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Retail Signage and Wayfinding

October 13, 2023

Did you ever get lost in a store when you were a child? You might have wandered too far from your family and then gotten confused by the bright colors, sudden noises, and groups of people, none of whom looked familiar. While getting lost in the store will likely always be a daunting experience for young children, people of any age can get lost in a store. Are adult customers also overwhelmed in your store, needing clarification about where to find specific items? It may be time to upgrade your retail signage and wayfinding in your store.

Clear and Consistent Branding

Your store’s signage should be an extension of your brand identity. Consistency in colors, fonts, and logos across all your signage helps reinforce your brand in customers’ minds. When they see your signage, they should immediately recognize it as part of your store’s visual identity. Consider the following:

Example:  If your brand features a vibrant red and white color scheme, ensure your signage prominently showcases these colors. Use modern, traditional, or playful fonts that reflect your brand’s personality.

Prioritize Visibility

Your signage must grab customers’ attention from a distance, especially in a busy retail environment. To achieve this, choose high-contrast color combinations that stand out. Avoid cluttered signage that can confuse rather than guide. Here’s how you can make your signage more visible:

Example:  Opt for bold, contrasting colors like black on yellow or white on a dark background for maximum visibility. Ensure there is sufficient space around each sign to prevent visual clutter.

Strategic Placement

Strategic placement of signage is crucial for effective wayfinding. Position your signs at key decision points, such as entrances, aisle intersections, and near popular product sections. These locations help customers choose where to go next, enhancing their overall experience.

Example:  Place a “New Arrivals” sign near the entrance to draw customers’ attention to fresh merchandise. Use arrows to guide them toward popular sections like “Sale” or “Clearance.”

Legible Typography

Your signage should be easy to read and comprehend quickly. Utilize clear and legible fonts, avoiding overly decorative or script fonts that confuse customers. Consider the following typography tips:

Example:  Use sans-serif fonts like Arial or Helvetica for maximum legibility. Ensure that the font size is appropriate, with larger fonts for headers and essential information and smaller fonts for additional details.

Information Hierarchy

Organize the information  on your signage logically. Place the most critical details at eye level to ensure they capture customers’ attention. Start with the primary message and follow with secondary information.

Example:  If you’re advertising a sale, the headline should be the sale percentage, the product category or specific items on sale, and the promotion duration at the bottom.

Digital Signage Integration

Incorporating digital displays can take your signage to the next level. Digital signage allows for dynamic content updates, real-time information dissemination, and customer engagement. Here are some advantages:

Example:  Install digital screens near the entrance to showcase product videos, promotional content, and real-time inventory updates. These displays can adapt to changing store needs and create an immersive shopping experience.

Wayfinding Icons and Symbols

Universal symbols and icons can transcend language barriers and make navigation intuitive for all customers. Implementing these symbols in your signage helps streamline the shopping journey.

Example:  Use simple arrow icons to indicate directions, restroom symbols for restroom signage, and shopping cart icons to highlight shopping areas.

Lighting for Emphasis

Strategic lighting can draw attention to specific signs or areas within your store. Well-lit signage guides customers effectively and creates focal points that encourage exploration.

Example:  Install spotlights or LED strips to illuminate promotional signs or unique displays. Consider track lighting to highlight particular aisles or product sections.

ADA Compliance

Ensuring that your signage meets ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements is crucial for creating an inclusive shopping experience. ADA-compliant signage includes features like  braille and tactile elements  for visually impaired customers.

Example:  Incorporate braille on signage wherever necessary, such as restroom signs and room numbers. Ensure to position tactile elements correctly, like raised letters for touch reading.

Regular Maintenance

To keep your signage effective, it’s essential to conduct regular maintenance. Periodically assess the condition of your signs and replace any damaged or outdated signs. A well-maintained store not only looks inviting but also functions smoothly.

Example:  Assign a staff member to perform routine checks on signage. Replace faded, torn, or broken signs immediately to ensure customers can always access accurate information.

Work With Butler Merchandising

Effective retail signage and wayfinding can significantly impact your store’s success. By implementing these ten tips, you’ll enhance the functionality and aesthetics of your store, boost customer satisfaction, and ultimately increase sales. The key to successful signage and wayfinding lies in creating a shopping experience that is effortless, enjoyable, and memorable for your customers. Start implementing these tips today, and watch your store thrive with improved signage and wayfinding.

If you’re starting to form some ideas for your visual merchandising for the year ahead, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team at Butler Merchandising. We’ve been in business since 1926 and commit daily to quality designs and products. We have in-house design and manufacturing capabilities to get your product to you efficiently.  Get in touch  with us today!

