Marketers know that signs can be used to inform, persuade, and guide customers. This is just as true of retail signs, though most business owners and managers may not be aware of it. Shoppers tend to be creatures of impulse, making purchasing decisions on the spur of the moment. Retail displays and signs catch them at exactly the right moment. Contemporary glass signs and signage on doors and windows can guide customers to the store or to locations within the store, poster easels can be used to inform them of special deals, and price tags can seal the deal.

Seize the moment
Most people start out shopping trips armed with lists, having done their research, planning and budgeting in advance. But once in the store, they become creatures of impulse, open to every suggestion for purchases they see on the shelves and displays. Researchers have found that shoppers actually make up to 82% of their purchasing decisions in store.
This is where retail signs can help. Large contemporary glass signs and signage on doors and windows on the outside or within the store can guide them to the right area. But once they’re at the display, retail signage can make a big difference to the decision to actually purchase an item.

Retail signs improve sales
Retail signs play a number of different roles: they provide information about that product, help customers to compare different brands, and also act as marketing tools at exactly the moment when customers make their final decision. Researchers at Brigham Young University have found that products that have retail signs actually outsell those without signs by 20%.
Even in the case of full-priced merchandise, products with signs outsold those without by 18%. Signs double as powerful marketing tools, and can help retailers improve their sales. Managers and staff can even have fun with these, making them part of creative retail displays.

Getting creative with signage
Creative retail display ideas can also be subtle marketing tools. For example, adding a little information to cheese and meat price tags about each item can help customers make up their minds. This could be information about the source and origins, such as “grass fed beef”or “Farm made New York cheese”, which also tells the buyer a great deal about its taste and nutritive value.
Customers even like to find information about the places where their food is produced, whether it’s a coffee co-op in Costa Rica or a famous vineyard in France. Pop up display stands near the vegetables section could hold recipe cards, making it easier for customers to eat healthy. And of course, encouraging them to buy more vegetables, once they know exactly how to prepare them.

Retailers and business owners can use retail signs strategically as marketing tools. From contemporary glass signs and signage which directs customers to the store or the right section within the store, to price tags with little snippets of interesting and useful information, signs can inform, guide and persuade customers, helping to improve sales and the customer experience.