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

How to give your business a boost using shop window promotional signage

You can never have too much custom. Whether you’re an established and booming business with a loyal customer base, or a new franchise in an unfamiliar neighbourhood, it pays to avoid becoming complacent. The strategy of using your shop windows for promotional signage displays offers a range of benefits to all retail-oriented businesses with bricks-and-mortar premises.

Shop window signage – types and options

We’ll discuss the numerous benefits of a marketing campaign involving shop window signage further down, but firstly we’ll take a look at what this form of signage actually entails. Promotional window signage comes in several forms, but usually involves a vinyl film which is held in place on the window with adhesive.

Face-mounted signage is applied onto the interior of the window facing out. The face of the sign is protected by the glass, which is a benefit of this form of window signage. However, the downside is that it may limit the view into and out of the shop itself, depending on positioning. Window signage can also be affixed onto the exterior of the window, but due to the exposure to the elements, thicker and heavier films should be used.

One modern innovation in window signage is perforated film which is see-through on the non-graphic side. The film is affixed to the window of your premises, creating an eye-catching magnet for new customers, while those inside the shop can see through the film onto the street as it allows light to pass through. This provides the best of both worlds and can be used in highly innovative ways to create striking adverts and promotions.

Graphics are printed onto the surface of the film, making it possible to use a huge array of colours, high resolution photos and typefaces of your choosing. This means that the sky really is the limit in terms of the designs you can create. What’s more, the computerised aspect of the design process succeeds where hand-painted signs fail by ensuring consistency in the appearance of your signs. This is vital if you seek to increase your brand recognition and plan to use a series of signs, changing one after the other.

And this leads to another highly useful feature of window signage: its ease of installation and removal. Many shop-owners have had negative experiences with vinyl applications in windows before, but yet another modern innovation has come to their rescue. Special vinyl film is now available with air channels on the adhesive surface to allow full air egress, making frustrating bubbles and wrinkles a thing of the past. Window films can be installed in minutes with excellent, smooth results and best of all, no special tools are required.

The vinyl signs can also be removed whenever you choose, simply by peeling them away from the window substrate. Modern adhesives should leave behind very little residue as well, making these signs absolutely perfect for seasonal, short- and medium-term promotions.

Purposes and benefits of promotional signage

The options for shop window signage have expanded enormously in recent years and incorporate several new technologies to provide the best user experience possible, ensuring a high return on investment for the business that uses them. What other benefits do they hold for businesses?

Shop window graphics provide a highly cost-effective means of driving new business. After all, you already own or rent the space, so window signage is essentially a free marketing tool. Why pay for space to advertise all over town when you already have space – and on exactly the same location as your shop?

Shop window signage is a particularly effective form of advertising due to its presence at eye level. This creates far more impressions on pedestrians walking past your shop than a sign several meters from the ground.

Other than customers who leave home intending to buy from you, and impulse buyers, many of your customers will have noticed your shop at an earlier date, glanced through the window and thought “that place looks nice, I should pop in there sometime.” Attractive and informative promotional signage in your window gives the potential customer a reason to come back.

Shop window promotional signage also affords you the opportunity to enhance your brand’s familiarity with your target market. Over time, by making your store noticeable, it will come to be seen as a stalwart of the community; something that is very important for engendering customer brand loyalty and repeat custom.

Bright and attractive window signage will draw the attention of those passing by your shop, but very few of them will actually come in. However, by making an impression even upon those who do not enter your store, you ensure that your business will be at the front of their minds when they do require your product or service. This also applies to recommendations.

For example, if someone passes by a bakery twice a week during their normal routine, they will definitely have noticed the window signage and will be aware of the bakery’s presence. They may have no need for its products at the moment. But one of their friends asks them if they know anywhere good to buy fresh, high quality bread, your business will be the first one that comes to mind thanks to the passive yet memorable effect of well-designed promotional window signage.

As explained above, shop window signage gives you the ability to refresh or remove your sign whenever you choose. Keeping your shopfront looking fresh provides several other benefits, including preventing your shopfront from ever fading into the background, which is important in the increasingly competitive high street.

The modern retail environment is a tricky one for anyone to navigate, but at The Sussex Sign Company we can offer a wealth of advice as to how to ensure that you get the most out of your signage. Come and talk to us today, call us on 01273 417057.

Why should you use a professional sign company for your business signage?

Your external signage represents your business, either working to impress and draw passers-by into your store, or make them turn away without ever giving your business so much as another glance. Poorly maintained or low quality signage can even leave these potential customers with actively negative opinions of your firm, despite never having set foot inside.

