Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Shop Signs!

You’ve spent months of planning, designing and building to spruce up the interior of your high street shop. It’s now opening day, and despite the marketing campaign you don’t attract anywhere near as many customers as you hoped and expected. It hurts even more because you’re sure you did everything right, no?

The answer could be staring you in the face. It’s often overlooked, but thankfully very straightforward to put right – the issue is signage. With market research suggesting that in the UK, even in the contemporary age of social media and the internet, up to 50 percent of new customers make an on-the-spot decision to enter your shop on the basis of your signage outside.

But it’s not just new businesses that risk putting themselves at peril by underestimating the importance of signage. Regardless of the age or nature of the business, there are a whole host of reasons why signage shouldn’t simply be an afterthought, but rather must be a well-integrated facet of any marketing plan. We’re going to take a look at a few of these now.

Shop Signs and New Custom

The answer, according to a wealth of market research, suggests that signage is highly important due to its effect on attracting new customers. Seeking new custom is a task that no business is exempt from and must do in order to survive, whether the company has a hundred years of trading behind it or only opened last month.

Indeed, one study showed that just under 30 percent of those passing your premises won’t even be aware that your business exists if you don’t have visible and clear signage on your shop frontage. This means that your business misses out on opportunistic and impulse buyers, resulting in an immediate loss of both footfall and profit.

This has the knock-on effect of depriving your business of the repeat custom that can arise from wowing these impulse buyers with excellent customer service. As well as the repeat custom of new visitors, your business will also miss out on the chance for these customers to be impressed and drive even more custom by doing your promotional work for you via word of mouth.

Further marketing studies have found that, depending on the focus and location of your business, the proportion of impulse buyers varies from 25 to 45 percent. Given all of the above benefits to be derived from attracting new and opportunistic custom alone, imagine the power of a sign that reminds this demographic that they’ve been meaning to buy such-and-such for a while, and that your store happens to sell it?

Driving Local Custom

Most bricks-and-mortar shops are generally dependant on local custom for the majority of their business, making signage highly important for shops in this position. It won’t come as a surprise to shop owners to learn that, on average, 85 percent of a shop’s customers live within five miles of the store. What’s more, people living within this radius, including non-customers, will be exposed to your signs around 50 to 60 times a week if your store is located on a busy thoroughfare.

This represents a vast pool of potential customers, but only if these people know where your store is located and what it has to offer them. People who have been recommended to visit your shop will also need to be able to find your premises, and preferably as easily as possible. The statistics and studies quoted above clearly show that signage is the most effective way to communicate these important pieces of information to your target market.

It’s also worth remembering that this pool of potential new customers renews and changes annually, as around 20 percent of the population move house ever year. In light of the growing popularity of e-commerce and internet shopping, along with the capacity of shop signage to maximise the pulling and selling power of your store, shop signs are clearly something that can no longer be ignored or left as an afterthought.

Shop Signs: A Business Investment?

As we’ve seen, signs are vital for driving new custom for all businesses, whether they’re new start-ups or established old hands. In this sense, shop signage is most accurately viewed as an investment like any other – it involves an initial expenditure which should, if employed correctly, deliver a substantial return.

Signage is also well placed to produce a particularly substantial return on investment. Shop frontage signs are in operation 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, spreading your message to anyone and everyone who ventures past your premises. Compared to hiring a newspaper advert for a week, or a TV slot or billboard for a month, it is clear that, as a form of advertisement and promotion, signage is without a doubt the most effective means of reaching your target audience of potential customers.

On the other hand it’s worth noting that poor or absent signage due to lack of investment doesn’t just mean that no money is spent on signage – it means that the business is actively losing money as a result of failing to attract potential customers daily. This lost revenue adds up over time, alongside lost engagement and connections with these potentially life-long customers.

Final Thoughts

Any business decision involving expenditure should be carefully planned and thought through, especially something with the power and effect of signage. Fortunately, we at The Sussex Sign Company are well-placed to help guide you and your business through any hard decisions. With over two decades’ experience in the sector, we have the expertise to help draw up a tailor-made solution to the uniquely specific needs and requirements of your firm. Get in touch today to find out what we can do together, call us on 01273 417057

Shop Window Signs

Shop window signs – facts and figures that you shouldn’t ignore

The high street has always been competitive, but with the rise of the internet and e-commerce, it’s more important than ever to have a shopfront that draws attention, piques interest and stands out from the crowd. Your shopfront embodies your business and is the first physical thing that potential customers interact with. It’s therefore important for numerous reasons that any shopfront and window signs communicate precisely the image that your business seeks to project. In this post, we try to answer any questions you might have around shop window signage.

What are signs for?

It might sound like a silly question, but the answer goes deeper than you might think. At face value, the purpose of signage is to communicate to the public that your business exists. The type, form and appearance of the sign, if done properly and with consideration, might inform the consumer about the nature of the business.

