How Lighting Impacts Purchase Behaviour

Lighting is an incredible and easy concept that can and should be used to enhance and impact the environment of any room. Lighting is known to be "ambient," which means that it is a design feature that supermarkets, restaurants, and other companies may use to influence consumers and even employees. Knowing how tiny details such as lighting, smell, temperature, or music impact people's emotions and behavior is useful on both sides of the exchange—businesses can use it to attract, inspire, and influence mood and purchasing behavior, and customers can be more conscious of how they are influenced so that they can assess their decisions more carefully to prevent buyers' remorse and the stress of coping with them.

Even if you experience S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) or not, you are probably aware that light has a strong effect on your mood. A variety of studies over the years have shown that lighting can improve or inhibit the quality of work, creativity, openness, and perception can even affect the taste of food.

According to the research of Xun (Irene) Huang, Ping Dong, Aparna Labroo, and Dorothy K Sit at Kellogg School, "we feel less connected to others in the dark. So we give less weight to what others think and more weight to what we want." This means that we are more likely to prefer decadent, indulgent, or "hedonic" choices when light levels are poor. Didn't you intend to order a cake or splurt on designer sunglasses? Buyer's remorse is, thus, often linked to lighting. 

The same research also suggests that dim or dark lighting can inspire customers to:

• Shop at a more leisurely pace
• Underestimate portion sizes of food
• Think of spicy foods as less likable

Here are some dim lights variants from our commercial lighting range:

Also, the Kellogg study suggests that bringing along a trustworthy friend or member of your family could keep you rooted and prevent impractical purchases. Thus, it limits the effect of low lighting on your decisions. Conversely, research suggests that bright lighting encourages people to make more realistic buying choices because they feel more connected and more mindful of others. Additionally, very bright lighting can produce intensified emotional states that lead shoppers to purchase products more impulsively. That's why you usually see bright lighting in queue lines, where a lot of retailers can show impulse items.

Thus bright lighting can: 

• Forces customers to make practical choices
• Makes employees develop productive working habits
• It makes your space look bigger 

Here are some dim lights variants from our commercial lighting range:

• Our Ankur Track Lights are the perfect way to highlight products in showrooms. 

The power of lighting on decisions made by consumers means that lighting can be manipulated in the space to drive customers in one direction or another, as well as to help form the consumer perception of the brand. If your store or restaurant should have bright or dim lighting or a combination of both ultimately depends on the product or service you provide and your overall objectives. It's best to consult a lighting expert to find a lighting design that suits your room, budget, and brand identity.