chosen retail products the better they will look between visits which is a compliment to the hard work of the colorists and stylists.
