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The power of successful storefronts
There is no doubt first impressions count when creating customer relationships, and for retail businesses your storefront often represents that critical first point of contact. Everyday, countless people walk our streets and malls, passing hundreds of stores. And every storefront is competing for the attention of those potential customers—the goal of your storefront design is at best to beckon buyers inside, or at least to create a memorable impression that triggers a future visit. A striking storefront sign can make the difference between a successful and unsuccessful business. |
A recent FedEx Office Survey on storefront signage, its power of attraction, its impact on customers’ intent to visit your store to make a purchase concluded that stand-out storefront signage contributes to sales. According to the survey, 76% of American consumers make their first-time visit based on store signage, and 68% have purchased a product or service because of an eye-catching storefront sign.
Once inside your store, visitors are much more likely to make a purchase
There is tremendous significance in the value of attracting potential buyers over the threshold of your store. Once inside your store, the chances of your prospect buying are increased exponentially—and there is the opportunity for your prospect visitor to buy multiple products and/or services while in your store.
So if capturing prospects’ attention with storefront signage is so important, what does it take to create highly effective, memorable signage? After all, a poorly executed storefront signage campaign is a lost opportunity. According to a study performed by Microsoft Corporation, the average attention span of a passing prospect is as low as eight seconds. Here are some tips on how to maximize the effectiveness of your storefront signs to get prospects into your store.
Attract attention
There are a few ways to capture prospect attention:
Red signifies power. It gets and holds attention, which is why it’s the most popular marketing color. |
Blue signifies business professional and trust. Mix blue with complimentary colors to differentiate your brand. |
Although primarily attractive to a young female demographic, pink can be fun, frilly, and feminine. |
Yellow signifies power and confidence, but can be a challenging hue to work with. A great color for getting attention. |
Green is warm and inviting. It also denotes health, environment, and goodwill. Lastly, green is the color of money, and generates thoughts of wealth. |
Purple is the color of royalty, making it perfect for lending a touch of elegance and prestige. |
Like purple, gold is elegant and prestigious, but adds an element of power. Often combined with green or purple, gold is a powerful color that symbolizes wealth and pedigree. |
Orange signifies energy. Its powerful attention-getting properties are both fun and exciting and fresh. |
Brown is known as a comfort color that is known to relax customers. |
Black is highly versatile and the most commonly used color. Modern or traditional, exciting or relaxing, it adds drama and distinction. |
Eyequant analysis shows that human eyes tend to dwell on human faces and dark text—viewer focus points indicated by red/yellow indicators.
Make an impact
So once you’ve got your prospect’s attention, you’ve got eight seconds to make an impression. Storefront signs need to present a strong brand that delivers relevance and motivates buying.