Retail signage plays a role in the shopper's buying journey that goes beyond mere visual appeal.
From attention-grabbing signs at the entrance that draw shoppers into the store to directional signs that guide them through the store sections to checkout, persuasive signage is pivotal to retail success.
Aisle markers, endcap displays, and strategically placed navigational signs that are indispensable in modern-day retail environments may seem unassuming, but they wield a tremendous influence on shopping behavior.
Well-crafted signs can persuade shoppers to spend more time in-store and nudge them toward a buying decision. Businesses that fail to leverage this power of retail signage stand to lose crucial opportunities to convert store visitors into paying customers.
In this article, we explore the transformative power of visual persuasion through effective signage. We also look at how The Look Company's compelling retail signage solutions can inform, educate, persuade, and tempt shoppers—all in a matter of seconds.
Understanding the Impact of Visual Communication in Retail
We instinctively prioritize visual stimuli and respond to them with the appropriate emotions or actions.
We scan our surroundings for visual cues and take in information about our environment. We then process that information, using it to decide how to interact with our immediate environment and take our next steps.
In the retail industry, visual communication plays a pivotal role.
Each sign or display banner in your retail space is an opportunity to convey a compelling brand message, evoke an emotion, and convince the shopper to make that all-important buying decision.
Consistently using well-designed retail signage creates a long-lasting impression of your brand in the minds of shoppers.
TLC's innovative retail signage solutions help visual merchandisers create experiential informational, identification, and directional signage that maximizes your brand's persuasive power.
Designing Compelling Retail Signage Solutions
A bustling store floor may have hundreds of products screaming out for attention from crowded aisles. Shoppers must be able to spot signage from afar and grasp its purpose and information within a few seconds.
That's why key principles of clarity, simplicity, and consistency are essential for designing compelling retail signage.
Keeping it simple & clear
It's important to focus on a single clear message for retail signage without too many distracting details. Simple fonts in large sizes that you can read from afar and bold colors that stand out and grab attention are ideal for signs. Brevity is a virtue when designing signs—shorter text is easier to read and understand.
Keeping it consistent & on-brand
In-store signage must not only be visually appealing and persuasive, but it must also reflect your brand's personality—consistently across all touchpoints.
Visual merchandisers and designers need a firm grasp of your brand's values and messaging strategy to translate them into effective wayfinding and department signage. Consistency helps you build a cohesive and recognizable brand image.
At another level, retail signage can tell your brand's story.
TLC offers vibrantly printed imagery for immersive wall-to-wall coverings and fabric lightboxes to create an immersive retail ambiance that helps you forge strong emotional connections between your customers and your brand.
Work with TLC for retail signage solutions that are consistent with your brand image and resonate with shoppers.
Creating Effective Calls to Action
CTAs or Calls To Action can turn passive shoppers into paying customers. They are compelling messages that drive shoppers toward desired actions—in the case of retail, this is usually toward a sales conversion, that is, a buying decision.
Well-crafted CTAs can prompt customers to take desired actions, such as making a purchase or exploring a specific area of the store.
Here are some tips to create compelling CTAs that drive customer engagement and conversion:
To create an effective CTA, you must understand your customer's aspirations and motivations: What drives them? What do they look forward to? Why would they want to buy your product?
Some purchases are made impulsively on the spur of the moment. Some products sell because they promise convenience in a fast-paced urban lifestyle. Still, others are attractive because they are novel or innovative. Tailor the text of the CTA based on the sense of urgency, novelty or aspirations.
Use fundamental design principles to make CTAs impactful, using concise text, eye-catching colors, and bold typography. It's also equally vital to place CTAs strategically so shoppers see them at decisive moments in their shopping journey.
TLC offers retail signage solutions to support your designers and merchandisers in crafting attention-grabbing experiences throughout the shopper's journey from their store entrance all the way to the checkout!
Enhancing Store Navigation and Wayfinding
Navigational signage shapes the path shoppers take through the store's sections. In big box retail stores and supermarkets, shoppers rely on directional signage to locate the products they want to add to their carts. An intuitive store layout and strategically placed signage at aisle entrances or intersections help shoppers navigate the store.
TLC's wayfinding signs guide shoppers to quickly reach the aisle they need to or entice them to browse products that weren't on their shopping list.
Apart from signage on the walls, above aisles, and on product shelves, the retail shopfloor itself provides a grand canvas for designers to create an illusion or a 3-dimensional feel in a two-dimensional image.
Floor decals are used in high-traffic retail spaces or for creative, outside-the-box messaging. They don't take up extra space or get in the way of store floor traffic. They don't need additional fixtures or hardware—they can be easily transferred to the floor without any prior planning or layout design. You can remove them at the end of a promotional period without disrupting any other shelving or product displays.
There are many instances of big-box store retailers using floor decals creatively to attract attention, create intrigue, and make shoppers smile with an unpredictable graphic or a fun phrase.
For example, Pepsi used a floor decal that looked like a paper cup popping out from a blue whirlpool and splashing the ice and the cola across the floor. Sure to catch attention? Indeed—and it did! The company rolled out similar floor decals across 55 stores and recorded an increase in brand awareness from 33% to 58%.
Master the Art of Persuasion with TLC's Retail Signage Solutions
Well-designed and strategically placed signage can captivate shoppers' imagination, guide their in-store journey, and ultimately influence their purchasing decisions.
Quality graphic signage is a versatile promotional tool—whether it is outdoor signs, wayfinding signage, aisle markers, or promotional signage for popups and product displays.
Custom signage in your retail showroom or department store is an integral part of your merchandising strategy, so working with an experienced retail signage solutions company is essential.
TLC's wayfinding signage solution helps shoppers find their way around the shopfloor using high-quality printed graphic signs. We are a G7® Master Certified Facility with state-of-the-art printers with the best results in color management and print consistency.
Connect with TLC for professionally designed retail signage solutions to transform your retail space into a fantastic brand experience and convert store visitors into customers.