The word “sign” typically means different things to different people. Some think of a billboard or name on a building.
The purpose of a sign is to communicate information that typically seeks to:
- Inform or educate
- Direct or guide
- Promote or sell
- Engage or entertain
And sometimes a sign can do more than one thing.
Think about this scenario: a shopper comes into the store and begins looking at different displays and products. An employee approaches the person with the friendliest of greetings, but the shopper automatically responds with the overused expression “I’m just looking”. Because we are trained to sell, we don’t give up on the first try. So we wait a few minutes to try another approach. “We’re having a special on these widgets today” Again, we hear the classic phrase “I’m just looking “ so we back off and give the customer some space. A few minutes later your customer picks up a product, and now we’re sure that they have an interest and need our help only to hear again “I’m just looking” And then they add, “I’ll call you if I need you.” That customer has just fired you!
We have never heard of a story of a customer requesting that management take down all of the signs in the store, and yet these silent salespeople (signs) can actually be more effective than the strongest salesperson.
In other words, signs don’t get fired – people do!
So why should you use signage? Because signage makes your business better.
Signage makes your business better in many ways.
It makes it better for the customer
- It makes it better for you (the retailer or business owner)
- It makes it better for your vendors and suppliers
- It makes your store better for the community
- It makes it better for your employees
Signage is the easiest, most effective way to transform your business from just another store to the type of business that customers visit time and time again. Good signage helps to engineer a positive customer experience. Signage is perhaps the strongest secret and most consistent messaging tool that you can have on your side. Interior advertising /signage is the most misunderstood and underutilized tool in retailing today. It is also the shortcut to immediate sales increases, customer engagement, and improved experience.
Let’s recap,
Effective use of signage will make your customers happier and more likely to be more loyal to your business. Effective use of signage will help you sell more merchandise, ideally enjoy greater profitability by helping you turn inventory faster, and move clearance and markdown products out of your store faster than you ever thought possible.
So, that’s a pretty impressive set of claims that we’ve seen validated time and time again, especially since we’re talking about signs.