Retain Customers

First up to offer guidance is Shoplight. Founded in 2014, the company works with retailers, designers and their construction teams to design retail lighting environments. Focused on ensuring the longterm future for bricks and mortar retail, Shoplight offers a range of products such as lighting track, spotlights, downlights and linear light fittings.

Mark Shortland, managing director at Shoplight, said a large part of the company’s focus is to help retailers become more sustainable by providing them with more efficient lighting solutions.

“Importantly for retailers, consumer values are evolving,” Shortland said. “Consumers are more informed and more environmentally conscious; they are becoming increasingly aware of the impact of their purchases. Demand for brands that benefit society, and which are more sustainable is growing.

“A 2021 survey by Shopify found that 44% of global consumers are likely to buy from a brand with a clear commitment to sustainability. They also found that 62% of consumers were willing to adjust their lifestyles to reduce their environmental impact, a 57% increase from two years prior.

“Being sustainable may have been seen as an unnecessary and costly ‘nice to have,’ but brands that do not consider their impact are becoming frowned upon. Individuals are ramping up their commitment to the small changes they can make, like choosing to spend their money with brands committed to change.”

Shortland said retailers that ignore the evolving demands of consumers are likely to lose custom as shoppers align themselves with brands that are committed to economic, social and environmental sustainability.

“Ignoring the need to become more sustainable will mean society stays in a traditional linear economy with its “take-make-dispose” approach where resources are extracted, used to make products, and then discarded, with catastrophic environmental impact,” Shortland said. “The world needs to adopt a circular economy model which is about minimising waste and maximising resource efficiency and promoting a continuous cycle of material and resource use.”

Sustainable solutions

Shoplight already works with a range of recognisable brands such as LEGO, Skechers, GAIL’s Bakery, Mountain Warehouse, Itsu, H. Samuel, and Hotel Chocolat. As such, Shortland said the company is in an excellent to support other retailers with their lighting solutions.

Looking at the sustainable products available from Shoplight, Shortland highlights Nort, a solution it developed in response to a rising demand for more planet friendly lighting.

Nort is a track-mounted, 3D-printed, bioplastic spotlight designed to reduce energy consumption in both manufacture and operation. The solution is made from plant-based polymers and is built with disassembly in mind. Its raw materials can be reused, biodegraded in an industrial composter, or recycled safely.

“Shoplight is aware of the environmental impact of using aluminium in lighting products and the carbon miles generated from transporting them from the Far East,” Shortland said. “We also know many of our clients want more sustainable lighting solutions that help limit their negative impact on the planet.

“In response to the need for change, Shoplight developed Nort which proudly carries the Made in Britain mark and lays the foundation for the future of retail lighting.”

Nort uses a modular design, meaning all its key components are accessible so they can be repaired or upgraded. Shortland added that Shoplight is also developing servicing and takeback scheme that helps retailers adopt circularity into their store rollouts.

“As they develop more bioplastic products, Nort is supported by its High-Efficiency range. Rather than being shipped from China, its highefficiency range is made in the EU, reducing associated carbon miles,” Shortland said.

“The range features new high-efficiency LED modules which deliver up to 150 luminaire lumens per circuit watt that can reduce lighting energy consumption by up to 50% compared to a standard LED spotlight.”

Shortland also noted how Shoplight was granted B Corp status in 2022 and remains the only B Corp Certified retail lighting company in the UK.

“Becoming a B Corp, Shoplight joined a group of purpose-driven businesses committed to people and the planet,” Shortland said. “Shoplight’s bioplastic product development plan is closely aligned with its commitment to being a force for good.”