Your in-store signage is the first point of contact between your retail business and your customers, and critical to creating a valuable customer experience. In fact, 88% of independent store owners surveyed by A.R.E. | POPAI intend to increase their budget for signs and graphics over their previous year’s spend.
Retail signs are a highly effective way of converting customers and influencing and driving sales. However, it’s important that you fall in line with existing best practice for the best effect, because if you’re not displaying your message effectively or in the best possible way, then your investment will be wasted.
Invest in quality
Start by investing in the best quality materials you can afford. This projects a serious and professional image of your business and inspires confidence. When your wayfinding signs are high quality and your halo lit fascia sign is eye-catching and high impact, you’ll differentiate yourself from the competition in the most effective way possible.
Narrowcast your message
Visitors to your store may be time poor and not in the mindset to be receptive to a large message. By narrowcasting – literally narrowing your message down to the essentials – you’ll keep the content of your retail signs crisp and current. Keep your signage location-specific or product relevant for the best effect.
Be consistent in your signboard usage
If you only use your signs to showcase promotional offers or point the way to the toilets, then you’re guilty of not using your retail signs as effectively as you could. When creating wayfinding signs, walk the store to create the most consistent path through each zone and then think about the ways you can incorporate retail signboards to drive sales and engage with your customers by using signs to convert interest in a product to a sale.
Think about signage placement
Window signs will need to be anti-glare, exterior signs need to be legible from a distance and promotional offer signs need to be placed in your customers’ eyeline. The placement you use for your signs is critical to their effectiveness, so think carefully about positioning, lighting and colour schemes for your retail signs.
Keep it simple
Try writing your signs as headlines with a clear hierarchy – headline text, message body, call to action. The fewer words you can use to put across your message, the more effective it will be, so use the 5-second rule to refine your signs. If it takes longer than 5 seconds to convey your message, then you need to go back to the drawing board. An effective sign has one simple goal – to encourage the customer to act in a way that benefits your business.
Ask the experts
Looking for effective signage in London? At The Sussex Sign Company, we’re experts in getting the best possible return for your investment. We can create a suite of signs and signboards that will promote your business and convert passersby into customers, so contact us via phone or email today for more details.