Another way in which to understand the importance of a sign is consider it as a silent salesperson, “selling” your business to potential customers by drawing attention to it and helping to differentiate it from the blur of other shops on the high street. If successful, therefore, shop window signs can be an effective and easy way to increase foot traffic, giving a purpose to signage beyond simply marking your existence. Indeed, signage serves as the initial link between your business and its customers (to be).

Viewed from yet another slightly different angle, signage could be seen as the real-world equivalent of web design. Businesses routinely splash out thousands on web design, but physical signage is often treated only as an afterthought. Both are as important as each other, however, and the amount of attention, time and capital you decide to allocate to each one should depend upon the primary market focus of your business.

Why are signs so significant to a business?

Any business that fails to make window signage a central component of its overall marketing strategy can only put itself at a disadvantage. Depending on the location, your signage could be visible to hundreds or thousands of people every day, delivering the same coverage as a billboard at a fraction of the price. And unlike other means of advertising, such as television or radio, window signs are visible 24/7.

The importance of brand recognition

Signs can contain your business’ logo, helping to build brand recognition and familiarity. This is important, with research suggesting that 85 per cent of the customers of a small, independent shop live or work within 3 miles of it, on average. There’s also evidence to suggest that consumers are risk-averse, preferring to buy from companies they’ve already heard of, so striking window signage can help sow seeds that may bloom into sales further down the line.

This makes sense – once customers know where and what your business is, thanks to your shop window signs, it will be at the front of their mind when they think of where they could go to acquire what it is that your business provides. And this is key – this familiarity, in time, develops into a sense of ‘local community’. Aided by involvement in local affairs, such as sponsoring a local sports team, your business will come to be seen as a truly community entity, which, given the current movement to support local business, helps to give you the edge over corporate and chain competitors. And all of this starts with a recognisable sign!What other benefits do shop window signs have to offer?

High quality signs can give the impression of professionalism, working on the idea that if the signage is of superior quality, then the products or services provided by the business will be too. First impressions are particularly important – they’re formed in an instant, and second chances are hard to come by!

Another benefit derived from high visibility window signs is that they ensure you’ll be found. Many customers, especially younger ones, may initially find your shop online by searching for the service or product that you provide. Others may be travelling from other areas, or trying to find your shop having been advised by friends. Market research has shown that between 20 to 45 per cent of purchases are made on impulse, so window signs encouraging this sort of shopping (think ‘sale’) may be particularly successful.

Some statistics also suggest that up to 15 per cent of the population relocate every year, and although their destinations are highly location-dependent, this is likely to mean a steady flow of potential customers to be attracted by your signs. Naturally, you’ll want to make it as easy as possible for all of these prospective customers to find you, and window signs help you to very effectively achieve this.

The economic question

As with any investment, business owners will want to ensure that they will receive a good return on their outlay. The installation of shop window signs has been shown to directly increase sales – so too has simply changing the sign, suggesting that it’s a good idea to freshen up your frontage every now and then. Signage is generally a very cost-effective option for advertising and promotion. Measured by cost-per-thousand-impressions, signage is far cheaper than radio, television or newspapers.

Conclusions

It goes without saying that to unleash the full effect, your shop window signage should be just one part of a larger sign-based marketing campaign. There are many other types of signs which could deliver a plethora of benefits to your business. Here at The Sussex Sign Company, we have the expertise and experience to help you find the most appropriate signage solution to achieve your desired strategic goals.

For help or more information please call us on 01273 417057 or email us here.

New concept in LED Lighting

Wandlite have launched a new LED light model, which has the ability to offer 360 degree tube lighting. The product is waterproof, durable and long lasting.

In the past, there has been a tendency for LED manufacturers to focus on the capabilities of the light, rather than the design elements. However, with the new Wandlite, it remains visually attractive as well as practical. The LED tape has been spiral wound along the tube to better direct the light.

This new LED light is extremely energy efficient. It uses 12v or power, but only takes up 1.2 amps of energy per metre. It can be used where there is no direct electrical supply, including outdoor and temporary settings. In these cases, the light can be used with a rechargeable battery, solar panel, car battery or cigarette lighter.

The Wandlite is available in a range of lengths, from 800mm to 2000mm. They can be used to independently or a number of tubes can be connected together to create a longer length. It can also be produced in a range of colours to meet customer needs.

Here at The Sussex Sign Company we can offer a range of illuminated signs to suit the requirements of our customers.

Traditional signage undergoing resurgence

As more businesses look to stand out from the crowd and create their own unique identity, there has been an increased demand for signs that have a more traditional look and feel.

