Visual merchandising is huge right now. Of course it is – you have to stay fresh, and costly renovations are still out of the question for most retailers, so what better way to get attention than through tried-and-true, cost-effective VM?

Which is why I was brought in as a speaker back in February at The Buyers Market of American Craft in Philadelphia. My topic: “Spectacular Displays on a Shoestring Budget.” The trade show’s organizers informed me that visual merchandising was the number one request they got for a session topic. The attendees, mostly representing museum stores, galleries and other smallish shops, are desperate for advice on how to make effective displays when you don’t have a big visual team and a bottomless budget (a.k.a., everyone in retail since 2008).

But here’s the kicker: I finished my hour-long presentation and opened up the floor for Q&A. And fully half the questions were about … lighting. The first question, in fact, was “What’s the best way to light my store?” As if there’s just one answer. I hardly knew where to begin.

Randall Stone, principal at Lippincott (New York), wouldn’t find this line of questioning surprising. “Lighting and visual merchandising are the two most important elements in retail design today,” he told us. “And for many top-tier retailers, lighting is part of visual.”

I wish I’d had the current issue of VMSD to give my session attendees, because the question “How do I light my store?” certainly hasn’t gotten any easier with all the advancements in technology, not to mention changing energy codes. Our article “Enlighten Me” is at least a start. Our VMSD Showroom has a lot of great new lighting products  to check out, as well – and there’s plenty more in that channel on our web site, including trend articles and case studies of lighting-specific retail projects. As a resource, it’s totally illuminating.

Damn. I promised myself I wouldn’t use a lighting pun in this letter. Watt a pity.