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Textiles and Light Industrial Science and Technology (TLIST) Volume 5, 2016 doi: 10.14355/tlist.2016.05.002
The Impact of Lighting on Textile Color: Controlling Quality from the Supply Chain to Retail Display Gallayanee Yaoyuneyong1, Mary Ann Moore*2 The University of Southern Mississippi, Department of Marketing and Merchandising, 118 College Drive #5091 Hattiesburg MS 39402 1
Florida State University, Department of Retail, Merchandise, and Product Development, 120 Convocation Way Tallahassee FL 32306 USA 2
gallayanee.yaoyuneyong@usm.edu;*2mmoore@fsu.edu
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Abstract Lighting decisions directly impact costs and sales of textile products, making it important that industry experts and retailers are aware of the significant effect of lighting on apparent textile color in visual displays. In this study, a three-part investigation explored the interaction of illuminants with apparent textile color in terms of the CIELAB color difference variables: L*, a*, and b*. Results demonstrate that use of a single illuminant during instrumental color measurement does not provide adequate or accurate color quality control, since retailers use multiple types of in-store illuminants. The need to investigate LEDs as future retail illuminants is also discussed. Keywords Illuminants; Retail Lighting; Color Measurement; Dressing Room Lights; Apparent Color
Introduction The effect of lighting on the color of textile products is an integral component of retail design and visual merchandising. A number of studies have identified relationships between color and consumers’ perceptions of merchandise attributes [1-4]. Among fashion textile products such as apparel and home furnishings, product color is one of the most important attributes impacting consumer purchase decisions [2]. Retail lighting, which allows consumers to view product color, is therefore critical to the success of any brick-and-mortar business. At one time, retailers used a single class of illuminant, Cool White Fluorescent (CWF) [5]. Currently, however, multiple illuminant types are used in retail stores; both incandescent and fluorescent lights have been widely adopted [6-10] along with daylight simulates (D65) and Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) [11]. Unfortunately, most studies which have investigated textile color considered only D65 (daylight) lighting [12-14]. This is problematic because inconsistent use of lighting can negatively influence consumer perception of merchandise color at the retail level [15]. Consumer disappointment when color fails to match their evaluative criteria leads directly to monetary loss for retailers [1]. Inaccurate apparel displays can cause increased returns, as well as shopper dissatisfaction and complaints, leading to increased costs in reverse logistics and customer service [15]. Ultimately, inaccurate lighting of textile goods can lead to both loss-of-sales and patronage loss [15]. In 1976, the International Commission on Illumination (Commission Internatioanl de I’Eclairage, or CIE) defined a three-variable opponent-color system known as CIE L* a* b* (CIELAB), based on the biophysical science of human color perception, which therefore enables the accurate description of color [16-17]. CIELAB measured three color dimensions: Lightness/Darkness (L*), Redness-to-Greenness (a*), and Yellowness-to-Blueness (b*). In addition to providing a scientific color model, CIE defined a number of illuminants, including close replicates of natural sunlight and commonly used artificial light sources [16-17]. This study was designed to allow retailers and industry experts to make informed decisions regarding the effect of lighting on color of textile products in visual displays. Towards this end, this study consists of a three-part
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