One of the growing trends in the signage industry is signs that combine both old and new, such as modern fonts mixed with old fashioned artwork. This enables businesses to do something different from other brands, without taking away the relevance of their offering for the modern consumer. This growth has even eclipsed the recession and the ensuing downturn on Britain’s high streets.

These modern signs with a traditional twist create a feeling of quality, that many brands are crying out for. They may look like their older counterparts, but they come without any of the issues that beset previous models. Today’s signs still use modern production methods and materials, providing a product that’s resistant to both rust and rot. This makes them more durable than traditional materials, such as wood and metal.

Here at The Sussex Sign Company we work closely with all our customers to create signs to their exact specifications. Our highly skilled manufacturers can work with both modern and traditional methods, to create the best solution.

For example, in this photograph we used the traditional skills of hand painting to replicate the look of a traditional pub, whilst using modern lighting for best effect.

Warning to sign makers following prosecution

The British Sign and Graphics Association (BSGA) has issued a warning to sign makers over essential maintenance, following a successful prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The prosecution follows an incident five years ago, where a 12m x 3m wooden sign was blown down in strong winds. The structure had become decayed and landed on a pedestrian, causing serious brain injuries. The HSE brought the case against both the owner of the building and the sign maker. The Executive’s case centred on the lack of maintenance of the sign, which was installed over 3 metres above the ground and had been in place for nine years. They both received a heavy fine and were ordered to pay costs.

After the case, the BSGA warned sign makers that maintenance was an essential element of their commitment. The BSGA has drafted an additional clause for the British Standard that covers sign making and installation. This will refer to sign maintenance and has been approved in principle by the BSI.

Here at Sussex Signs we have a strong commitment to health and safety and strive to ensure that all our installations meet current standards and guidelines.

Encouraging signs for shop front scheme

A project to regenerate an area of Glasgow has seen interest from almost 100 retailers.

As part of the Action Barras Calton (ABC) plan to improve the East End area of Glasgow, shop owners were invited to submit applications for funding. The £400,000 council fund has received applications from over 90 local businesses, all of whom are committed to regenerating the immediate area.

The money is part of an overall investment of £3.5 million from the council, which will be increased by outside funding. Successful applicants can use the fund to install new signage and carry out other improvements to the shop front, all of which are intended to generate more customers.

There has been so much local interest and support for the project that the council will hold an open day in December. At the event people will have the opportunity to meet with those involved.

Work on the new store fronts will begin in the New Year, once the money has been allocated. This project is part of a wider scheme to improve the facilities in the local area and encourage more people to visit. Other plans include the creation of an urban green space and the installation of public artwork. The Sussex Sign Company welcomes this initiative as new signage is always a very good way to generate increased footfall and subsequently new business.

Signage Enforcement Officers: Even Hollywood Isn’t Safe!

Home to the world’s most famous and iconic sign, Hollywood is a symbol of freedom. The spiritual birthplace of the American dream. A place where people head to achieve fame and fortune. The only problem is that signage enforcement officers live there too.

According to Patch, business owners in North Hollywood have been issued with a stark warning by city officials: remove unauthorised signage within 30 days or face a fine. The order was made after inspectors ruled that certain shop front signs were in violation of the area’s municipal code. Size was cited as one of the main reasons why officials wanted the signs to be removed.

Business leaders in Valley Village, North Hollywood, were outraged by the demand, claiming many of the signs had been in place for decades.

Idrea Lippman, owner of a boutique in the area and one of the proprietors cited by the Department of Building and Safety, said: “It’s completely unfair. It’s just wrong how they handled it. The city made a decision that they wanted more revenue.”

Each unauthorised sign will cost up to $1,000 to replace, with the total cost for all firms estimated to be around $35,000.

Here at The Sussex Sign Company, we can only sympathise with the business owners in Valley Village.

Advertising Signage: Less Pro, More Professional

A councillor in East Devon has challenged the local business community in Honiton to alter the character and appearance of advertising signs in the area. Councillor John O’Leary drew attention to a number of signs that greet shoppers entering Lace Walk Shopping Centre.

The councillor said: “We need to work more closely with businesses on what is acceptable and not acceptable. Some of the signs are terrible. Lace Walk looks like a brothel entrance.”

Councillor O’Leary suggested that the unsightly signage may be a consequence of the type of buildings in the area.

He added: “Because it [Lace Walk Shopping Centre] is not a listed building, they [the owners] can do what they like. We have got to do something to help businesses in Honiton. Businesses are closing and what we are going to be left with is charity shops, coffee shops and betting shops.”

The district councillor for East Devon did not clarify why he expected betting, coffee and charity shops to survive the crisis.

Here at The Sussex Sign Company, we agree that inappropriate signage is a problem in many parts of the UK. Whether businesses close as a result of unsuitable signage is questionable, however. We always make an effort to create signs that are both tasteful and eye-catching”.