Well-designed lighting can help your shop attract customers and keep them in store.

Ultimately, it can help you make sales.

Poorly-designed lighting can end up fighting against all the other good work being done in your shop to make it attractive to customers.

Here are our tips to getting your shop lighting to work for you:

Create product spotlights

If you have showpiece items which are likely to bring people into your store or keep them interested in staying in it, you could create a product spotlight area.

Clever lighting can highlight your showpiece product while dimming the lights slightly around it.

You could use overhead lighting, up lighting, or side lighting to give your items impact.

Your go-to item will really pop when your customers see it.

Create a route through your shop

You don’t have to draw arrows on the flooring to get your customers to follow the path you’d like through your shop.

There are several techniques savvy shopkeepers use to keep people in their shop longer – giving them the best chance of making a sale. Lighting can be a big part of that.

Make your threshold light and bright – it’s your first impression.

Retailers know that 90% of people will instinctively turn to the right when going into a shop, so it’s best not to fight this. Create your most impressive display there and light it well.

Create a clear walking path from that point around the store. Light the path more slightly more brightly than other areas to help people follow it, ensuring they can still see your products clearly.

Even subtle differences in brightness will make a subconscious difference.

Segment your shop into different areas

You could do this with the brightness of your lights and different colours to create areas with different moods.

You could dim lights to make people more relaxed in certain areas – especially useful if you have products in that area which enhance relaxation, like aromatic oils or candles.

You could create a light bright play area which would attract children to toys or books aimed at them.

Don’t over-highlight counter areas

Keeping counter areas to a minimum and getting employees to walk around the store helps to make it look busy and breaks down the ‘us’ and ‘them’ barriers between staff and customers.

Don’t spoil that effect by having a huge spotlight over your counter areas.

While you want people to know where to pay and get help, it would be better to make them a key destination on your shop walking route.

Whether you’re in fashion, electronics, arts and crafts, or food retailing, great lighting could help your customers have a lightbulb moment and make that purchase!

If you’d like experienced electricians who can help you design your shop lighting in Cardiff, South Wales, and further afield, call us on 0645 003 6856. Discover our services for retailers here: /commercial-services/.

The post-Christmas sales are an excellent opportunity to pick up an electrical bargain.

If you’re after an iPad, hair straighteners, a coffee machine, or some new tools, you should know what to look out for - and what your rights as a consumer are if you buy items in a sale.

Watch out for:

Sales tickets – they must show both the previous price and the new, discounted sales price.

Items must have been on sale at the original price for 28 consecutive days or more in that store, unless a sign explains different offer terms.

Goods shouldn’t be sold at the sale price for longer than the higher price unless a sign explains how the sale differs from the rules.

If the goods aren’t faulty:

You may not be entitled to return it. You need to check if the retailer has a returns policy allowing you to exchange it or get a refund.

Shops don’t have to have a policy, but they must stick to it if they have one.

Many shops which do have a policy put a time limit on returning goods which aren’t faulty – like 28 days. Check before you buy.

If the goods are faulty:

If something you buy is faulty you have the right to return it under the Consumer Rights Act even if it was bought in a sale.

The act applies to all purchases made on or after October 1 2015.

Items must be as they were described and of satisfactory quality. They must also be fit for purpose.

You are entitled to a refund, a replacement, or a repair if goods are faulty, and no retailer can try to limit this in their sales.

If you return a faulty item within 30 days, you should be given a full refund – unless you were told about the faults before you bought it.

If a retailer refuses, Which? has a template letter you can send to complain. You can find it here: http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/letter/letter-to-complain-if-a-retailer-wont-take-back-faulty-sale-goods.

What are your rights when shopping online?

You have extra rights if you buy items in an online sale – thanks to the Consumer Contracts Regulations.

You must return the goods within 14 calendar days and refunds must be paid after the return of the goods – make sure you get evidence of postage.

You can cancel your order for items bought online any time from when you place your order to up to 14 days after to receive them.

Read more about your online rights here: http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/consumer-contracts-regulations.

Need help with home repairs or wiring for your new home cinema? Find out what we can do for you: http://www.sonikelectrical.co.uk/domestic-services/.

Are you a gadget king or queen?

For tech-heads and gadget obsessives, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.

So, we’ve put together our list of the top 7 electrical gadgets you’ll want to see under your tree.

1.      iPhone 7

The iPhone 7 sparked queues when it was released and it’s bound to be a popular present this Christmas with all members of the family.

Alongside all the usual iPhone functions, the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus have excellent cameras, stereo speakers, and they’re waterproof.

You can get an iPhone 7 with zero up front cost and £44.50 monthly contract.

2.      Anki Cozmo robot

The cutest robot on the block. Cozmo has a sophisticated neural network, recognises its owner, is ready to play games, and expresses feelings on its display.

A developer platform can be used to add more features to your favourite bot, making it a user-friendly way to learn about robotics.

It’s a sophisticated machine with four motors allowing it to move around and a VGA camera to help it see its surroundings. It’s available online now and expected to be widely available in UK stores in 2017.

Available online from £316.

3.      Apple Watch series 2

Apple has made some serious improvements to the latest watch – including making it waterproof, readable in direct sunlight, and giving it GPS.

It has all the functions of the first Apple Watch, too.

Available from £338.

4.      360 fly 4k action camera

If you want crystal clear 360-degree footage, this is the camera for you. It has a 240-degree fish-eye lens, so this camera means you don’t need to stitch content together.

It has a resolution of 2,800 pixels by 2,800 pixels, 64GB of memory, a built-in gyroscope, smartphone app controls, an accelerometer, and a GPS antenna.

It has a shockproof and waterproof body and can be connected to via wi-fi and Bluetooth.

From £599.

5.      SteelSeries Arctis gaming headphones

Great for gamers – whatever their age – or those who love to listen to loud music.

Their sound quality is excellent, they’re comfortable, and the microphone is sensitive enough for in-game talk and making Skype calls.

From £89.

6.      Amazon Echo dot

Powered by Amazon’s Alexa smart home platform, this gadget connects to your speakers and take voice commands.

It’s an affordable way to dip your toes into the water when it comes to smart home products.

From £50.

7.      DJI Phantom 4 drone

This drone can capture 4K video – and its footage is excellent quality – and HD images in slow motion.

It can track moving objects, automatically avoid obstacles, and its top speed is 44mph.

It has up to 28 minutes of time in the air and a range of 3.1 miles.

From £950 with beginner’s pack.

Need help from a professional to fix or upgrade your home electrics? Check out our services for householders here: http://www.sonikelectrical.co.uk/domestic-services/.