MANILA, Philippines - When Philips introduced to the Asian press its AmbiScene, the Dutch global electronics giant?s flexible-lighting technology, it was as if a voice could be heard from Singapore?s vast Suntec hall: ?Let there be light!?

The biblical allusion may be a bit of a stretch for the imagination, but for retailers eager for a good window display and a catchy shop layout, AmbiScene is heaven-sent. (Oops, there?s the biblical hyperbole again!)

AmbiScene brings the benefit of flexible lighting to the world of retail. Through AmbiScene, shops, according to Philips officials, could adjust their lighting so as to adapt and suit it according to the needs of their customers or their communication strategies.

It?s ironic that as shopping becomes more dynamic, store layouts seem to become more static and lifeless. Part of the ?bland bandwagon? owes to the rather inert and limp lighting.

AmbiScene seeks to put the life back into lighting.

Not only that. For Chandrasekhar V., senior director of BU Luminaires of Philips Lighting Asean, AmbiScene trains the spotlight on shopping.

Lighting and branding

?Philips? flexible lighting is really designed for the retail industry,? said Chandrasekhar. ?Lighting can enable a mall or a shop to create a niche, an identity. It can also provide a brand with a new marketing pull. It can differentiate your brand.?

The Philips official explained that lighting, with all its nuances and shadings, can make a dramatic difference in a retail shop. AmbiScene, a portmanteau which derives from ?ambience? and ?scene,? should equip retailers with lighting solutions to provide their customers a very memorable shopping experience.

Shopper?s paradise

AmbiScene is especially suited to enhance the reputation of regional retailers and consolidate Asia?s reputation as a shopping mecca. But in such a situation, retailers must be competitive.

Chandraskekhar said that in a very competitive field, the retailer must stand out. ?One way (to keep up with the competition) is to keep creating a new look, a new feel,? he said.

But constantly creating a new look in order to stand out and be distinctive could be costly.

?A more practical and efficient approach is to use flexible lighting, which can give the retailer the freedom to create a whole new flexible approach toward a unique look and feel,? the Philips official said.

AmbiScene is dynamic lighting, flexible and adaptable, customized to the needs of both retailers and consumers.

Matthew Cobhan of Philip?s Lighting said AmbiScene affords the retailer ?lighting control right in his fingertip.?

?The lighting can be selectively created for the entire store or an individual part of the store,? he said. ?It can even be enhanced to focus on one individual customer or a target group of shoppers.?

Cobham emphasized that AmbiScene is ?customer-friendly? and a form of ?customer empowerment.?

?Flexible lighting can keep pace with the speed at which collection, people and trends change,? he said. ?It puts the customers-and their dominant and changing shopping motivations-at the heart of store design.?

?Flexible lighting can keep pace with the speed at which collections, people and trends change,? said Shiang Ning Wee, general manager for lighting division of Philips. ?It puts the customers - and their dominant and changing shopping motivations - at the heart of store design.?

Stage design

In a way, the innovation derives some of its concepts and practices from stage design, where lighting is a key element.

In the Suntec exhibit, leading Singapore architect Khoo Peng Beng explained how architects depend much on lessons learned from the best production and lighting designers from the performing arts.

?We need a new paradigm in exterior and interior lighting,? he said. ?A space must have depth, dimension and drama. All of these are available with AmbiScene, and the foremost beneficiaries are architects and interior designers like me, and by extension, retailers.?

?The innovation and flexibility behind Philips AmbiScene allows retailers to create and adapt the lighting to suit their customer groups, needs and communication strategies. It is also an adaptive tool for connecting with customers on an emotional level, thus helping to create lasting brand impressions.?

Heat concern

Philips officials said more lights do not necessarily mean more heat, an apprehension frequently expressed in tropical Southeast Asia where temperature can reach scorching levels.

Chandrasekhar explained that Philips AmbiScene uses LED (solid-state lighting) and CDM (ceramic metal halide lighting), which generate less heat and are energy-efficient. Moreover, they provide better and more consistent lighting.

Since LED doesn?t give off too much heat, the shelf life of goods-whether food or merchandise-is extended.

Although LED costs higher than conventional light, it is more cost-efficient. It lasts three to four years or around 35,000 hours. Fluorescent lamps last for only a thousand hours and have to be replaced three or four times a year.

Boost to retailers

Leading Philippine retailers who saw the Singapore exhibit said Philips? AmbiScene would help boost their store presentations.

?I?m very happy Philips was able to come up with, it gives me a whole range to work with,? said Gonzalo Roque III, president of Kamiseta and Milk & Co.

Meanwhile, Roberto S. Claudio, chairman and CEO of Toby?s Sports, the Philippines? leading one-stop sports shop, said the new lighting technology should complement Toby?s shops? shift to interactivity and dynamism.

?Definitely, AmbiScene is dynamic lighting,? Claudio said.