Few business owners would dispute the necessity of having some form of external signage. But, now that you’ve got a signage solution in place, the job is as good as done, right? All you have to do now is to wait for the customers to come flooding in? If only it were that simple.

More to signage than meets the eye

That your signage is essentially an ambassador for your company is indisputable, but the quality of the sign is almost more important than the sign itself. As a demonstration of this, imagine an exchange where one person suggests to another that they visit your business. The latter person responds that it looks a bit run-down, but there’s another very similar company just up the road, so they might as well go there instead.

Your business may well have the best service in town, but if customers are put off before they get through the door, you may as well not bother. Even if your business is locally acclaimed with a solid base of repeat customers, signage retains its power to draw in or turn away, and it would be unwise to slip into complacency. What can be done to ensure that your business signage stays on-message, leaving the very best impression possible with the thousands of potential customers who walk past your premises every day?

The solution

The answer is, fortunately, as cost-effective as it is simple: for the professional signage necessary to communicate the professionalism of your business, use only a professional sign company. We’ve explored the reasoning behind this in the sections below and have taken a good look at each one to find out exactly what high quality signage from a professional sign company can do for you.

Increase your brand recognition

Signage can be as simple as stating your trading name and perhaps a slogan, but by incorporating your brand into your sign, the latter is transformed into a much more powerful tool. Research shows that consumers are far more likely to buy from brands that they recognise. You can create repeat customers by making your store particularly distinctive so that it becomes known as, say, ‘that perfume shop’, instead being thought of as just another shop selling cosmetics.

Thinking more broadly of the importance of brand recognition, imagine that you run a pet shop. The majority of the thousands of people passing your shop daily probably have no reason to buy something from you. However, should any of these people decide at some point to get a pet, or should a friend ask them for a good store, yours will be the first that comes to mind. Provided that your signage is professional and has created a good impression.

In-house design and advice

Many professional sign companies offer in-house graphic design services. Effective design is vital to attract customers and avoid confusing them or putting them off. External signs should be simple, bold and legible at a distance. Consistency across all of your promotional channels is important, so incorporating your branding is a good idea. Being memorable is equally important, but avoid squeezing excessive amounts of information onto the sign or you risk confusing the reader.

Regulatory compliance

When giving your shopfront a facelift it’s easy to get carried away, but don’t forget that signage is subject to a number of regulations. Signs don’t usually require planning permission, but the situation depends on the extent of the work being undertaken and whether or not your building is listed. Health and safety regulations lay down the responsibilities of the installer and the owner of the sign, with most of the liability for maintenance falling on the owner. Professionally trained installation technicians can be relied upon to deliver high quality, safe work from the outset.

Long-term maintenance

As mentioned above, the responsibility for sign maintenance lies with the owner of the sign. This is not optional; the law obligates the owner to keep the sign, its fittings and fixtures in good working condition in order to minimise the risk of harm. Liability for any injuries sustained by falling signs due to lack of maintenance also lies with the owner.

This means that preventive routine maintenance to pre-empt problems before they occur is practically a necessity. Reactive maintenance – dealing with a problem that has already happened – simply isn’t sufficient.

For this reason, professional sign companies usually offer maintenance plans, believing that sign design and installation is only the first step in a job that won’t be completed until the sign has reached the end of its life. Many companies can even tailor the maintenance plan to your specific needs.

Boost your bottom line

Not only can professional signage increase customer footfall, but research from America suggests that a well-designed and maintained sign can even reduce the required expenditure on other forms of marketing. This makes signage a particularly economical marketing solution.

At The Sussex Sign Company, we have over two decades’ experience under our belts, giving us the know-how to produce a truly professional signage solution specially designed for your circumstances. We are committed to working with you throughout the years of your sign’s life to ensure that your investment reaches its full potential. Please don’t hesitate to contact us today.

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 Restaurant Signage

Our Design Department Created This Amazing Corporate Identity For The Three Little Birds

A brand new restaurant based in Hove, East Sussex came to us for a fresh approach for their new business venture. The Sussex Sign Company runs its’ own Design Department and we are always on the look out for new start up companies that want to utilise the full extent of our services. This was a fun exciting project that we developed from an initial free consultation, (that we always offer to prospective clients), to work out what kind of direction to take the identity in. The Corporate Identity was led by the strong name and the clients’ intention to illustrate the title, Three Little Birds. We then developed the signage around the theme. The handmade wooden fascia and projection sign were produced in our workshop by one of our skillful team members. The backing of the fascia was constructed of marine ply with tongue and groove pine on the face and angled capping. We then applied two coats of clear Sadolin wood preserver, followed by three coats of yacht varnish. The letter forms were made from 316 grade stainless steel and applied to the surface on raised brass locators along with the powder coated stainless steel birds. The image shows the projection sign – the result looks fantastic! Call us today on 01273 417057 or email us.

