CEDIA Lighting Article, 9/2000

By Spencer Kalker, featured in AV International.

I See Lights in your future!

I have thought long and hard about this article and have vacillated on how best to explain just how important lighting is in your retail stores. I keep coming back to one main point, and that is simply Light is Life! Light levels and colors set the mood in everything we do. Light can be antiseptic like a Walgreen's drug store, romantic like a sunset, or somewhere in between. According to the medical experts, 80% of the information your brain receives comes through your eyes!

Maximizing the lighting opportunity starts with accepting just how important lighting is to your business. According to a leading home remodeling magazine, updating a home's lighting is the most cost-effective way to improve the home. While you can debate that, it truly is clear - a good lighting design increases the perceived value of everything you already own. The same is true when we discuss designing a lighting system for your store. Based on the field experiences I have had doing numerous store remodels in our industry, I can tell you, it is probably the most cost-effective way to improve your products' and your store's image.

When you think about lighting you have to think about how you are effected by lighting in everything you do. Did you ever go to an art museum that didn't light their works of art? Have you seen any jewelry stores that didn't make their diamonds sparkle? Yet many specialty AV stores do not focus lights on the products in which they hope to interest customers. Many stores put up artwork and POP signage and never get around to lighting it. Most end up with what they believe is the simple way out and blast lots of light into the space like it's 12 noon. Many retail stores in our industry use incandescent, standard old floodlights in tracks and some still use fluorescent 2' X 4' fixtures featured in Kmart. While this brightly illuminated area may be great for an old time western shoot out, it's not so great for a sophisticated home theater specialist. The color rendering is not acceptable and incandescent floods loose light intensity every day as their filaments burn away, they get dimmer.

I know I will get many retailers and installers telling themselves and each other they can't afford to spend money on lighting, they need the money to keep up their displays or to advertise their products. Keep in mind, everything you do in your ads and promotions is designed to bring people into your store. These people come in your store to see it and the products and concepts you sell. Your goal is then to get them to buy your products and concepts from you for the highest fair market price. You should do all you can to make everything you already have look as good as it should. Investing in lighting can and will give you the power to control what your customers see and how well they see it.

If you have ever had the opportunity to see a sunset or sunrise, one thing that strikes you is how beautiful everything looks, the shadows, colors, the back lighting of the trees and the horizon. How about the backyard under a full harvest moon, simply enchanting. Different lighting levels actually make people feel different. Humans have used light since the discovery of fire, it not only warmed their caves and huts, it comforted them, allowed them to see danger if it was present and reassure their safety.

When designing lighting layouts for a retail store, I always consider the ambient lighting levels in the space. In fact, whenever possible, I try to eliminate any light that I cannot control by using window tinting, blinds, curtains, or building a window box display. One of the things that is nearly always missed by even experienced lighting designers is recognizing that each space in an AV Specialty store has its own specific lighting requirements. That includes numbers of zones and the types and combinations of cable, rail, recessed, sconces, and other specialty products.

In the counter area one must consider how and what you are displaying and how the area is used. You must consider what your staff and customers may be doing, such as filling out a credit application or reading a computer screen. The basic goal in this space is quite simple, light what you want people to see and what people need to see. Contrast is very important here, light the products or signage 5 to 8 times greater than the ambient light level. Obviously, that does not include the fronts of television, again please remember contrast is important.

In the general open display space, flexibility and function are key. Moveable Low Voltage Rail systems work the best of what I have seen used in this area. With the properly sized zones, you can add fixtures and move them where you need them, when you need them. You can pin spot speakers with 10 degree MR 16 bulbs and not negatively effect the picture on the television you are trying to also sell.

