The center store — the heart of the grocery experience — is failing shoppers. While retailers invest heavily in fresh departments and checkout experiences, the middle of the store has remained largely unchanged for decades. The result? A disengaged shopper, lost sales, and a missed opportunity to maximize revenue.
Retailers must recognize that a thriving grocery business isn’t just about fresh — it’s about building a complete basket size, and that means optimizing the Center Store.
The Data is Clear: Center Store Needs a Refresh
Consumers have spoken: they want engaging, visually appealing shopping experiences. Yet, despite research showing that 78% of shoppers cite “an enjoyable store atmosphere” as the reason they shop in-store rather than online, the Center Store remains one of the least optimized spaces in retail.
Retailers are overlooking a crucial reality — for every 1% increase in dwell time, spending increases by 1.3%. But if shoppers are simply passing through center store aisles, their baskets aren’t growing. This is a wake-up call for retailers to rethink merchandising, lighting, and engagement strategies.
This aligns with findings from my previous blog, Why Most Grocery Remodels Fail to Deliver Results, where I detailed how the center store accounts for 52.8% of total grocery sales but only 36% of total shopping time.
The takeaway? Ignoring the center store allows leakage to other channels — focusing solely on fresh while neglecting Center Store is not a winning strategy.
Why Omnichannel Retailers Should Care About the Center Store
In today’s retail landscape, omnichannel is king. Shoppers interact with brands across multiple touchpoints — online, mobile, in-store — and expect consistency. But while online retailers invest in personalized experiences and engaging interfaces, brick-and-mortar stores often fail to bring that same level of engagement to center store aisles.
Retailers who understand this will move beyond simple shelf-stocking and start designing experiences that draw shoppers in and foster shopper loyalty. That’s where lighting, signage, video, and strategic displays come in. A comprehensive omnichannel strategy can be for naught if the last mile — the shelf edge experience — does not result in behaviors that build basket size.
The Problem with Battery-Powered ESL Tags & Dimmable Lighting
Today’s ESL technology, originally developed at MIT using E-Ink, prioritizes battery life over resolution. The result? A low-contrast, black-and-white display with some red added in recent years. The race in the industry has been to extend battery life, not to improve shopper experience.
Instead of settling for limited visibility, the industry has an opportunity to rethink ESL power sources. A low-voltage powered ESL could unlock brighter displays, more colors, and an enhanced shopper engagement. At Lighting for Impact, we challenge the industry to explore this opportunity — and we’re excited to partner with retailers who want to explore low-voltage power options, especially when it comes to optimizing the shelf-edge.
The Low-Voltage Highway
Imagine a future where retailers can power high-resolution ESLs through a low-voltage infrastructure, eliminating the limitations of battery-powered tags. While this technology is not widely available today, we believe the industry must explore this path.
Lighting for Impact already provides low-voltage power strips that simplify store resets, align digital marketing with display merchandising, and ensure a future-proof infrastructure that adapts to your store. Now we are exploring the potential of a low-voltage “smart rail”—a system that could support advanced ESLs, digital signage, and lighting, all in one connected infrastructure without expensive rewiring or electrical work.
While not yet on the market, we challenge the industry to think beyond batteries and embrace what’s possible when powering retail displays.
The Competitive Advantage of Brick-and-Mortar Retail
E-commerce has changed the way people shop, but physical stores still hold a major advantage: touch and feel, immediacy, and real-world engagement. According to Mood Media, 90% of shoppers are more likely to revisit a store if the music, visuals, and scent create an enjoyable atmosphere, and 75% of shoppers say they are more likely to stay in the store longer.
Customers can see, smell, and experience products in a way that online shopping can’t replicate. But if retailers fail to create compelling center store experiences, they’re giving up this advantage.
Here’s what needs to change:
- Better lighting: Shelf-edge illumination draws attention to products and makes aisles more inviting.
- Strategic merchandising: Thoughtful product placement and in-aisle signage drive impulse purchases.
- In-store storytelling: Use lighting and interactive displays to guide the shopper journey, just as an e-commerce site would.
Lighting is one of the most effective and affordable ways to enhance product visibility and drive sales. As I mentioned in Why Most Grocery Remodels Fail to Deliver Results, extending trip time by just three minutes can increase sales by 10%, and retail shelf lighting is a proven tool to accomplish this.
Invest in the Middle, Not Just the Perimeter
Retailers have long prioritized the perimeters of their stores, but it’s time to rethink the role of the center aisles. With the right approach, these spaces can become high-performing, revenue-driving sections that encourage engagement and increase basket sizes.
Instead of pushing more lumens from the ceiling, retailers should reallocate budgets to more effective, shopper-facing solutions, such as:
- Shelf-edge lighting
- ESLs with vibrant four-color, value-added information
- Small video screens for targeted promotions and dynamic pricing
- Low-voltage power strips that make resets and updates seamless
We’re Not Just Selling — We’re Partnering with You
We’re not here to sell from a catalog — we are here to walk your stores with you, understand your needs, and customize a solution that drives real results. Our experienced sales team isn’t just about selling products; they understand strategy and retail execution.
That’s why we’re offering to work directly with grocery retailers, helping them reimagine their center store merchandising and marketing — without the cost and complexity of a full remodel.
Check out these “after” photos, showing how shelf-edge illumination makes center store products, including their canned goods and health and beauty aids, more appealing.
Illuminate Your Profits
Grocery remodels don’t have to fail. By shifting the focus to high-impact, cost-effective solutions like shelf-edge lighting, retailers can enhance the shopper experience, stop sales leakage, boost center store profitability, and improve ROI.
If you’re ready to unlock the hidden potential of your store, schedule a consultation with Lighting for Impact today. Let us show you how strategic lighting and low-voltage solutions can transform your space — without breaking your budget.
👉 Learn more about the science behind center store sales or contact us for a custom lighting demo.
