Why Lighting Controls Matter: Retail and Supermarkets

Boosting Customer Experience Through Dynamic Lighting

In a retail setting, lighting does more than just illuminate—it sets mood, accentuates merchandise, and shapes brand perception. From vibrant promotional ends to calm checkout zones, lighting directly influences how customers feel and spend. But with rising energy costs and increasing sustainability mandates, the challenge is delivering this visual impact efficiently. Enter smart lighting control systems—powerful tools that seamlessly blend customer experience with ROI-driven energy savings.

Understanding the Retail Lighting Challenge.

Retail and supermarket environments present a unique blend of commercial, visual and operational demands, subtly influences mood, directs customer flow, and reflects brand identity. Effective retail lighting must be strategically layered, combining ambient, accent, and task lighting, to create visual depth and emphasise key merchandise displays without overwhelming the overall ambience.

At the same time, store operators confront long opening hours, tight energy budgets, maintenance schedules, and rising regulatory expectations—making intelligent controls essential to both brand experience and operational efficiency.

• Visual appeal: High-CRI and dynamically tunable lighting create compelling product displays.
• Flexible operating hours: Between early openings, peak periods, and post-closing cleaning, lighting needs shift dramatically.
• Energy & compliance pressures: Lighting often accounts for a third or more of retail energy use; smarter control is critical amid tighter regulations.
• Operational efficiency: From emergency path lighting to lamp testing, retailers face stringent maintenance regimes that benefit hugely from automated controls.

How Lighting Controls Transform Stores.

Lighting Control systems combine multiple strategies - occupancy, daylight harvesting, dimming, scheduling—to optimise performance and savings across zones, reshaping store lighting into a dynamic, efficient experience.

Occupancy Sensing
Shuts off or dims lighting in non-public zones. Retail sites typically see 25 – 70 % savings in these areas through presence-based controls, while big-box installations often land around 44 % overall lighting energy reductions.

Daylight Harvesting
Dims lights in perimeter zones based on ambient light. Across commercial buildings, harvest strategies commonly yield 20–60 % lighting energy savings.

Networked Lighting Controls (NLCs)
Research shows they can slash LED energy use by. Retail, in particular, benefits from consistent 39–49 % lighting energy savings in NLC deployments.

Scene-setting & Scheduling
Ensures lighting adjusts for promotions, off-hours, or seasonal events—all pre-programmed and replicable across store networks.

Diagnostics & Analytics
Simplify maintenance, flag lamp failures, and provide documentation for compliance and energy certificates.

Enhancing Customer Experience Through Smart Lighting Controls.

Lighting is a powerful tool in shaping the shopping experience. In retail and supermarket settings, intelligent lighting controls can influence customer behaviour, guide movement, and enhance overall satisfaction.

• Guiding Customer Flow: Strategically placed lighting can direct customers to specific areas, such as promotions or high-margin products, subtly guiding their journey through the store.
• Creating Ambience: Adjustable lighting allows retailers to set the mood, from bright and energetic in active zones to soft and relaxing in areas like fitting rooms or cafés, aligning with customer expectations and enhancing comfort.
• Highlighting Products: Accent lighting can draw attention to featured items, new arrivals, or seasonal displays, increasing visibility and encouraging purchases.
• Supporting Inclusivity: Implementing features like dimming and colour temperature adjustments can accommodate diverse customer needs, such as those with sensory sensitivities, creating a more inclusive shopping environment.

By integrating smart lighting controls, retailers can improve operational efficiency and create a more engaging and customer-friendly shopping experience.

Lighting Sustainability.

Retailers are under increasing pressure—both from regulators and consumers—to reduce environmental impact while keeping costs in check. Lighting in stores often consumes 30–40 % of total energy use, making it a prime target for carbon reduction.

By integrating smart lighting controls—such as occupancy sensors, daylight dimming, scheduling, and energy analytics—retailers can achieve lighting energy reductions of 30–60%, effectively reducing CO₂ emissions across Scope 2 (electricity) and Scope 1 (on-site usage)

Integrating Luceco’s lighting control solutions supports both financial and environmental goals, helping retailers meet sustainability benchmarks and environmental regulations, improve brand reputation, and future-proof their stores with measurable, certified energy performance.

Real-World Applications.

In the UK and Ireland, retail giants like Woodie’s have achieved substantial energy reductions and measurable cost savings, tightening both environmental and financial goals. Utility-commissioned studies also suggest NLC projects deliver paybacks improved by a factor of 2.3 when non-energy benefits (like maintenance savings and comfort) are included. This shows smart lighting control isn’t just good green practice—it’s smart business.