Besides the development of newer and newer consumer tastes, retail market is witnessing new horizons coming up in its various spheres. And, retailers are ready to do what it takes to keep their sales graph rising all the time. New-age retailers are aware of customer needs and can no longer skip any important aspect of the store, be it in planning, designing and execution. Loads of efforts and planning go into the designing of the store: the store must have the right balance of colour, lighting, furniture, music, fixtures and displays. Selection and use of right lighting is vital to a store's success. Lighting brings forth the brand image, pushes customers to step into the store, makes their attention directed to products and leads to the maximum footfalls and sales. Effective lighting is an important aspect in designing as it creates a favourable first impression of the store and its brand. Lighting guides the customer's eyes, emphasises the colour and cut of the merchandise, highlighting the styling of the outfit and the drapery and, hence, encouraging sales. Light is dynamic. The visual aspect of the store is enhanced by the correct use of lighting. It helps in setting the mood of the store and has the ability to dramatise the outlet and augment footfalls. Customers feel delighted to visit a store that is well lit and in tune with the merchandise in display.

Lighting in design
Lighting a store can be a tedious job. Retail lighting must have good colour contrasts and balances between lighted surfaces. Certain areas like window displays, entrances, cash counters and product cases can be given high lighting priority to make the customer look at the objects on display. In window displays, lighting serves two purposes: it creates a visual appeal to the customer while enhancing the colour relationships between merchandises within the window. Frequent changes made inside stores and in the window presentations can be based on the seasons, festivals, latest trends, and one-colour theme. These changes compel the customers to return to the store and help in building a loyal customer base. The initial point of interface with the prospective customer is in the window display of a store. Good displays show the concern and care about the image and merchandise and, most importantly, about entertaining, informing and educating the customers. Dark areas are an important aspect in lighting. It is not difficult to directly highlight the object; the difficult part is to strategically plan the dark areas. Dark areas and shadows are important and contribute to giving a dramatic effect to the store.