Why Good Signage Matters in Retail

Signs matter in almost every industry, but they play an especially big role in retail. That’s because so much of the sales process depends on getting key information across visually.

Take product packaging, for example. It tells your customer what a product is and how to use it. It should also clearly show your branding. Including brand elements on your packaging helps people become familiar with your company and encourages them to come back. That’s a lot for one design to achieve, so it needs careful planning.

Your outdoor signage is vital for catching the eye of passersby and drawing them into your shop. Once they’re inside, your indoor signage should help them find their way around and locate what they need. Signs can also promote products and point shoppers towards special offers.

Picture a shop with no signage at all. It would feel dull and confusing. Good signage creates a positive experience for customers and so helps your business grow. It should support people at every stage of their journey, from someone who has never visited your store to a happy, returning customer. That journey will look a little different for every shop, so customisation is key. Whatever the product, message or setting, Express Print’s signage solutions can be tailored to suit your retail needs.

In our studios, you’ll find options for a whole range of retail displays, from POP displays and window graphics to banners, flags and more. All of these formats can easily be adapted to match your store’s style. Try to use as many of these display types as you can, so you can engage shoppers throughout your store, both inside and out.

Most shopfronts are largely made of glass. You can make the most of these windows and glass doors by covering them with retail window graphics. These graphics come in the form of decals that can be printed on a range of materials. Some of these materials let you see through the decal from inside, so shoppers can still look out at the car park or street. Others are designed to be visible from both sides of the window.

The options don’t stop there. Some decals are multi-coloured, while others are frosted or clear. Some are small, while others are large enough to cover your entire window. Whatever look you’re after, you can create retail window signs to suit your taste. Retail window decals from Express Print can help you display your opening hours, promote sales and more.

Sidewalk signage is an excellent way to catch the attention of passersby, especially those on foot. You’ve probably seen plenty of signs on pavements outside shops and restaurants advertising sales, lunch specials and more. Did any of them ever tempt you to step in and browse the discounted items or grab a bite to eat?

Retail sidewalk signs usually take the form of an A-frame. Retail A-frame signs work like an easel and are freestanding, so you can set them up almost anywhere. As well as pavements, you can place them in courtyards, entrances or any spot where you know they’ll be seen. The A-frame design allows for double-sided graphics, so you can reach people walking from either direction. These signs can be printed on several hard-wearing materials, such as aluminium and polystyrene, so they can handle outdoor conditions.

Custom flags are another great way to attract attention outside your shop. What sets flags apart from other types of signage is that they’re dynamic, moving with the breeze. Outdoor flags are typically made from vinyl or vinyl mesh and printed with vivid inks, so you can raise awareness of your brand and get your message across clearly.

Storefront flags come in a variety of shapes, including feather, teardrop and more. You can also choose the size you prefer, up to over 18 feet tall. There are many ways to display your flags, including staking them into the ground or using a weighted base. Some shops find they attract the most attention by lining their storefront with a series of retail flags. Each flag can be unique, or they can all match. Either way, you get an eye-catching, dynamic display.

Another outdoor signage option to consider is a custom banner. Banners are an extremely versatile display, popular with all kinds of businesses and occasions. Retail stores can use banners for both long-term and short-term messages. Outdoor banners are especially effective for drawing attention to grand openings, reopenings and major sales. If your store hosts any events, such as trunk shows, free classes or product launches, a banner can also help you promote them for weeks beforehand.

Outdoor banners are printed on either vinyl or canvas. To display yours, you can hang it by its grommets, mount it on a lamp post or use a banner stand. With these options, you can place banners above your entrance, on the side of the building, on the pavement or on lamp posts in front of your shop. The possibilities are almost endless.

Endcap signs are displays at the end of an aisle. Retailers use them to promote seasonal items or products on special offer. At its simplest, endcap signage might just show the price of the items stacked on the shelves at the end of the aisle. You can make your endcap feature far more eye-catching, though, by customising it with graphics. These graphics can highlight the product or season and reinforce your branding.

For example, if you run a grocery store, you might feature popular baking ingredients like canned pumpkin and stuffing mix on an endcap in the weeks before Thanksgiving. Custom endcap signage can help you showcase these products and link your brand with the holiday in shoppers’ minds. If you run a pharmacy, you might want to make it easier for shoppers to find cold medicine during the cold and flu season. You could also use the endcap to advertise flu shots and show your customers that you care.

