The most common way to light these spaces is to use small sources – such as LED tape light– close to the display objects, but hidden from view. It is imperative to showcase products creatively to boost their appeal. Illuminance levels should be 3-5 times higher than the surrounding ambient light, highlighting merchandise for easy evaluation by the customer.

The light source color temperature and CRI must be chosen carefully as to not distort, damage or alter the look of the merchandise being displayed. The way that the light is directed onto shelves is crucial: backlighting shelves can produce a more attractive effect than only using accent lighting to highlight the merchandise. Lower level shelves go relatively unnoticed, but by targeting accent lighting and/or backlighting on the lower third of shelves, customers linger longer, encouraging sales.