3DotsFixtures

Why Your Retail Space Needs an Effective Signage Package

The importance of an effective signage package cannot be overstated. According to a survey by Ketchum Research and Analytics, 76 percent of consumers have chosen to enter a store they had never visited before based purely on its signage. Perhaps more importantly, 68 percent of customers admit to having made product purchases after a sign caught their eye.

When considering the effect of signage on your retail space, it is good to remember the ABC's. Effective signage:

• Attracts new customers
• Brands your retail space in the minds of customers
• Creates increased impulse sales

Attracting New Customers

First and foremost, your signage outside and inside your retail space should be designed to draw the eye of passing customers. While it may be difficult to afford a massive marketing campaign to garner customer attention, well-designed signage is both affordable and effective. Unlike other forms of advertising, signage works for you 24/7, piquing customer interest in your products and driving traffic into your store.

Branding Your Retail Space

If your company has a trademark or logo, your signage should contain its image both outside and inside the store. Repeating text and images throughout your store via signage keeps your brand in the minds of your customers. The more consistent your signage is, the better your customers will remember the uniqueness of your retail space. Use your signage to make your brand more visible, more recognizable, and more conspicuous.

Creating Impulse Sales

Studies of retail shopping behaviors indicate that 68 percent of purchases were unplanned during major shopping trips and 54 percent on smaller shopping trips. Clearly, impulse sales account for a large percentage of total sales for a retailer.

Effective signage encourages impulse purchases by drawing the consumer's attention to the areas of your store that you want them to see. An attractive sign is both memorable and enticing. According to the Ketchum study, 68 percent of customers believe that a store's signage is a reliable indicator of the company's products or services. 

What does this mean for retailers? Simply put, your signage establishes your reputation with your customers, at least partially. Customers tend to believe that a company with a poorly designed or unattractive sign is likely to offer an inferior product or unprofessional service.

Location, Location, Location

Effective signage works not only on the outside of the store to bring customers in, but also on the inside of the store as well. In-store signs introduce customers to special products, promote sales, and give customers the information they need to make a purchasing decision on the spot. In-store signage coordinates your brand message throughout the customer browsing experience.

How to Make Your Signage Stand Out

To make the most of your signage, it is important to ensure that it meets the following criteria:

1. Quality production: The days of hand-written, misspelled signs is definitely over. Modern consumers expect quality signage.
2. Simple color scheme: While you want your signage to catch the eye, you do not want it to assault the eye.
3. Easy to read: If customers cannot easily decipher the text and images on your signage, it will lose its effect quickly.
4. Simplicity of message: Your message should be short and sweet. Longer messages slow down a customer and make impulse shopping less likely.
5. Proper placement: Your signs should be placed in the areas you want your customers to browse. However, signs should never be placed in such a way that customer traffic is impeded, or merchandise is blocked.

If you follow these general guidelines, your signage will drive traffic to your retail space and promote sales. If you would welcome additional information about how to make your retail space all it can be, please contact us. We will be glad to work with you to promote your store in the best way possible.

Three Tips to Get You Started with Your Retail Remodel

A Retail Remodel might seem a little daunting at first, but don't worry; we've got three tips to help you get started.

• Divide Your Store Into Sections And Calculate How Profitable Each Section Is: While the average profit per square foot in you store gives you a big picture, take the time to break it down and delve into the details. For example, if your sales are down in one section of the store, you can pump up your returns by adding new fixtures that allow you to display your products more attractively. By examining how effectively you use your available space, you'll get your creative juices flowing and increase your overall profitability one section at a time. 
• Review Current Retail Design Strategies: Customer expectations are constantly rising, and if you aren't presenting your products in the best possible light, you are missing your chance to capture and retain their loyalty. From how you angle your lighting to the number of specialty displays you create, you should be guiding the people who enter your establishment to the products you want them to discover and buy. Consider hiring a design professional to enhance the flow of traffic and to highlight top sellers.
• Ask Your Customers What They Want To See: At the end of the day, the people who really matter are the customers who come in to buy your wares. Create a short survey and engage with them to uncover their real thoughts about shopping at your store. Take special note of what is working and what is not. Are they having trouble finding what they are looking for? If so, you will know where to start with your retail remodel.

To keep your customer's interest, retail stores must look fresh and inviting. Find your motivation for a retail remodel by diving into your financials, checking out the latest retail store design ideas, and asking your customers what keeps them coming back and what makes them stay away. Once you evaluate your current condition, you can choose to apply a series of small, but effective fixes, or rethink your entire design in ways that will maximize your return on investment. 

What are you waiting for? We're here to help once you are ready to boost your profits with new design ideas.

Mannequins in Marketing: Major Money-Makers for Merchandisers

In the world of fashion merchandising, the number one rule is: The better it is displayed, the better it will sell.

Nowhere is this more obvious than with the use of mannequins in your retail store. Research indicates that apparel sales increase with the use of mannequins by anywhere from 10 to 35 percent, making mannequins one of the best investments you can make for your store.

But why do mannequins work so well? The answers are many, but consider just a few:

1) Mannequins offer your customers a three-dimensional view.

Many customers may have trouble visualizing how an article of clothing will look in real life if it is simply displayed on a hanger. This is particularly true in the case of clothing for women. For instance, mannequins offer an easily relatable view of the positioning of necklines and hemlines.

2) Mannequins create eye appeal and visual interest.

Because clothing displayed on a mannequin stands out from a rack of similarly fashioned apparel, it triggers an emotional purchase response. Some fashion merchandising experts believe this response occurs in as little as seven seconds. At its best, merchandising aims to evoke such an emotional response. When customers engage on an emotional level, sales increase exponentially.

3) Mannequins promote easy upselling opportunities.

Mannequins make it easy to demonstrate entire outfits rather than simply single items of clothing. Adding accessories like jewelry, belts, shoes, and handbags encourages shoppers to make additional purchases. If you’re in the sportswear world, adding things such as gloves, hats, reflective pieces or water bottles would be a great way to increase your add on sales. Combining multiple store items in this way allows a customer to envision more clearly a completed outfit. Even mannequins included on wall displays can work for this purpose if apparel is layered or accessorized properly.

The Bottom Line

Mannequins are unique in their ability to engage customers. They provide strong visual appeal, and trigger an emotional purchase response. Increasing sales by as much as 35 percent, they are an investment worth every penny.