Most stores end up with at least one, if not more, switching rooms. Rooms that are designed to help customers who choose to select their mix of products and then audition them. This room is often filled with 10 to 20 pair of L & R speakers, 5 to 8 center channel speakers, 8 or 9 subwoofers, 2 or 3 pairs of surrounds and even 4 or 5 pair of in-walls. Man oh man, I am tired just visualizing them. Besides the pile of speakers, you also end up with 15 to 25 little black boxes. If you light them properly, you can make this pile of black boxes look like a display of fine diamonds. Light it up like a local Ace Hardware and it just will not have the same VALUE!

Theater rooms have their own unique set of challenges in a retail environment. Using a 6 zone lighting system with a lighting control typically does a great job in most spaces. However, this can increase to eight or ten zones depending on just how many theater systems you are trying to feature and demonstrate in the same room. By using the lighting to feature each system independently you show value to each system and help the customer understand what is playing.

I thought it would be best if I went through and explained in detail how I see a lighting system being used in this situation. To start off, let's identify the six zones. Zone-1 is the decorative lighting for sconces or coves, Z-2 controls the artwork, Z-3 the reading lights, Z-4 features the AV Electronics, Z-5 pin spots the L/C/R loudspeakers. At this point you must decide how elaborate you want the demonstration lighting to be. The surrounds can be added in to Z-5 or split out separately. Z-6 will highlight the second system.

Once the zones are set, the scenes must be created. I like to create a very inviting scene that features the room as it is to be seen by the customer when they first enter the room. The next scene is one that really highlights the speakers and electronics in the system. Next is one that features the second AV system and speakers. Fourth is the viewing scene, where the gear fades away into the darkness, a slight glow of light appears on the art and the seating areas. Now, I realize there are unlimited ways to set these scenes up. And, I would say whatever series of lighting scenes you create that help you maintain the customer's interest works for me.

When planning a system, I use the lighting to help the salesperson lead the customer through the selling process and to help the customer focus on what the salesperson wants them to they see, and when they see it. I even go so far, depending on the situation, as to shut down the lighting on anything in the room that I am not discussing with the customer. This method is used with theater stage lighting. It is used to light up certain aspects of the stage set so the audience focuses on specific props and actors.

However you proceed, think about the investment you already have in the store. Break it down room by room and make a goal for each space. List how you are lighting the products currently. If you have 70's track, an inexpensive band aid is to replace the bulbs with the appropriate line voltage halogen bulbs. They don't last as long, probably 6 months, if all goes well. However, if you use as many as you probably should, you may tax you cooling system as well as use more electricity. Another option is to replace each "head" with a LV transformer fixture. This is not real flexible but does give you a much better bulb to use. You gain the ability to use various beam spreads and intensities. Also, if you buy quality bulbs they should easily last well over a year. The last option is to replace the lighting system with a low voltage rail or cable system that has many fixture options for many unique applications. To date, I believe this is clearly the best option depending on your lease situation and business plans.

As I said in the beginning of this article, Light is Life. Lighting can and does provide an opportunity to make the AV products and environments you sell look great. The simple fact is that most people recognize great lighting and what's more, love to control it. It comforts and inspires. It is there to wake you up and to mellow you out at night. Light Up Your Store to make the most of all your opportunities and I believe all your customers will see the light!

BIO

Spencer Kalker has 24 years' experience in the specialty AV & furniture industries. In 1976, he co-founded CWD. In 1997, he co-founded ImageCrafters a Boston-based AV retail store design and consulting firm that also designs, markets and distributes its products IC Lights, IC Woodworks, and IC Chairs to PARA, CEDIA & Pro Group-type retailers. He may be contacted at 508-828-2668 or email to spencer@imagecraftersinc.com

Photo Captions, Hillcrest, Plano Texas

A. Hillcrests' new 6500 sq ft location in Plano Texas uses IC Lights Literail to make a strong impact in their opening system presentation. Tom Kissell, said "this six zone system works great and allows us to demonstrate the strong effect a functional well designed lighting system has".

B. Hi Fi House in Broomall PA's recent remodel rocked their world. Jon Robbins said "the lighting made a huge difference, it has tremendous impact".