Driving Footfall Through Visual Solutions

With more opportunities for customer engagement and sales, increasing your footfall is key in growing your revenue and recouping lost earnings due to Coronavirus restrictions. So how can you encourage customers to choose your business?

Revitalise your exterior

Outdoor Business Signs

Curb appeal matters with 8 in 10 consumers entering a business purely based on its signage*. Take a step back to assess your frontage and try to see it through fresh eyes. Ask yourself, what would make you curious or excited enough to walk through the door? Nobody wants to enter a business with peeling paint, tired window displays or tatty signage, so it’s important to stay on top of these maintenance tasks. Competition is fierce with retailers having to battle for every last customer meaning it is vital you make your exterior as attractive as possible. Your main fascia sign should perfectly reflect the personality, quality and purpose of your company and in doing so, grab people’s attention.

Shop Front Signs

Built-up letters, illumination and interesting materials used naturally catch the eye and are great ways to add individuality and interest to your exteriors. You can also add simple solutions such as a welcoming A-board, branded café barriers and digital signage showing a range of content to increase your presence. By making some of these minimal changes to spruce up your exterior you can dramatically increase footfall for your business.

Create a safe environment

Social Distancing Floor Graphics

In simple terms, no customers means no business. Capturing people’s attention with attractive frontage is just one of the elements in driving people into your premises. It is human behaviour to flock toward the safe and secure, whether that be to their workplace, with friends and family or where they choose to shop. By creating a safe environment you make customers feel welcome and secure. Not only are customers much more likely to spend an extended period of time in your premises, they are also likely to return again and again as well as speak positively of your business to others, which in turn, drives footfall. So how do you make people feel safe? Effective social distancing solutions play an integral part in promoting the welfare of both customers and staff. In fact, a recent study commissioned by wide-format printer manufacturer, Roland DG, highlighted that 80% of UK consumers are more likely to visit stores that have clear social distancing graphics.

Sanitiser Stations

Clothes shops, supermarkets, restaurants and bars were found to have the most unclear signage in place demonstrating there is a big opportunity for brands to implement efficient, dynamic visual solutions that build consumer confidence. Consider your current social distancing solutions; are they obvious? Are the messages clear? Do they safely lead customers in the right direction? Many businesses implemented their Coronavirus solutions some time ago with the view they would be temporary. However, with social distancing looking like it will be the norm for some time, it may be wise to invest or refresh more semi-permanent solutions such as fully customisable floor graphics, sleek and signposted hand sanitiser stations and durable notices and displays.

Maximise busy periods

Christmas will be here before we know it and as one of the busiest times of the year for retail, hospitality and hair and beauty businesses it’s important to make the most of the naturally increased footfall. Getting your business noticed and maximising sales during this time will be crucial for many so, with less than 100 days till Christmas, now is an ideal time to start planning. Attracting and welcoming customers into your business is one thing, keeping them there is quite another. It is important to remember that many people aren’t just looking to make a quick transaction, they want an experience. So, incorporating the festive spirit into promotional displays, bespoke wall graphics and even directional signage help to invoke that festive cheer, lifting spirits and encouraging people to purchase.

Christmas isn’t the only opportunity you should look to maximise, many local and even national events are happening to help promote businesses over the coming months. The recent Eat Out to Help Out scheme is a great example of one such scheme which resulted in over £100 million being claimed by businesses throughout the UK! Returning this year on 5th December, Small Business Saturday has also been known to prompt consumers to support small, local businesses on the day, with over £800 million in revenue generated in 2019. Be sure to investigate initiatives that may benefit your business and promote them with quality visual solutions from Signs Express. Contact your local centre to find out more. *Source: FedEx Office “What’s your sign” survey