What’s a strong drive of revenue for brands? In-store experiences. Actually, 71% of shoppers spent $50 or more when shopping in-store than online.
However, the pandemic has pushed more customers online, so many brands have experienced a significant decrease in their in-store traffic—around 40% of consumers revealed they relied exclusively on online shopping in 2020.
In this context, pushing customers back to in-store shopping can be challenging, but printed signage might be a key strategy for solving this.
The change in customer behavior was significant due to the measures taken by authorities during the pandemic. Many customers have embraced the convenience of online shopping and don’t seem willing to go back to in-person shopping.
However, the in-store experience offers the opportunity to touch and feel products before buying, which is a thing many people don’t want to miss.
“The reality is that customers want to see and test things. It’s why big box retailers still exist,” reveals Franco Alegria, National Account Manager at FedEx Office. “We know part of the loyalty customers have to our brand comes from being able to provide consultations and giving guidance on the solution to their challenges. Customers still want and need these types of high-touch, in-person experiences.”
Now is the time for marketers to remind customers what the benefits of in-person brand experiences are. A great tool for doing this is printed advertising. This can consist of direct mail—which acts as a reminder for customers that they can touch and feel products inside their store—and signage—that catches the eyes of customers as they’re walking or driving past.
A great opportunity arises for marketers to think in terms of futuristic businesses and have a forward-thinking approach to their in-store concepts. They can now attract customers that have been isolated for a year now in new ways. Different types of meet-and-greets, such as cosmetic demonstrations or product sampling, can be leveraged as a hook to draw customers back to stores.
As more people get the vaccine, customers are starting to feel more comfortable with the idea of in-store experiences, and a great way to boost this confidence is by letting them know what they should expect.
“Communication has become crucial to making the customer comfortable to return,” says Alegria. “No matter where you stand on masks, you need to be able to communicate with customers about what is going on at your location and that it’s a safe environment for them to have a comfortable experience. A lot of that communication can be done through signage.”
Printed signage, both outside and inside the store premises, makes it clear for the visitors about certain rules and regulations that must be followed when entering the store. This helps customers feel safer, more comfortable, and ready to fully enjoy their in-store experience.
Another useful way of promoting in-store traffic and regulations for brick-and-mortar stores is through messaging bundles. These are especially useful for brands that have multiple store locations. For example, a brand that had half-corporate-owned restaurants and half-franchise-owned restaurants needed to promote different rules regarding their opening times. With the help of messaging bundles, they managed to easily communicate with their customers without extra hustle.
“We worked with them to build bundles of signage for parking for carryout, floor graphics for where to stand to remain socially distanced, and signage to help customers move through the restaurant itself, such as where to find condiments,” says Alegria.
The truth is that people need to go back to in-store experiences. It’s part of our natural tendency to search for a sense of community and in-person experiences. Smart marketers know this and will use it to drive traffic back to their stores—bringing the in-store experience back to life.