A list of the towns we work in throughout East and West Sussex is listed below.

East Grinstead , Crawley, Gatwick, Horsham, Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill, Steyning, Worthing, Arundel, Littlehampton, Bognor Regis, Selsey, Chichester, Midhurst, Petworth, Portslade, Brighton, Hove, Newhaven, Seaford, Eastbourne, Bexhill, Hastings, Hailsham, Lewes, Uckfield, Heathfiled, Crowborough.

Create new effects with blackboard film

If you want to have the effect of a blackboard, without having to install one, then the new product from ASLAN is perfect for you. Their ASLAN CR 62 is a blackboard film that can be used with chalk in the same way as a traditional board. The writing or designs used on the blackboard film can easily be removed by using a damp cloth, making it perfect for applications where information needs to be changed on a regular basis. The surface is scratch-resistant and there will be no damage to the surface, even when used over a long period. This new film is an ideal solution for menu boards in cafes and restaurants or for use within offices and schools ASLAN is a specialist manufacturer, which already supplies a range of self-adhesive films that are designed for different applications. This new blackboard film has been designed to complement its existing memo board film range. It makes it simple to turn any type of flat surface into an instant blackboard. Here at The Sussex Sign Company we are constantly monitoring the signage market for new and interesting product launches that we can use to enhance the work we do for all our customers.

SignClip sees increase in sales

SignClip, the fixing solution for temporary signage, has seen a significant increase in sales since it was first launched almost two years ago. The company behind the innovative product will now have the ability to increase production speeds, which will reduce the overall cost to their customers.

SignClip was manufactured specifically for use with temporary signs, which had previously been difficult to attach to poles and railings. The only other viable alternative was the use of cable-ties, which were not ideal. The clip is used to attach signs produced from corrugated plastic, making them much easier to put up and take down.

The product was first shown to the market at the Sign and Digital UK event in 2012 and, since then, it has gone from strength to strength. The company is looking to increase its reach further, showcasing it as the perfect choice for customers and sign-makers involved in the temporary or disposable signage market. As sales continue to increase, the company aims to keep unit prices as low as they can.

Here at Sussex SignsThe Sussex Sign Company, we can produce a wide range of different signage options for our customers. We can work around your individual requirements, to create a style and design that?s just right.

New environmentally friendly LEDs

LED lights offer huge advantages to the sign industry. They can be attached to signage brackets and projected onto the design, enabling it to be seen at night. One manufacturer has recently launched a new range of LED lights that provides environmental advantages.

The new set of LED trough lights, released by Iron Design, offer significant benefits, both in terms of the quality of the light and their energy consumption. They are designed to be used in place of existing T5 fluorescent lights. They consume much less energy, whilst still providing a high quality and consistent bright light. The bulbs will last for more than 50,000 hours.

The lights are manufactured using a much slimmer profile than previous models. They are available either as 600mm or 850mm long lights and measure only 53x25mm. This means that they have less of a detrimental impact on the sign they are designed to illuminate. The slimmer fitting can be easily hidden and doesn’t take away from the overall sign.

The LED lights can be bought as a pair and come with the cables, transformer and the required fixings.

Here at The Sussex Sign Company we can produce a range of LED illuminated signs based on our customer’s requirements.

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.

Important workshops to be held at SDUK 2014

The British Sign and Graphics Association (BSGA) has announced that it will hold two workshops a day at this year’s Sign and Digital UK event. These will focus on key areas for the industry, to keep companies up to date on legal issues

Signage businesses are often busy with the day to day running of their company. This means that legislation and planning amendments can get overlooked. However, they can have a significant effect on a business and ignoring them could be costly. The industry needs to ensure they’re aware of the implications of any changes and the impact they have on their business. These workshops will provide companies with a concise forum to bring themselves up to date.

One of the workshops will examine signage design and construction standards. It will pay particular attention to the new European standards and the implications of these for the UK industry. The second workshop will focus on planning regulations, especially in light of the changes regarding signage maintenance and warranties.

Here at The Sussex Sign Company we keep ourselves a-breadth of any developments within the industry, ensuring we understand the implications for our customers of any legal changes.