The Importance of Effective Signage in the Retail Industry
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The Importance of Effective Signage in the Retail Industry
If you’re one of the roughly 29 million people who work in the retail industry, no matter the product you market, you use signs. Signs are critical for communicating with your customers in a variety of ways. The challenge is that signs and graphics are all around us. This means you have to focus on making sure your retail store signs get noticed and don’t just become white noise. Your customers are bombarded by constant advertising messages, so your visuals have to stand out.
Retailers of all kinds know that nothing stands out in the consumer’s eye like big, bold graphics. That’s why Express Print is the printing partner for retailers everywhere. We can help you produce effective custom retail signs, including outdoor signage, indoor signage and product packaging, that enables you to stand out from your competitors.
The Importance of Effective Signage in the Retail Industry
While signs are important throughout nearly all industries, they play an especially prominent role in the retail industry. This is because so much of retail commerce depends on effectively communicating key information graphically.
Consider product packaging, for example. It helps tell your customer what a product is and how it’s used. It should also prominently feature your branding. Including brand elements on your packaging helps people get familiar with your company and encourages them to become repeat customers. This is a lot to accomplish with one graphic design, so your design has to be well-thought-out.
Your outdoor signage is critical for attracting the attention of passersby and pulling people in to shop at your store. Once inside, your indoor signage should help them navigate your store and find what they’re looking for. Signs can also promote products and help customers find special deals.
Imagine a store with no signage. It would be dull and confusing. Signs help create a positive experience for customers and, therefore, help your business thrive. Effective signage should help customers at every stage of their journey from someone who’s never shopped in your store before to satisfied customer. This journey will look a little different for every retail store, so customization is key. No matter the product, the message, or the setting, Express Print’s signage solutions can be customized to fit your retail application needs.
At our studios, you’ll find options for a whole host of retail displays, from POP displays to window graphics to banners, flags and more. All of these signage types are easily adaptable to fit your store’s style. Consider adopting as many of these display types as possible so you can visually engage customers throughout your store, inside and out.
1. Outdoor Retail Signage
Signs outside your store are crucial for making the public aware of your store and convincing people to stop in and shop. Storefront signs, especially sidewalk advertising signage, can also help you promote your business through sales, events and more.
Retail storefront signs come in a variety of types, all of which you can use to promote your business and pull in new customers. Five main types of outdoor signs for retail stores include window graphics, sidewalk signs, flags, banners and yard signs.
Window and Glass Graphics
Most retail storefronts consist mostly of glass. You can make the most of these windows and glass doors by covering them in retail window graphics. These graphics come in the form of decals that can be printed on a variety of materials. Some of these materials allow you to see through the decal from the inside, so shoppers in your store can still see the parking lot or street. Other graphics are made to be visible on both sides of the window.
The options don’t stop there. For example, some decals are multi-colored, while others are frosted or clear. Some are small, while others are big enough to span your entire window. Whatever you’re going for, you can create retail window signs to fit your preferences. Retail window decals from Express Print can help you display your store hours, promote sales and more.
Sidewalk Signage
Sidewalk signage is an excellent tool for getting the attention of passersby, especially those on foot. You’ve probably seen lots of signs on sidewalks in front of stores and restaurants advertising sales, lunch specials and more. Did any of them convince you to stop in to peruse on-sale items or grab a bite to eat?
Retail sidewalk signs typically take the form of an a-frame. Retail a-frame signs function like an easel and are standalone signs that you can set up anywhere. In addition to sidewalks, you can also place these signs in courtyards, entryways and wherever you know they’ll be seen. The a-frame design allows for double-sided graphics so you can communicate with people walking from either direction. These signs can be printed on several types of durable materials such as aluminum and polystyrene so they can stand up to outdoor conditions.
Flags
Custom flags are another great option for attracting attention outside of your retail store. One of the unique things about flags compared to other types of signage is that they’re a dynamic display since they move in the breeze. Outdoor flags are typically made of vinyl or vinyl mesh and are printed with vivid inks so you can raise awareness of your brand and share your message effectively.
