How to Make the Most of the Signs In Your Store 

Signage should lead shoppers through your store and invite them to take a closer look at featured items and displays. Up close, it can inform customers about specific benefits of your new line of sneakers or summer-weight sweaters. And signs point the way to your markdowns as well as your latest introductions.

In this part of our series on tips for clothing stores, we’ll discuss making the most of the signs in your store. More than simply telling shoppers how to find the dressing rooms or rest rooms, signs can help you draw attention to and sell more merchandise.

Of course, you have to use them strategically, so let’s examine how you can do that.

1. First, some general signage tips for clothing stores:

• Lack of signage confuses potential customers. They may leave if they can’t readily detect that you carry articles of clothing they are looking for.
• Too much signage is simply clutter, just like stuffing your displays with too many items. Visual overload makes people uncomfortable.
• Boring, out-of-the-box signs are, well, boring. Signs should be informative, but they should also complement the style and décor of your store.
• Always check out new signage – literally from your customer’s viewpoint – to be sure it’s right-sized and well-positioned.

 2. Elements of a truly useful sign:

• Brevity. Customers didn’t enter your store to read, so keep text short and on point. Don’t clutter it with unnecessary decorative graphics.
• Easy to read. Stick with one or two simple font styles, and size the text for easy reading based on how far away your customer will be.
• Consistency. All signage throughout your store should have the same look. Ideally, it should reinforce your brand’s official colors and blend with your store’s décor, but choosing a contrasting color will help make your signs more visible.
• Quality. Professional-looking signage reflects well on your store and merchandise.

 3. Elements of a great (as in sales-motivating) sign:

The most effective signage helps customers visualize themselves wearing what you sell. Remember, they don’t need a new dress - they really want to look good for a date, or professional for an interview. Instead of “Dresses,” say, “You’ll turn his head in this dress,” or, “You’ll land the job in this dress.” It becomes more personal when you use “you” or “your.”

4. Go digital.

This is one of the hottest trends in fashion merchandising, and it fits every type of clothing store, from funky boutique to “Rodeo Drive” upscale. Digital (or LED-backed) signs are amazingly versatile, excellent for showing “lifestyle” photos, or video of apparel in action.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our series on tips for clothing stores. Signage can help boost sales, but it’s just one tool. Knowing how to integrate signage with smart, imaginative display and lighting techniques allows you to create a fashion-forward store that sells. Top all that off with friendly, knowledgeable staff, and watch your sales grow.

Palmer Retail Solutions strives to offer our clients the absolute best combination of innovation, quality, service, and value for our diversified custom store fixtures and merchandising displays. For more information about our designs, retail fixtures, cash wraps, kiosks, or point of purchase displays, visit our website at: http://www.palmerretailsolutions.com.