Lighting at Euroshop 2020: Focus on Smart Store Lighting Solutions

Since store lighting remains one of the most crucial investments in  retail (according to the latest EHI Energy Monitor 2020), lighting will continue to be an important focus at EuroShop 2020, The World’s No. 1 Retail Trade Fair. From February 16 – 20, 2020, more than 120 exhibitors in Halls 9 and 10 at the fairgrounds in Düsseldorf, Germany, will showcase trend-setting concepts and product ideas for retail lighting.

The revolution in LED technology that began more than a decade ago has created an almost inexhaustible potential of application options for the retail sector, going far beyond store lighting in the classic sense and are now being developed step by step. Digitalization is an important keyword here, since it offers numerous innovative approaches, such as communicating with light in a subtle way, emotionalizing customers, creating USPs in retail and supporting company branding. “We are only at the beginning of developments here, but light can already act as infrastructure today without the need for additional installations,” stated Austrian lighting expert Zumtobel.

According to industry observers such as Kplus (Büro für Innenarchitektur und Kommunikationsdesign in Düsseldorf/Leipzig) the market as a whole has by no means grasped, let alone exhausted the potential of LED technology yet. The learning process in terms of digital lighting technology is far from completed. And yet: whether as a new building or refurbishment project – more and more future-oriented retail space concepts on a national and international level now reflect the fact that digital lighting technology has already arrived in everyday shopping life. In terms of lighting technology, it is regarded as standard, and users expect high efficiency. The spectrum ranges from the emotionally designed, eventful staging of goods, retail space  and architecture, to the enhancement of the quality of the customer’s stay and the staff well-being to the central topic of connectivity, i.e. the networking of luminaires to create intelligent lighting systems. Whether the integration of lighting into the entire building control system, indoor navigation, mobile push marketing and virtual customer care – not all of this is always associated with a major roll-out at chain stores; many things are still in pilot project stage. It is increasingly becoming apparent that in an increasingly digitalized shopping world, LED lighting is proving to be an extraordinarily versatile, subtle and at the same time effective communication medium.

The added value this medium can generate for customers, staff and retailers is demonstrated by Signify in the area of indoor placement. In the digital age, in-store navigation gives this classic guiding principle a whole new dimension: light guides the shopper directly to the goods he/she wants. In a MediaMarkt store in Germany, an intelligent lighting system with VLC technology (VLC = Visible Light Communication) has been used since summer 2019 to determine the exact position of shoppers in the store in addition to the classic lighting task. The existing ceiling lighting system enables shoppers to conveniently locate products in the store using their smartphone and digital store guide App and guides them directly to the relevant shelf. Signify’s cooperation with the Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn is a similar application example.

Research and development interests in the lighting industry are currently focused on generating added value with smart lighting solutions to help retailers to be more attractive than their competitors in the long term. The continued strong growth of online retail is  presenting physical retailers with ever greater challenges in getting consumers off the couch and away from convenient shopping at the click of a mouse back into stores. “Emotionalization and ‘eventization’ are the directions we are all taking in response,” explained Oktalite.

The aim is to permanently establish shopping venues with a high affinity for leisure time, a high level of attractiveness and a long stay. In this context, Zumtobel also refers to the development of the POS into hybrid concepts that combine café, social encounters, leisure, games and learning. Places of experience and emotion are created where people do not necessarily buy, but where buying decision are made. The classic POS thus develops into a point of experience here light brings about unique experience worlds.

Changing light colors and intensities transform a complete room atmosphere within seconds, can be adapted to weather, season or time of day by sensor control or can be adapted to specific themes. Walls become screens that can be played on, rooms become envelopes that can be flexibly designed – light can definitely have a strong influence ton the experience. For architects, planners and creative minds this is an “El Dorado” for developing emotional scenarios, bringing new life into retail spaces and guest and event facilities using comparably simple means.The dynamization of lighting via electronic lighting control systems brings both greater efficiency and design freedom and plays an outstanding role fin custom lighting solutions in which the light must match the brand. All of this helps retailers’ central goal of boosting their business by improving loyalty of existing shoppers and winning over new ones.

For some time now, lighting quality has once again been the focal point of the research interest of the lighting industry and lighting planners. “Today, we are paying more attention to the qualities of LEDs in terms of spectral composition and light control”, said Bäro. At EuroShop 2020, the company wants to demonstrate the impressive possibilities that the use of merchandise-specific luminous colors and spectrum offer in retail. In addition, the company will bring new luminaires to the trade fair which  combine ever more compact dimensions with higher luminous efficiency while also offering increased visual comfort in terms of light distribution, glare limitation and color quality.

Retailers are increasingly realizing that the value of light engineering must be considered in terms of light effects rather than quality alone. Bäro is convinced that this also requires new standards for the evaluation of lighting quality.  The widely used LOR (Light Output Ratio) which defines the light output ratio (efficiency) of a luminaire and indicates what percentage of light generated is really emitted by the luminaire, should be replaced by the ROL (Return of Light). The latter describes how much light “arrives” at the merchandise. This describes how much light actually reaches the product. This is exactly what a good lighting concept in a store is all about: efficient, targeted light on the goods that unfolds its effect in the brain of the beholder via the eye.

A special highlight at Euroshop 2020 will again be the Italian Lighting Lounge with Italian brand manufacturers from the lighting segment presenting their products on over 3,200 square feet of exhibit space. They will show a complete range of products and components specifically designed for the retail sector. The aim is to effectively showcase sales areas where objects of different colors coexist with different color temperatures. On display will be various proposals for designing LED lighting according to specific requirements and needs, without neglecting aesthetic purity, material quality and perfect workmanship.

EuroShop 2020 will present innovations for the entire retail sector on about 1.3 million square feet of net exhibition space. Entrance passes can be purchased online at www.euroshop-tradefair.com at reduced rates: 1-day tickets cost Euro 60 each (Euro 80 on show site), 2-day tickets are Euro 100 (Euro 120 purchased on show site) and 5-day tickets cost Euro 150  (Euro 180 at the show). Tickets include free use of all publication within the VRR transport system to and from EuroShop.

For EuroShop’s online magazine with news, interviews, reports, technical articles, studies, photo galleries and videos related to topics and trends in the international retail sector all year visit  https://mag.euroshop.de/en/

For further information on visiting or exhibiting at EuroShop 2020, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America, Telephone: (312) 781-5180; E-mail: info@mdna.com; Visit www.euroshop-tradefair.com and www.mdna.com; Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/mdnachicago

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