Price pressure is a persistent challenge being faced by lighting and shading businesses in custom integration (CI) today, but the solution might not necessarily lie in finding ways to trim expense and match the competition. For dealers, the answer may lie in educating customers on why your fixtures should cost more than the rest, at least according to recent findings from CE Pro’s Lighting & Shading Deep Dive.
Clients often miss value associated with higher cost in CI-grade fixtures
When CE Pro asked respondents in the 2026 Lighting & Shading survey what the greatest challenge to further growing their lighting and shading business might be, 33.3% of respondents listed Price Pressure as the largest hurdle.
That was then followed by Client Education at 26.7% with the next closest being a tie at 10% between Coordination with Trades and Labor/Installation Complexity.
In follow-ups to this question, however, integrators pointed out that while Price Pressure is a main concern, it’s an issue closely tied to Client Education in a lot of cases.
The problem many respondents outlined is that clients aren’t immediately aware of what they’re getting with the cost of a CI-grade fixture. More technical aspects that directly contribute to fixture performance often go unrecognized, and it can be difficult to articulate effectively how it improves a homeowner’s living experience.
Integrators are often faced with a strict timer to get their point across
Part of that challenge could be compounded based on where integrators get brought into the conversation, however. While 41% of respondents mostly work new construction, 59% report being brought in at the construction documents stage rather than at the conceptual design stage.
Justifying the higher cost of lighting fixtures to clients
In speaking on the report’s findings, Cole Hathcock, Lighting Designer for Logic Integration, notes that when it comes to lighting, education needs to be visual.
“Demos, mockups, and renderings do it best, but when you do have to speak on the topic, simplify language to focus on experience, not specs. Collaborating with architects and designers is also key. The biggest shift is positioning lighting as intentional design, not an upgrade.”
These discussions also need to occur much earlier in the construction process, as well, Hathcock points out. According to Hathcock, this later entry constrains design flexibility and educational opportunities.
Following up on that, Jake Vitrofsky, COO of HEDSouth outlines that being able to get other trades on board can be beneficial in opening more of the budget to go to lighting.
“It is important to remember from an education standpoint that what is important to another trade is specific to their interests,” adds Vitrofsky. “The architect may be more interested in learning about the lighting product that is super flexible and fits anywhere as opposed to the interior designer that may be interested in a CRI deep dive to learn about how the artificial lighting is going to render the colors of the finishes that they have selected.”
How is this impacting growth within the lighting category?
Are these hurdles dampening the spirits of firms dealing in lighting and shading? Hardly. When asked 70% still rated themselves as Very Confident in being able to grow lighting and shading revenue moving forward with only a scant 6.7% were neutral on the matter.
It also seems like personnel isn’t a limiting factor for growth either, as only 44.8% said they expected to hire new personnel as part of expanding their business.
In fact, Hathcock points out that the solutions to alleviating pricing pressure and client education are tied directly to what he views as the formula for growth within lighting.
“An integrator can grow their lighting and shading business when they stop outsourcing design thinking and bring lighting expertise in-house. This includes hiring or developing a lighting designer, owning fixture specification, not just control, and getting involved earlier with architects and builders. Lighting growth follows design credibility.”
Interested in learning more about the state of the Lighting & Shading category in 2026? Stay tuned for our continued coverage as part of our Lighting & Shading Deep Dive, and download the full report for all the insights needed to keep your business in the know when it becomes available.
FAQ
What’s the methodology behind CE Pro’s Lighting & Shading Survey?
Soliciting open participation from members of the custom integration (CI) industry, CE Pro opened its Lighting & Shading survey for the months of March and April, asking integrators to respond to questions related to their lighting and shading businesses for the 2025 fiscal year.
Analysis of these findings was conducted by CE Pro editors as well as Cole Hathcock, Lighting Designer for Logic Integration; and Jake Vitrofsky, COO of HEDSouth.
What is CE Pro’s Lighting & Shading Deep Dive?
The CE Pro Lighting & Shading Deep Dive holds a magnifying glass up to two of the fastest growing categories within custom integration (CI). For 2026, CE Pro has mixed up the formula, combining both categories into a single, extensive look into two areas of an integrator’s business that have become inextricably linked to one another in attempt to not only identify opportunity and growth for business, but also to see how these powerhouse categories are uplifting other technology stacks within an integrator’s arsenal.
This article is part of a series for CE Pro’s Lighting & Shading Deep Dive exploring different aspects of the lighting and shading categories for custom integration.
