If you’re in retail, it’s your job to provide your customers with the best possible shopping experience. Product displays and signs are essential to helping create those positive in-store encounters. As part of a successful retail strategy, well-designed product displays and signs can attract and engage customers and, ultimately, drive sales.
But creating powerful, persuasive retail displays takes more than unique design and splashy graphics. To be effective, displays have to appeal to your customers.
Start By Meeting Your Customers Where They Are
In today’s digital world, in-store shopping experiences are still vital to retailers: Despite the rise of e-commerce, the National Retail Federation reports that 80% of sales still involve physical stores. “Successful retailers are reimagining their offerings to meet consumers both online and in-store, creating an integrated experience that blends channels.
Consumers are demanding hybrid retail options such as buy-online-pick-up-in-store and buy-online-return-in-store. So, when customers visit your store, be prepared.
The key to brick-and-mortar retail success is to optimize in-store customer interactions. Start by understanding your target audience and what they want when they walk into your store. Do they visit your store for help with a specific product or application? Are they stopping in to grab sale items? Do they tend to browse new-release or seasonal merchandise?
Next, funnel those findings into creating an inviting, organized, easy-to-navigate retail space. Using the right product displays and signs can help you get there.
6 Tips for Creating Effective Product Displays and Signs
1. Keep it simple.
When it comes to product displays and signs, less is more. Cluttered displays and signs can overwhelm customers and make it difficult for them to focus on the products. So keep your displays and signs simple and easy to read. Use bold and clear fonts. And limit the number of products on display to help customers focus on the featured item or items.
2. Be strategic about color.
Color is powerful for grabbing customer attention and conveying information. Following cues from the psychology of color in marketing, consider how different colors make your customers feel and what you want your displays or signs to convey. Here are a few standard colors used in displays and the emotional messages they send:
- Yellow is optimistic and eye-catching: ideal for window signage.
- Black is sophisticated and strong: great to use in bold fonts to call attention to upscale or luxury items or used for subtle brand signage
- Red evokes excitement and urgency: effective for promoting sales and even stimulating appetite.
- Green is pure and natural: ideal for promoting eco-friendly and sustainably sourced items, outdoor gear or apparel, etc.
- White is clean and calm: good for pure-sourced items or for balancing out other colors in the background (think white space).
Because product displays and signage are part of your overall brand marketing program, ensure your signage has a consistent look. Use complementary colors that play well with your brand’s color palette.
3. Use lighting to your advantage
Lighting can create a welcoming atmosphere in your store and highlight products. Use spotlights or backlighting to draw attention to specific products or areas, or departments within your space. Go with warm, inviting LED light and avoid harsh fluorescents for the best effect.
4. Create a focal point.
Draw customer attention right where you want it by using symmetry in your product displays. To create a focal point in your display, place your most eye-catching—or featured—products in the center and then surround them with complementary items or accessories. Play with scale in size to strike the right balance that captures customers’ attention and draws them in.
5. Make it interactive.
Interactive displays are a great way to engage customers and encourage them to spend more time in your store. This interactive element can be grand or simple in scope: On the higher end, you might use a kiosk with a touchscreen in your display that allows customers to touch, try on, or interact with your product. Or you could include a QR code on a product display or product packaging that engages your customers and prompts them to provide basic information to unlock a special offer. Interactive display elements can help build excitement around your brand and products and increase sales.
6. Rotate product displays regularly.
Keeping your displays fresh and exciting is essential to keeping customers engaged. Rotate your displays regularly, using seasonal themes, highlighting new products, or promoting new offers. This helps keep your store looking fresh and inviting and encourages customers to return to see what’s new.
A final thought about standout retail displays and signs
Creating an engaging and enjoyable in-store customer experience is essential to business success for retailers. And well-designed product displays and signage are crucial to that effort. Eye-catching, visually pleasing displays and signs make it easier for customers to find what they need, discover new products and services, and enhance their shopping experience.
Shamrock has been designing and creating retail product displays and signs for over 30 years. So, we know a bit about creating customer experiences that drive sales. If you want to discuss your in-store displays and signs and how we might help, reach out at jbanks@shamrockcompanies.net.
