A retail shopfront relies heavily on signage to attract customers to come inside. So even if you spend thousands of pounds on newspaper and internet ads, none of that will matter if your retail signage looks unexceptional.

Retail signage indicates your shop’s level of professionalism and integrity. When people look at your signage, it should raise several emotions inside them. They should feel entertained, informed, curious, and maybe even happy. The only question you have to ask yourself is, “How do I accomplish this task?”

Below are the top 5 retail signage tips for driving attention and traffic to your shop.

1) Choose the Best Type of Signage for Each Location

Retail signage comes in many different forms. It isn’t just a banner over a door or a poster on a window. It could be illuminated signage, post & panel signage, floor signage, door signage, notice boards, point of sale, digital signage, etc.

Part of how you drive attention to your retail shop is by choosing the right signs for each location. Let’s look at some of the examples in more detail:

Wayfinding Signage

Wayfinding signage gives directions to customers unfamiliar with the layout of your retail shopfront. It is mainly used as indoor signage to help customers navigate throughout your shop and find the items, aisles, and rooms they want.

Floor graphics and suspended ceiling signs are two popular types of wayfinding signage. It can help you fulfil specific legal requirements about notifying visitors of fire exit locations and other emergency information.

Digital Signage

A growing number of retail shopfronts are starting to use digital signage. Standard digital signage includes internet advertisements, such as pay-per-click image ads and website banners. However, you could also combine physical and digital elements into signage found inside and outside the shop.

Here are some examples:

• Videowalls
• LCD Handsantiser Display
• Free Standing Digital Signage
• Wall-Mounted Digital Signage
• Touchscreen Digital Signage

Digital signage will make your shopfront look more like a modern shopfront than a traditional family-run shop.

2) Bigger and Brighter Signs are Better

What is your definition of effective retail signage? Well, it must stand out immediately if you want to get people’s attention and drive them to your shop. So what better way to make your signage stand out than by making it the biggest on the block?

A small colourful banner and window graphic may be nice, but will anyone see them as they pass by your shop? A beginner’s tip to driving attention fast is posting the biggest signs possible outside your shop.

Perhaps you could use some large illuminated 3D letters and logos or bright neon signs to drive traffic during the night. Don’t forget that many people do their shopping at night after getting off from work. So if you want them to find your shop in the dark, having large illuminated signs is the critical.

Another tip is to use bigger and bolder fonts for your text prints. This advice is suitable for all banners, flags, rigid signs, trade printing, wall graphics, and wallpaper graphics. In addition, big indoor signage will appeal to customers after entering the inside of your shop. It will guide them to the aisles and shelves holding the products which interest them the most.

3) Originality and Creativity Make Your Shop More Competitive

Many retail storefronts are positioned right next to each other in shopping centres and on the streets. It creates a highly competitive retail environment because you need to give customers a reason to walk into your shop instead of your competitors’ shops.

What is the most effective way to make your retail signage stand out from the competition? First, use an original colour scheme with no more than three colours that can identify your brand. These should be contrasting colours because opposite colour combinations are the most noticeable and vibrant.

Dark and light colours always offer the best contrast. Aside from black and white, you could use light blue and dark green or yellow and red. You could use almost any dark colour with white or any light colour with black.

Never use stock imagery or graphics in your retail signage designs. Every design must have 100% original imagery in it. Otherwise, your potential customers might notice that another shop uses the same signage graphics. It wouldn’t make your shop look too professional.

4) More Visuals and Simple Copy Content

Visual elements are the key to driving traffic with your retail signage. You can put copywritten content on your signage, but make sure it is simple and to the point. People don’t pay attention to signage with many words and few visuals. So instead, you should have more visuals and fewer words.

Construct your work usage carefully. You don’t want to clutter your signage with too many extra words and unneeded verbiage. The idea here is to be concise in your copywriting so that your main points and messages get delivered in the fewest words possible.

Please refrain from using all caps or exclamation points in your signage because it comes across as yelling or aggressive. Professional retail signage needs to speak out respectfully to its customers. So, use soft language and funny language while getting your message across.

5) Display Your Retail Signage Indoors and Outdoors

Don’t limit yourself to the number of locations where you place retail signage. If you have the budget and resources available, create retail signs for as many indoor and outdoor locations as possible. The more you get your promotional messaging out there, the more people will respond to it.

Your indoor and outdoor retail signage doesn’t have to be strictly for brand and product promotions. It could also provide directions, safety instructions, and educational information.

Here are some signs every retail business should use:

• Digital advertising
• Banners & flags
• Floor graphics
• Pavement signs
• Door signs
• Traffic signs
• Directional signs
• Post & panel signs
• Safety signs
• Point of sale signs
• Window graphics

As you can see, there are many different types of signs which can benefit your retail storefront. So why not use them all to promote your business? It can only help.

Learn More Information

Are you interested in getting some custom bespoke signs made for your retail business? Call the signage design team of Hardy Signs at +44 (0) 1283 569 102 for more information.