Storefront flags come in a variety of shapes, including feather, teardrop and more. You can also select the size you prefer, all the way up to over 18 feet tall. There are many possible ways of displaying your flags, including staking them or using a weighted base. Some stores find that they can attract the most attention by placing a series of retail flags across their storefront. Each flag can be unique, or they can all be uniform. Either way, you have an eye-catching and dynamic display.
Banners
Another option to consider for outdoor signage is a custom banner. Banners are an extremely versatile display that’s a popular option for all sorts of businesses and occasions. Retail stores can use banners for both longterm and temporary messages. Outdoor banners are especially effective for attracting attention to grand openings or reopenings and major sales. If your store hosts any events, such as trunk shows, free classes or product launches, a banner can also help you promote it for weeks leading up to the event.
Outdoor banners are printed on either vinyl or canvas. To display your outdoor banner, you can hang it by grommets, mount it on a light pole or use a banner stand. With these various display options, you can place banners above your store entrance, on the side of the building, on the sidewalk or on light poles in front of your store. The options are nearly endless.
Yard Signs
You’re probably used to seeing yard signs all over lawns around election time. These signs, which are a popular political advertising tool, are also a great advertising tool for retail stores. Business yard signs are especially affordable, making them the perfect choice for temporary messages and for blitz ad campaigns on the front lawn of your business.
Retail yard signs are printed on outdoor-grade materials and are equipped with thin metal stakes. Installation is as simple as pushing the stakes into the ground wherever you want to display your yard sign.
2. In-Store Retail Graphics and Displays
In addition to outdoor signage, retail stores should also focus heavily on their in-store graphics and displays. Indoor signage is critical for helping customers experience your store how you want them to. You can encourage them to focus on certain products and can reinforce your branding throughout the store so that they have a memorable experience.
Signage isn’t just about isolated messages. These graphics work together to shape the environment in your store. This is what environmental graphics are all about. You have the power to create a space that welcomes shoppers and celebrates your brand.
Endcap Signage
Endcap signs are displays at the end of an aisle. Retailers can use these displays to promote seasonal items or products that are on special. At its simplest, endcap signage can simply list the price for items displayed on the shelves at the end of the aisle. You can make your endcap feature more eye-catching, though, by customizing your endcap display with graphics. You can use these graphics to highlight the product or season and reinforce your branding.
For example, if you run a grocery store, you may want to feature popular ingredients like canned pumpkin and stuffing mix on an endcap display in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. Custom endcap signage can help you highlight these products and link your brand with the holiday in shoppers’ minds. For a drug store, you may want to make it more convenient for shoppers to find cold medicine during cold and flu season. You can also use this endcap display to advertise flu shots and show your customers that your company cares.
Shelf Point of Purchase (POP) Displays
Retail point of purchase signs can appear anywhere on the shelves of your store, or they can function as standalone displays. POP signage encourages shoppers to buy certain products right where those products are located. This is a great strategy when you want to move stock that hasn’t been selling well or when you want to promote a new product.
Retail point of purchase signs all share the same purpose, but they come in a variety of types, shapes and sizes. You can use everything from vinyl-printed rigid signs to digital signage to easel-back standups as POP signage. The right choice for you depends on where you want your display to be and what scale you’re interested in. No matter how big or small your store, you can create an effective POP display for your shelf to help raise your sales.
Retail Sign Fixtures
Store fixtures consist of all the equipment you use to display your products, such as shelves, racks and even mannequins. Sign fixtures, also called sign holders, are also an important part of this category. Retail sign holders help you display your graphics professionally. These sign holders can attach to other fixtures or can function as standalone displays.
Sign fixtures make it easy to switch out graphics frequently while maintaining a polished look. One option is to use a sign holder to display your weekly or daily specials near the entrance. You could also use it as part of retail displays you change out every month. Just pop in your new graphics when it’s time for a change, and you have a professional freestanding display ready to go.
Standalone Digital Signage
In-store digital signage is also a great way to advertise in your store. Digital signage can be an excellent addition to printed signage to keep things fresh in your store. An advantage of digital signage is that you can incorporate multimedia rather than being limited to still images. This opens up lots of creative possibilities for how you can use digital signage.
