Ever since he discovered the concept of buying and selling, man has created and perfected his ability to catch the eye of his fellow humans and simple consumers. Either we talk about scraping letters and symbols on stone walls, childishly painting on pieces of rotten wooden planks or simply using the power and depth of their voices, ancient vendors were desperate enough to do all it takes to attract potential buyers.
We have to give it to them, they had the gift of the gab, but also some damn big signs standing behind them, so you know for sure he is selling the best fish you can ever put hands on.
But we are no longer simply relying on big letters carved on walls (cause we might draw the attention of the not so nice people in uniforms) and endless yelling, although it worked just fine in the past. We need to step up our game and keep up with the forever changing times.
Here are 5 benefits of retail signage and how can they transform the experience of your customers.
#1. Big signs call for big chances of attracting people
You can provide the best quality out there, but it is all in vain if you are the only one that knows that. Especially when you are just starting your business and your popularity is still in formation, make sure you do everything to lure your customers in subtle (well if you can say a neon advertising sign is subtle, but you get my point) and subliminal ways.
It is all about getting out there and presenting yourself to the public, creating your brand and displaying it to the people. They need to know about you and that your shop exists and that what you have is the hottest thing in town. Next time you sell two coffees at the price of one, make sure you have a colorful and creative sign standing outside informing people of that. It is kind of like the modern version of yelling in the marketplace that your booth has the freshest fish. You are in constant competition with the whole industry. Do you get my point now?
#2. Position is the key to succeed
It is of vital importance how and especially where you put your signs when it comes to advertise and promote your goods. There are two different types of retail signs with two different purposes and roles. The first category is the indoor signs. They usually guide the customers and inform them of particular characteristics of the products. These are the promotional
These are the promotional signs for example, those that we see in supermarkets and hypermarkets that tell the customers the bargain of the day. There are also the signs that the stores use to give the directions customers need in order to search and find where the products are displaced and how to reach them more easily. It is a very well-thought system.
The second category is the outdoor one, they are more explicit, more ”in your face” kind of signs, as they draw the attention of the customers, they promote what the store has to offer, they basically advertise the image of the store and is the first thing people see and remember. All big companies used them at least once during their promotional campaigns, so why shouldn’t you do the same?
#3. Having an impact on your clients
When you try to advertise something is not always important what you say, but what how you say it and what kind of impact you have on people. Of course, do not talk nonsense, but focus more on the visuals. Now that technology has become the core of society and its ability to function, its importance in the retail industry is tremendous. And you need to take advantage and use it.
Here I am talking about digital signage, that is bigger and better than ever. And their impact is the same. Enormous, flashy and a little bit intimidating, we have to admit, these kinds of signs are the latest trend in the advertising industry and they get the job done. Very well I might say.
A study conducted in Sweden in 2012 found that drivers spend significantly longer looking at the digital billboards they pass than traditional billboards. Not that would come as a surprise, colors and fluency is always more attractive than traditional, plain and static. And speaking of this comparison, one study used anonymous video analytics to log the number of people who noticed both static and digital signs at multiple locations.
The number of “impressions” logged by the static sign peaked on its first day in place. After that, they dropped off and remained low for the remaining weeks of the study. But the digital signs received consistently high numbers of impressions throughout the study—receiving almost as many every day as the static sign received the first day.
#4. Inducing impulsive buying
Have you ever found yourself craving for a tasty Big Mac just by seeing their huge billboard? You want to munch too on those crispy fries, I am sure. Everything for just 10 bucks. And all it took was a nice well-done picture and a few touch-ups. It is amazing how our brains can be fooled by just a combination of colors and shapes. And big companies know all too well how to use this in their advantage. But is a clever method that works undoubtedly.
#5. “The silent salesman”
This is how retail signage has been called in the industry and there are a series of reasons why. First of all, it establishes a connection with the buyer and is the first level that he comes into contact with during the shopping experience. It creates expectation, it promotes and sells only by existing. It doesn’t need to move and yell. It just stands there, waiting for the next individual that hasn’t yet heard of your sensational offer.
So complex in their diversity of shapes, colors and sizes, retail signs are a universal key to reach any buyer’s heart, evolving alongside society and overcoming the barriers of imagination. Make and use your own.