December 26, 2024
Successful POS Design Pushes Traditional Marketing Strategies To Another Level. Point of Sale marketing in 2018 took traditional marketing methods – unique design, eye-catching presentation, effective branding with clear messaging, a clear tieback to existing consumer advertising, targeting emotional triggers, and an awareness of the shopper's journey – and pushed them to the limits of creativity. Studies in point-of-sale effectiveness showed that in 2016, properly leveraged marketing initiatives resulted in an average of 9.2% sales lift and that 40% of shoppers recalled the merchandising displays. As marketing has become more complex, these numbers have improved, and it’s been found that the most successful campaigns didn’t prioritize one method over any other but rather ensured each factor was leveraged to the fullest to maximize the impact of the overall strategy. Marketing is More than Matching Form to Function Across every industry and market segment, setting your brand apart from the competition is a fierce and driving force that informs every business decision. The process of marketing is no exception – companies everywhere have come to understand that customers can get whatever service you offer from a myriad of sources, so a successful marketing plan can usher consumers beyond any concerns of quality and focus their behavior on the one thing you can control: the journey they take in buying your product. Don’t Think Outside the Box, Leave the Box at Home Successful creative marketing approaches break down the boundaries around how consumers expect to consume and interact with your brand. Bold, compelling designs, larger-than-life displays, interactive or dynamic displays, and point-of-sale media that not only showcase the product but draw the user into the unique experience your brand has to offer. And don’t stick to only static floor installations. Explore shelf edging, ceiling-hung displays, or signage and displays for register counters. Approach your marketing without limitations on space and location, and open the door to all of the possible ways to engage consumers. Show and Tell with Clear Branding and Messaging While creativity is necessary, clarity is just as important. The last thing you want consumers to do is look at your POS branding and either not be able to tie your product to it, or worse, not understand the message you’re trying to get across. Your brand should be front and center, and the supporting messaging or call to action should cleverly play into your brand without straying too far afield. An energy drink display modeled after a refueling jet or a gas station is not only clever and engaging, but on-brand and appropriate. A display focused on your brand’s new chocolate bars combining imagery of clowns having a party on a yacht inviting consumers to dive in? Memorable, sure, but in none of the right ways. POS Displays are Breadcrumbs on the Trail Back to Your Brand A cohesive marketing campaign requires your point of sale materials to tie back to your overall brand image and message. As with the example above, great POS displays tell a story and paint a picture consistent with your brand presence across all mediums. Think about it from the perspective of the Apple aesthetic, where you can instantly recognize the sleek minimalistic design of an Apple product. Consumers should be able to see your branding anywhere – the store, online, on a billboard – and instantly recognize consistency in your messaging and presentation. Disrupt Routine with Emotion Let’s go back to the crucial element in marketing that successful campaigns take into account: the market is oversaturated, no matter the market niche to which you cater. All of the guidance discussed to this point is meaningless if you’re marketing department cannot embrace this one guiding principle: you’re not selling a product or service. You’re selling what it feels like to engage with your product or service. You’re honing in on the emotions and the place your product should hold in a consumer’s life. Your material must embody that aesthetic, that a lifestyle where your brand plays a role is the lifestyle they would prefer to anything else. Don’t Be Passive, Take Control of the Consumer Journey Building effective eye-catching, emotion-inducing POS displays for your product isn’t enough in the modern marketplace. Buying and shopping habits have shifted and more decision-making occurs before customers step foot into a brick-and-mortar retail space, requiring a marketing approach that places you squarely into the consumer journey. Engage digital throughout your marketing efforts – from targeted online advertisements that draw consumers to your brand to engaging and digital-savvy store installations that incorporate video and digital POS displays when consumers follow your advertising into the store and complete their journey to where your product is displayed. A Firm with a Successful Track Record in POS Design You want your product to stand out and make an emotional impact on consumers. You’ve created a solid branding and marketing plan, and need to find a solutions provider with a track record of success and the ability to bring your visions to life in ways that will draw consumers to your brand and maximize the return on your marketing initiative. Or maybe you’re a small business just starting and you could use some help in designing your marketing strategy to support your product. Whatever your needs might be, contact the award-winning team at Butler Merchandising Systems, LLC. today to collaborate on your next project.
By Butler MSI Team October 21, 2024
With online shopping growing rapidly, physical stores are under increasing pressure to stand out to the average consumer. Out of all the possible ways to differentiate yourself from your e-commerce competitors, visual merchandising is crucial in attracting foot traffic and driving sales.
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