What Is Retail Signage?

Retail signage refers to any type of visual or graphic display that’s used to convey information to customers in a retail environment. Going on as far back as Ancient Greeks and Romans, retail signage is the most traditional way to reach out to customers and make your business known to them. Retail signage can be made from a variety of materials, including vinyl, paper, metal, and plastic, and can be designed to fit a wide range of budgets and aesthetic styles.

What is retail signage?

Why Businesses Use It

The purpose of retail signage is to attract the attention of potential customers and guide them through the store, providing information about products, promotions, and sales along the way. Effective signage can help retailers build brand recognition, create a memorable shopping experience, and drive sales. What businesses look to get out of signage in retail boils down to three main points:

Attracting Customers: Signs are the easiest way to attract customers to your business. Informing people where they are, where to go to find out more, and what you do will make them far more likely to become interested in what you’re selling.
Advertising: The most common reason for using retail signage is to get your brand out to as many people as possible and create a lasting impression on them. If they remember your name and what you do, they will be far more likely to try you out.
Guide Customers: Informing the customers who are in your store where they should go to access certain areas, reducing the chance that they will have to search for ages for a specific item. This is called wayfinding and is an excellent way of improving your customer’s experience with an acrylic wall mount sign holder doing this effectively in many establishments.

Different Types of Signage

External

External signage involves all visual displays on the outside of a store but most notably the name of your business. You want to make this easily noticeable without coming across as ignorant and in your face whilst maintaining your brand values. This can also include banners and window displays which play a big role in drawing customers into your store. When placing signage outside, it’s essential that you have covers and weatherproof items to protect your messages from adverse weather. You should ensure all your external signage is easily visible regardless of the weather conditions to ensure it can be as effective as possible. This is an opportunity for a first impression and you must get it right.

Internal/Wayfinding

Once you have the attention of your customers and they’re interested enough in your business to enter your establishment, you shouldn’t stop there. Use internal signage to convey important messages, advertise specific products, and inform customers of whatever they might need to know whilst there in your store. The positioning of these signs is vital in ensuring they are easily seen and can be followed without hesitation. A key part of internal signage is wayfinding, allowing customers and staff to easily navigate through your store without any trouble. The aim of this is to make everyone’s experience with your company streamlined and stress-free. By effectively utilising internal signage, businesses and organisations can create a clear and efficient flow within their building, while also enhancing the overall user experience.

POS

Point of Sale (POS) signage is an essential component of any business that sells goods and services within a store environment. It refers to the signs, graphics, and displays used to promote products or services, guide customers through the store, and encourage purchases at the point of sale. POS signage can range from shelf talkers and banners to floor graphics and digital displays, and they can be customised to reflect a brand's identity and messaging. Effective POS signage can not only increase sales but also improve the customer experience by providing helpful information and making the shopping process more seamless. It is a powerful marketing tool that businesses can use to create a cohesive and engaging store environment.

Digital Signage

Digital signage is an innovative form of retail signage that uses digital displays to showcase multimedia content such as images, videos, animations, and text. This technology has transformed the way businesses communicate with customers, allowing them to deliver dynamic and engaging content that can capture attention and create a lasting impression. It can be customised to match a brand's identity and messaging, making it a powerful tool for building brand awareness and enhancing the customer experience. Digital signage is also scalable, allowing businesses to easily update content and manage displays across multiple locations. As technology continues to evolve, digital signage is expected to become even more prevalent, offering new opportunities for businesses to engage with customers and drive sales.

Benefits of Retail Signage

Some of the key positives that retail signage offers include:

Attracting Customers: Retail signage is a powerful marketing tool that can attract customers to a store. Eye-catching signs, banners, and displays can help businesses stand out from competitors and entice potential customers to check out their offerings.

Improves Brand Awareness: Retail signage can help businesses build and reinforce their brand identity. Well-designed signs and displays with logos, colours, and other brand elements can increase brand recognition and recall.

Increasing Sales: Effective retail signage can encourage customers to make purchases by highlighting promotions, sales, and discounts. Signs can also showcase product features and benefits, helping customers make informed buying decisions.

Enhancing the Customer Experience: Retail signage can guide customers through the store, providing helpful information about products, store layout, and other important details. This can improve the customer experience and make shopping more enjoyable and efficient.

Cost-Effective Advertising: Retail signage is a relatively low-cost form of advertising compared to other channels such as print or TV. Businesses can use signs and displays to promote their offerings 24/7 which makes it a money-saving marketing investment.

Retail pavement signs

Ensure Effectiveness

When displaying retail signage, there are a few things to keep in mind so you can get the most out of it. You should be specific, using clear and concise language so that your message is given without any confusion or interpretation needed. You should try to use as few words as possible to convey your message whilst being easy to understand. It is important to get a good balance of text and visual aids to get the information across more effectively. It is important to think about what the sign is for and what you want the customer to take from it. For a large amount of people to see it, you need to make it stand out and grab the attention of your intended audience. This can be via what you choose to place on it as well as where. You should look to add bright colours, bold text, and potentially a captivating image, without neglecting the brand image or message in the process. Where you position your sign is also crucial, especially when it’s informing of directions as it needs to be in a spot that the necessary people will be able to easily see.

Conclusion

Retail signage is an essential aspect of any business that wants to attract customers, improve brand recognition, increase sales, and enhance the customer experience. Retail signage has been used for centuries, and today, it comes in various forms, including external, internal, point of sale, and digital. Each of these types has its unique benefits, but they all have a common goal of guiding customers through the store and providing helpful information about products and promotions. By using effective retail signage, businesses can improve their marketing efforts, increase customer engagement, and ultimately drive revenue. Therefore, businesses must invest in retail signage that is clear, concise, and visually appealing to achieve the best results.