Turns out you might not have a shopping problem at all! The answer to your impulse buys could lie in the lighting found in your favorite stores.
Have you ever stopped by the grocery store with a short and sweet shopping list in mind, only to leave with armfuls of groceries that you just HAD to have? Turns out you might not lack self-control after all…light bulbs could be to blame!
Store managers have a specific way of laying out their store’s lighting in order to make their products look as appealing as possible, whether they’re selling stunning diamond jewelry or auto parts. In grocery stores, LED lighting is becoming more and more popular, both for its energy efficiency and for the many color temperature options available with LED bulbs.
A wide variety of color temperature options is important for stores that sell food, since different colors of light can actually manipulate how we see the food in front of us. For example, grocery stores use cool-toned bulbs on meat and seafood cases to bring out the red, pink and orange tones of raw meat, making the cuts of meat look juicier and more appetizing.
When it comes to produce, stores use warm toned bulbs to emphasize the vibrant colors of fruit and veggies—making you actually want to eat healthy! Apples look redder, oranges look more orange, greens look greener, and so on. In freezer cases, LED bulbs come especially in handy. LED lights do well in cold temperatures, and provide a good amount of bright light in order to showcase what the store has to offer to its customers.
Next time you make your afternoon pit stop for a cup of coffee, take a look around your favorite coffee shop to see lighting psychology in action again. Coffee shops want you to drink your beverage in the store, relax, and stay long enough to want to purchase another drink or a food item.
To do this, they use very warm, almost orange-toned light bulbs, diffused throughout the room to create a calm, dreamy, and relaxing atmosphere for customers. Studies have shown that people prefer to face walls that are illuminated while working or studying, so you’ll often see track lighting angled towards walls in coffee shops.
We’re all aware of the dangers of impulse purchases at the mall…when was the last time you left with ONLY the item you came for? Stores that sell novelty items, like home décor, accessories, makeup, and toys, use warm lighting to accentuate their window displays to draw customers in—stores that sell necessities, like home improvement tools or auto parts often use cooler tones to show their products in a straightforward manner since they know customers will stop by regardless of how pretty their displays look.
So next time you’re tempted by that pretty impulse purchase, look up! The lighting could be to blame.
