The super markets and retail stores are one of the best implementations of Suntracker, as the expected increase in sales can reduce the payback time, in many cases within a few months.
The full spectrum of natural light allows customers to better distinguish the colors of packaging and products, particularly food.
Recent studies show that customers remain in stores with natural light tend to buy more than shops with artificial lighting.
Retail investing in natural lighting acquire a significant and sizeable competitive advantage over their competition in various ways.
The increase in consumer activity in stores with natural light can be attributed to a combination:
- better visual capabilities
- most attractive display
- greater diversification of colors
- calm, relaxed atmosphere
- creating customer satisfaction
- improving employee morale
Decrease in goods returns
The color inconsistencies are a major problem in the retail sector as they can contribute to the creation of so-called «buyer’s remorse – remorse market” after market product, in those cases where the poor lighting has instilled a false image of the brand and how it is perceived by the customer. As shown in Figure, the color of products may vary dramatically between artificial and natural lighting. The addition of natural lighting in a retail environment helps deliver the products and packaging in their natural color and helps to avoid consumer dissatisfaction and lost sales opportunities
In a study undertaken in 1999 from Heschong Mahone Group for Pacific Gas and Electric evaluated in California 108 chain stores super-market, of which two-thirds (2/3) systems were installed daylighting. All stores were designed and operated in the same way. Informal interviews conducted for the purpose of research 10 branches with daylight systems, only 3 αγοραστές από σύνολο 42 respondents knew that the store they visited for their purchases using such systimata.Apo interviews conducted by Heschong Mahone ,provided the following answers:
there was a sense of the cleanest shop (80% of respondents),
shop seemed more spacious and open (65%),
the store was brighter (33%).
Despite their ignorance of the existence of systems of gas lighting in the store, three elderly respondents felt that the brightness and quality of light was important for them. Some respondents chose to make their purchases in stores with natural light, as well as said they liked the feeling cause for them katastima.Oi interviews with customers, employees and managers of the stores showed that there were no negative comments about the daylight systems or any objection on the use.
Despite the fact that Heschong Mahone Group attributed the increased sales in the existence of natural lighting systems, also noted that possibly some different features have contributed to the difference in sales. However, no specific feature differentiation was not detected within the study between stores, over the existence or not of daylighting systems.
(Heschong Mahone Group “Skylighting and Retail Sales” report at www.h-m-g.com, 1999)
According to Houston Business Journal, consumer preference for super markets with natural lighting, due to the following factors:Loyal customers. Customers expressing their preference in shops daylight systems installed, because of better lighting quality, are willing to travel longer distances in order to make their purchases from such a store, from selecting a compromise for those nearest store, but which lacks a daylighting
More relaxed customers. When a customer makes purchases in a shop featuring natural systems ftismou, the sense of relaxation that causes the presence of natural light during his stay in this is so intense, which contribute greatly to the encouragement to spend more time in the shop. The feeling of relaxation that causes the natural light in the shop can be compared with that of music, used mostly to create a friendly environment for the client.
Visual comfort. The high light levels combined with the quality of natural lighting can make it easier and more convenient product selection by customers. Especially for elderly clients with impaired vision, labels are likely to be more legible during peak hours of the day. Becomes, also, easier for customers find products, or even to distinguish the differences between the alternatives with natural lighting.
Attractive products. The natural light natural lighting systems contribute significantly to the attractive product presentation, as well as a positive influence towards purchase expensive products, or simply more quantitative products. It is likely that the visual quality provided by daylighting, with high color rendering and display the three-dimensional sense, can contribute to the attractiveness of products.
Morale workers. The high employee morale could contribute effectively to provide better services to their customers. Of course the measurement of binding of productivity and employee morale is very difficult, if not impossible task. In a retail store, where employee productivity could be measured by sales per employee hours, interviews with workers showed that the presence of natural light favored the mood for quality performance of work duties.
(Houston Business Journal, September 22, 2000)
Wal – Mart: It 1993 the retail chain Wal – Mart Stores Inc, built the first Eco – Mart store in Lawrence, Kansas, within environmental initiatives and in order to highlight corporate social responsibility company.The store was designed to achieve maximum energy savings and therefore included in the project to integrate natural systems fotismou.Etsi, half of the store was built with daylight systems, in order to draw conclusions about the impact that would have natural light in the store. The result was increased sales, The increase employee morale and increased buying trend in part of the store with daylight systems compared with the portion without the specific systems.
The effects of natural lighting in retail sales, workers in psychology and positive customer reaction was surprisingly good. ” … The increase in sales [sales per square] was significantly higher for sections of the store were half track where they were placed daylight systems ” ( Romm και Browning 1994).
Employees and customers have expressed their preference for half of the store that had natural light. Employees of the parts of the non-illuminated with daylight systems track called moving their piece of the store with natural light (Romm και Browning 1994). A department manager who was on the track of the store with natural light, said that he felt better psychologically, according to Patty Brenton, the coordinator of the project.The DC lighting levels of daylight systems helped him feel more that was in contact with the external environment. The Brenton also received positive comments about the daylight systems by customers of the store. It 1998, said “I had clients who came to me and told me how much prefer to make their purchases in sections of the store with daylight systems.
After the success of Eco – Mart, η Wal – Mart built a new store designed to fully meet the needs of lighting naturally, στο City of Industry, California.
(Portland Business Journal, July 19, 1999)
Greenwich Sainsburys – To more energy efficient supermarket ever built
There are many motivations behind the design and construction of Sainsburys in Greenwich. The company primarily wanted to create a supermarket standard application technologies for sustainable development in the retail sector.
The entire project was designed to incorporate the most innovative low-carbon technologies and thereby to create the first super market low energy consumption in Britain. The philosophy of “environmentally friendly” company, was the driver of the whole enterprise.
“Motivated by economic necessity and ecological consciousness, many companies seem to compete more vigorously to promote their environmentally friendly credentials, just like to sell their products. » ( Specter , 2008 )
The store incorporates many design characteristics for operation in a sustainable way. A key design feature is the exploitation of natural lighting, wherein the incoming light is accomplished within the area of the glass roof of. Then the natural light reflected in a specially designed white speckled mosaic, creating thereby a light, spacious atmosphere inside the building.
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One of the primary goals of the project was to build a supermarket that would take ” excellent ” rating by BREEAM assessment. Once complete, Supermarket received 31 degrees, the only supermarket that managed to achieve such a high score in this evaluation.
This achievement and serious environmental agenda behind the plan has resulted in the recognition of Sainsburys Greenwich as the most energy efficient supermarket ever built, using 50 % less energy than a typical supermarket.
