The effects of retail lighting on atmosphere perception

The present study's objective was to investigate the contribution of lighting in evoking an atmosphere in naturalistic environments, among the extensive set of other environmental cues. In a field study involving 57 clothing stores, lighting attributes (e.g., brightness, contrast, glare and sparkle) and context (i.e. the shop interior) were assessed and quantified independently. These data were then used to predict four dimensions of perceived atmosphere of these stores in multiple regression analyses. A hierarchical procedure was chosen, with context variables entered in the first block and lighting attributes in the second block. We were thus able to determine the effects of lighting on perceived atmosphere, while controlling for context effects. Both lighting attributes and interior qualities were successfully related to perceived atmosphere. Our most important finding was that, even given the substantial contribution of design elements in retail environments, lighting does play a significant role in evoking atmospheres.