For professional digital displays that help you share your messages with customers, forgo televisions or tablets propped up on a shelf. Instead, opt for standalone signage that allow for even more customization, such as a kiosk. With a customized kiosk, you can print on the kiosk itself with your branded graphics. Then use the screen to show text, pictures or videos you can change as frequently as you want.
Hanging Displays
Hanging signs for retail stores draw customers’ eyes up and can be viewed over aisles because of their height. This makes them an excellent focal point where you can reinforce aspects of your branding, such as your logo or slogan. Hanging business signs are easy to install when you have drop ceilings.
Hanging signs for retail stores include banners which are hung by grommets. A hanging retail display could also be a three-dimensional structure. Trade show exhibitors sometimes use these hanging structures to draw attention to their booth in a crowd. They are also a great advertising tool for retail stores. Of course, the people who see your hanging display are already shopping in your store, but that doesn’t mean you stop marketing. Show them what makes your store unique to keep them coming back.
Floor Decals
Floor graphics can capture the attention of shoppers whenever they glance down, perhaps to check their phones or their shopping lists. Floor graphics are made of vinyl and coated with a layer of protection so they can stand up to foot traffic in your store. Some of these decals are made to adhere long-term, while removable floor decals allow you to peel off the graphics and move them or switch them out for new graphics more frequently.
Retail floor graphics can be used for a variety of purposes. They can reinforce your branding throughout the store, for example. Another valuable way of using floor graphics is as wayfinding signage. You can use arrows and text on the floor to direct people to departments, bathrooms, customer service desks and more.
3. Custom Retail Packaging
We’ve talked about signage outside and inside of your store, but another important arena where custom graphics come into play is packaging. This is a critical aspect of any retail business that sells their own products. This includes companies who sell through e-commerce, even those who don’t have any brick-and-mortar stores.
When a customer receives your product on their doorstep, their first impression will be formed largely through the appearance of the packaging. The same is true for customers shopping in a physical retail store. The way the product looks on the shelf will undoubtedly influence whether they decide to buy it.
Custom Product Packaging
SpeedPro can help your company create custom product packaging that is consistent with your corporate branding and makes your products look more appealing to customers. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for packaging. That’s why we take an individualized approach to learning about your product and helping you produce custom packaging that’s tailor-made to help your product shine. Packaging should also protect your product from being damaged or being tampered with.
Custom retail packaging should reflect the way you want people to interact with your brand. For example, if you run a boutique that sells handmade soaps and other cosmetic products, you want your packaging to communicate to customers that these products are luxurious — that each ingredient is carefully curated. If you make toys for your toy store, you want your packaging to be as bright and fun as the toy itself, so parents and kids alike get excited when they see it.
Small Run Packaging
Retailers understand that test runs are typically a necessary part of zeroing in on the best possible packaging for your product. When you produce just a small run of your custom packaging, you have the opportunity to see how buyers interact with your product. You can even ask them for feedback on the packaging. You can also make sure it does its job of keeping the product safe.
SpeedPro understands the many benefits of short-run packaging, and we can help you produce these short runs. As you see how the packaging performs, you can refine your design if necessary. Once you’ve settled on the perfect packaging design for your product, you can start mass-producing the packaging with confidence rather than worrying about whether your packaging is as good as it could be.
Partner with Express Print for Retail Graphics That Wow Your Customers
Capturing attention is a challenge no matter where your store is located. That’s why you can’t settle for subpar, cookie-cutter graphics. To rise above the retail clutter and effectively communicate with your audience, you need big, bold custom graphics — graphics that will stand out and show consumers what makes your store special.
Express Print understands how retail works, and we’re ready to partner with you to help you meet your goals. We also understand that consistency is key across all industries. That’s why we’ll work with you to make sure the branding and graphics you create translate well from format to format, so you always look your best wherever your customers see you. While you handle the hustle of the sales floor, we’ll manage your graphics production and deliver high-quality signage on time and within budget.
In addition to the types of signage we highlighted on this page, we can also help you produce an even fuller suite of displays. Whether you’re interested in fleet wraps, wall murals or elevator wraps, Express Print can do it all. In everything we create, our mission is to bring your message to life through quality displays.