Retail point of purchase signs can be placed anywhere on your shelves, or they can work as standalone displays. POP signage encourages shoppers to buy certain products right where they’re displayed. This is a great strategy when you want to move stock that hasn’t been selling well or when you want to promote a new product.

Point of purchase signs all share the same purpose, but they come in many types, shapes and sizes. You can use everything from vinyl-printed rigid signs and digital screens to easel-back standees as POP signage. The right choice depends on where you want your display to sit and the scale you have in mind. No matter how big or small your store is, you can create an effective POP display for your shelves to help boost your sales.

Store fixtures are all the equipment you use to display your products, such as shelves, racks and even mannequins. Sign fixtures, also known as sign holders, are an important part of this category too. Retail sign holders help you display your graphics professionally. They can be attached to other fixtures or work as standalone displays.

Sign fixtures make it easy to swap graphics regularly while keeping a polished look. One option is to use a sign holder to display your weekly or daily specials near the entrance. You could also include it in displays you change every month. When it’s time for a fresh look, just slot in your new graphics, and you have a professional freestanding display ready to go.

In-store digital signage is another great way to advertise in your shop. It can be a brilliant addition to printed signage and keeps things feeling fresh. A key advantage of digital signage is that you can include multimedia rather than being limited to still images. This opens up plenty of creative possibilities.

For professional digital displays that help you share your messages, skip the televisions or tablets propped up on a shelf. Instead, choose standalone signage that offers far more customisation, such as a kiosk. With a customised kiosk, you can print your branded graphics directly onto the unit itself. Then use the screen to show text, pictures or videos that you can update as often as you like.

Hanging signs for retail stores draw customers’ eyes upwards and can be seen over aisles thanks to their height. This makes them an excellent focal point for reinforcing aspects of your branding, such as your logo or slogan. Hanging business signs are easy to install where you have drop ceilings.

Hanging signs for retail stores include banners that are hung by their grommets. A hanging retail display could also be a three-dimensional structure. Trade show exhibitors sometimes use these hanging structures to make their booth stand out in a crowd, and they’re also a great advertising tool for shops. Of course, the people who see your hanging display are already shopping with you, but that doesn’t mean you stop marketing. Show them what makes your store unique so they keep coming back.

Floor graphics can catch the attention of shoppers whenever they glance down, perhaps to check their phones or their shopping lists. Floor graphics are made from vinyl and coated with a protective layer, so they can handle foot traffic in your store. Some decals are designed to stick down long-term, while removable floor decals let you peel off the graphics and move them or swap them for new designs more often.

Retail floor graphics can serve a range of purposes. They can reinforce your branding throughout the store, for example. Another useful application is wayfinding signage. You can use arrows and text on the floor to guide people to departments, bathrooms, customer service desks and more.

SpeedPro can help your company create custom product packaging that matches your corporate branding and makes your products more appealing to customers. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to packaging. That’s why we take an individual approach, learning about your product and helping you produce packaging made to help it shine. Packaging should also protect your product from damage and tampering.

Custom retail packaging should reflect how you want people to interact with your brand. For example, if you run a boutique selling handmade soaps and other cosmetic products, your packaging should tell customers that these products are luxurious and that each ingredient has been carefully chosen. If you make toys for your toy shop, your packaging should be as bright and fun as the toy itself, so parents and children get excited the moment they see it.

Grabbing attention is a challenge wherever your store is located. That’s why you can’t settle for mediocre, generic graphics. To cut through the retail clutter and communicate effectively with your audience, you need big, bold custom graphics that stand out and show shoppers what makes your store special.

Express Print understands how retail works, and we’re ready to partner with you to meet your goals. We also know that consistency matters across every industry. That’s why we’ll work with you to make sure your branding and graphics translate well from one format to another, so you always look your best wherever customers see you. While you focus on the busy sales floor, we’ll manage your graphics production and deliver high-quality signage on time and within budget.

Beyond the types of signage we’ve covered on this page, we can also help you produce a fuller range of displays. Whether you’re interested in fleet wraps, wall murals or lift wraps, Express Print can handle it. In everything we create, our mission is to bring your message to life through quality displays.