llluminating ideas for your sales floor

I IGHT can be a turn off to cusbtomers. Glaring, bright light makes them irritable and edgy; dull, lackluster lighting repels them. The retailer with correct lighting has a lot going for him.

Light can attract attention to a store and to the merchandise, inviting customers to enter and buy. Properly used lighting makes the merchandise attractive and spotlights displays to stimulate impulse buying. Lighting also can direct store traffic, leading the customers from section to section.

Lighting can create an atmosphere conducive to shopping and buying. In addition, lighting can make a store a pleasant and comfortable place to work thus improving employee morale and efficiency.

Lighting should have three primary objectives in the store:

(1) Lighting to attract the customer to the merchandise and the merchan- dising space. The quantity, quality and effect of the light and the appearance of the store interior are determining factors in sales.

(2) Lighting to initiate the purchase. Buying decisions start when the customer is attracted but the purchase is accomplished only after the customer has visually evaluated the merchandise and read the signing and labeling with the help of adequate light.

(3) Liehting to complete the sale. Lighting at the point of sale must allow the cashier to quickly and accurately perform his duties of reading prices, registering sales, preparing sales slips and packaging.

As the people at North American Philips Lighting put it, "Light is one of the most important elements in the operation of any merchandising activity. "

There are two basic approaches to

Glossary

accent lighting: direction lighting to emphasize a particular object or draw attention to a part of the field of view.

diffuse lighting: light that is not predominantly from any particular direction.

direct lighting: lighting by luminaires distributing 90-10090 of the emitted light in the general direction of the surface to be illuminated. The term usually refers to light emitted in a downward direction.

footcandle: a quantitative unit for measuring illumination: the illumination on a surface one foot square on which there is a uniformly distributed lux of one lumen.

glare: any brightness or brightness relationship that annoys, distracts or reduces visibility.

incandescence: luminosity created by heat; white-hot, brilliant glow.

incandescent lamp: a lamp in which light is produced by a filament heated to incandescence by an electric current.

indirect lighting: lighting by luminaires distributing 90-10090 of the emitted light upward.

lumen: a measure of light output emitted from a source.

luminaire: a complete light unit consisting of a lamp or lamps together with the parts designed to distribute the light to position and protect the lamps and to connect the lamps to the power supply, a fixture, ceiling or wall mounted or portable lamp.

lux: the International System unit of illumination. The illumination on a surface of one square meter on which there is a uniformly distributed flux of one lumen (l footcandle : 10.67 lux).

quality of lighting: the distribution of brightness and color rendition in a visual environment. The term is used in a positive sense and implies that these attributes contribute favorably to visual performance, comfort, ease of seeing, safety and esthetics for the specific visual tasks involved, lighting. One provides a luminaire layout specifically related to merchandise locations, emphasizing the merchandise and letting "spill light" serve other areas. The second approach is a general pattern of luminaires symmetrical to the architectural floor plan with specific lighting added as needed. In both approaches most general lighting is either predominately direct, predominately indirect or a combination of the two.

It is important that either approach provide a pleasant atmosphere, with a minimum distraction from the merchandise, and operate in accord with heating and air conditioning equipment.

In most home centers the general lighting system provides nearly all the illumination. There usually is little variation except for emphasis on certain displays or high productivity areas. Ordinarily direct lighting of 100 to 200 footcandles is used. Fluorescent luminaires, either recessed or surface mounted, are well adapted for direct lighting. The quality of light

Story at a Glance

How lighting is used to showcase merchandise, attract cuslomers. proper lighting is conducive to buying. .help available for retailer who needs to revamp illumination system. they produce is somewhere between completely directional and completely diffuse. Direct filament units can be used satisfactorily, but they should be supplemented with indirect lighting.

Warm white or deluxe warm white fluorescent lamps will provide a warmer atmosphere with the greatest economy. Where color is important fluorescent lamps such as Ultralume 300 K for soft goods, 41000 K for appliances and 5000 K for work areas off the sales floor are recommended. In sections such as floor coverings where color is important, the lighting should show the color of the merchandise about as it will appear out-