Going Wide
5 secrets for success with wide-format retail graphics
You’ve spent a lot of time developing targeted, personalized campaigns to drive traffic into your stores. Once people get there, do they find what they need? Does their time in-store continue that positive experience? Or does it result in frustration and disappointment?
When it comes to creating positive shopping experiences, wide-format graphics can play an important role. They help with navigation, introduce customers to new products, and announce discounts and sales. Done well, they can even make customers less price-sensitive.
When it comes to creating positive shopping experiences, wide-format graphics can play an important role. They help with navigation, introduce customers to new products, and announce discounts and sales. Done well, they can even make customers less price-sensitive.
HERE ARE FIVE TIPS FOR MAKING THE MOST OF RETAIL GRAPHICS:
1. Images over text. You’d think that larger graphics would support more text, but the opposite is true. Oversized signage and displays are most effective when they feature pictures rather than words.
2. Use white space. Don’t clutter up the graphic. Eye-catching images and bold color/contrast grab attention. Use white space to keep the background clean and simple.
3. Understand who, what, and why. Designing in-store signage is not dissimilar to designing a postcard or email blast. Know who your shoppers are and what they are looking for. For example, are your shoppers locals who come into your store on a regular basis? Or do they tend to be tourists for whom the layout and organization of the store is unknown? Are they looking for a specific product that has been advertised? Or are they likely to be just browsing? All of these factors will influence the type and design of the graphics you use.
4. Make it different. Studies have shown that in a retail environment contrast is key to attention. If you are selling beach clothing in blues, greens, and pinks, for example, create signage that is bright yellow or a high-contrast purple. Don’t let your graphics blend into the background.
5. Reduce price-sensitivity with good navigation. Did you know that when customers can easily navigate the store to find what they need, they are less sensitive to price? That’s right! The reverse is true, as well. When shoppers have trouble finding what they need, they become much more likely to bail if the price is higher than expected.
Wide-format graphics are powerful tools in a retail environment, but there is more to them than making them pretty. Once you understand what makes in-store signage “tick,” you—and your customers—can get the most out of them.
2. Use white space. Don’t clutter up the graphic. Eye-catching images and bold color/contrast grab attention. Use white space to keep the background clean and simple.
3. Understand who, what, and why. Designing in-store signage is not dissimilar to designing a postcard or email blast. Know who your shoppers are and what they are looking for. For example, are your shoppers locals who come into your store on a regular basis? Or do they tend to be tourists for whom the layout and organization of the store is unknown? Are they looking for a specific product that has been advertised? Or are they likely to be just browsing? All of these factors will influence the type and design of the graphics you use.
4. Make it different. Studies have shown that in a retail environment contrast is key to attention. If you are selling beach clothing in blues, greens, and pinks, for example, create signage that is bright yellow or a high-contrast purple. Don’t let your graphics blend into the background.
5. Reduce price-sensitivity with good navigation. Did you know that when customers can easily navigate the store to find what they need, they are less sensitive to price? That’s right! The reverse is true, as well. When shoppers have trouble finding what they need, they become much more likely to bail if the price is higher than expected.
Wide-format graphics are powerful tools in a retail environment, but there is more to them than making them pretty. Once you understand what makes in-store signage “tick,” you—and your customers—can get the most out of them.
