Philips Lighting cracks code how colored lighting boosts supermarket sales

Pilot in Globus supermarket in Germany used colored LED lighting to increase sales by 6 percent and traffic at the store’s promotional area by 15 percent

Source: Philips Lighting

Philips Lighting 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 percent 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 percent 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 percent, compared to the standard store lighting. When conventional lighting was replaced by spotlights alone, 7 percent 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.