If you want to run a successful retail business that attracts the right customers and generates sales, people need to notice you. The smart retailers know that it starts with having the right signage. Good quality signs are a great way to generate foot traffic and communicate your message across to the customers when designing your store. Good signage is as important to your brick-and-mortar business as your website design and your retail signage must never be treated like an afterthought.
Just like the sales copy in your website must be concise and attention-grabbing, your in-store signs must be useful and clear. They are your silent salespeople. They help your customers to explore the store without having to ask any questions to your sales staff.
The visibility, colour, quality and messaging of the signs requires a certain amount of consideration and development. Like your employees, signs can be given tasks on-the-job, ranging from wayfinding and product information to sales information and more. Here’s a list of some of the best practices when considering your store signage and layout:
- Be Specific A custom sign can help you deliver the right message in the right place. Make sure to include specific details like the relevant product information and instructions that are location specific.
- Keep It Simple Signs that have too much information tend to be ignored. If you can convey all the essential information in five seconds, you have a good sign. If it takes any longer than that, you need to shorten the length of your message and use a series of signs instead.
- Headline Text This should be the guiding principle to keeping it simple and concise. Just like in print journalism, the headline grabs the reader. If you can simplify your text by taking out extra words and prepositions, you should. The general message hierarchy you need to follow is: headline, explanation, and a call to action.
The most important retail signage types you should have in your brick-and-mortar store:
- Outdoor Signage It is the most important sign in physical retail as it needs to be attractive enough to get the customers to set foot inside your shop. It is the first impression that the prospective customers have and it is the biggest hurdle to beginning the relationship. They shouldn’t just say who you are; they should create a want within the customer. Even people who have passed by your store many times before should want to come in and give it a chance. These signs usually take the form of pylon signs, channel letters, fascia signs, window signs, awnings, or sidewalk signs. Place the custom signs where they are most visible to the drive-by and walk-by traffic. They should be branded to draw in the customer and convey the experience that they can expect.
