Boost your product sales with the right lighting

Shooting Industry, Feb, 2004 by Mark Diss

"We have more than 5,500 square feet of display space, and having the right kind of light makes a real difference," said Cliff Hunter, co-owner of Tommy Bronson Sporting Goods in Memphis, Tenn.

You can have the best product displays with the best merchandise, but if you're using the wrong kind of light, you actually may be pushing customers away from the products you're trying to sell. On the other hand, having the right color, temperature and intensity of light attracts customers and encourages them to pick up, handle, and develop a sense of ownership of the products you have on display.

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Chip Hayward is a design architect who understands the major role light and color play in the physical response people have to any environment.

"In a retail environment, lighting is a key component to success on the sales floor," he said. "Many small retailers use the same type of lights on their displays as they do to light their general floor space, and that can be a major mistake."

Robert Brill, a behavioral psychologist with Damar Management in Tampa, Florida, agrees.

"Light can act as a magnet, something that draws customers into a specific part of the store," he said. "Or, it can act as an artificial barrier, literally pushing customers away."

Take this test. Stand in the main room of your store and look around. Is it simply a warehouse for firearms, packs, slings, quivers and other outdoor merchandise? Or, have you taken the time to create attractive displays depicting outdoor scenes showcasing equipment or the latest in firearms or bows? Regardless of your approach, you can use effective visual merchandising techniques and the subtle power of light to increase your sales and your profits.

"I'm always surprised that specialty retailers don't treat their interior display space as profit centers," said Jon Dillon, a retail consultant who works through Damar Management in Chicago, Ill. "For the most part, we see the interior space relegated to simply a check out station and aisles of merchandise grouped by category. But groupings and end caps just aren't the same as having a well-presented visual merchandising plan in place."