When your product sits on a store shelf, you have to compete with other brands for consumer attention. Grabbing and securing that attention often leads to improved sales, penetration and a wider customer base.
Signs and in-store aisle displays are excellent allies for attracting in-store attention. Large text, bold colors and high-quality images can hook consumers, guiding them toward your products. Standing out from the crowd requires creativity, innovation, careful planning and successful execution. In many cases, it even requires a partner.
In this guide, we will explore the appeal and power of retail promotional displays and leave you with nine ideas for in-aisle signage that can elevate your business’s product promotion capabilities.
The Benefits of In-Aisle Signage
Customers have dozens of choices the moment they enter a store. In-aisle signage and displays simplify the number of options by encouraging the customer to focus on them rather than all of the other products surrounding them. This directed attention can lead to more purchases, especially when the signage or display requires focus to interact with.
Other benefits of in-aisle signage include:
- Increasing brand presence and recognition: Signs and displays allow you to communicate your brand to new customers. A positive and memorable experience with your brand can lead them to engage with your products more actively in the future, as a result of the mere exposure effect. Creating the memory is what is important. Even if they do not immediately make a purchase, the memory of your brand will make them more likely to engage with it in the future, especially if you continue using similar branding.
- Increasing consumer awareness of new products and promotions: When new products are rolled out, your target audience needs to know about them in order to purchase them and justify your investment. In-store product displays and signage can get the word out and give you the chance to pitch the new offerings to customers who are already familiar with your brand, as well as those who have never engaged with it before. Promotions can be handled similarly by altering the presentation of goods and signage to incorporate information about the promotion.
- Simplifying store navigation for customers: The number of choices available to customers can make grocery stores and mass retailers difficult to navigate. If they become overwhelmed or confused in their search for a particular brand or product, they may leave the store without the item or settle for an alternative. In-aisle signs and displays allow customers familiar with your brand to skim through the store and easily find your products.
In-Aisle Signage Best Practices and Ideas
Signs and displays are tried-and-true promotional methods. Before we take a look at some fresh inspiration ideas that can really hook customers, we should go over the basics of how to use in-aisle signage well. These ideas can help you improve your in-aisle signage to attract new customers, increase profits and increase branding.
1. Use Bright Colors and Large Text
Colors and words grab our attention. In a retail environment, however, every product and brand is competing for the attention of consumers through these exact means. A more precise and creative design is required if you really want to stand out from the crowd. You can do so by using unique and brand-specific color schemes and large text to compel audiences.
2. Create Unique Shapes
The shape of your signage can bolster the effect of its words and colors. Retail shelves are linear, and using curves and different angles helps draw attention to your products.
Interesting silhouettes can catch the attention of consumers, so consider ways to use the overall shape of your signage to direct customers toward store aisle merchandising or encourage them to read specific text on the sign itself. For example, if you sell beverages, you can create signage shaped like its plastic bottle.
3. Incorporate Faces
Humans have a natural ability to recognize faces. In fact, we have a circuit in our brains dedicated to just that. The ability to recognize faces also draws us to them. When something face-like appears in our line of sight, we are naturally drawn to it rather than less defined shapes. Retail merchandising displays can leverage this effect to their benefit by including faces. Humans will respond to a cartoon rendering of a face and a dog’s face in much the same way, especially if they are featured prominently. As an example, makeup brands can use images of people wearing their products on their faces.
4. Incorporate Recognizable Figures
Including brand mascots and celebrity ambassadors in retail wall fixtures and the like is a great way to get eyes on your products. A sponsorship from a famous athlete, actor or influencer can legitimize a brand in the eyes of consumers and make them more curious about the products they sell.
5. Include Your Business’s Branding
Logos, brand colors, mascots and other branding can help repeat customers find you while acquainting new customers with your brand so that they will be more likely to engage with it in the future. However, try not to flood signage with too much information and visual noise, as this can confuse customers and dissuade them from engaging.
Your branding should also be consistent between your in-store promotional material and your website. Pages displaying in-shop aisle themes build continuity across your brand and increase the likelihood that consumers will recognize your brand in stores.
6. Simplify Text as Much as Possible
More complex text can invite consumers to look closer and read longer, but it can also cause them to quickly lose interest before they get to the point. Text that is efficient and short is far more likely to result in engagement and action, so focus on paring the writing on your signs and displays down as much as possible. You can even break minor grammar conventions by omitting articles and using abbreviations to communicate more quickly.
7. Create a Sense of Flow
The design of the sign or display should guide readers through basic information and toward action. For example, your end-of-the-aisle display in a store might have large text identifying the product, and an arrow pointing toward an image of the product. In this way, the sign grabs the attention of the consumer and encourages customers to learn more.
8. Connect Directly to the Product
Aisle displays and in-store promotions should focus on the product they are promoting. If the product is only mentioned in passing or the sign does not direct customers to where they can find the product, the sign will likely result in more confusion than anything else. Including images of the product is one of the best ways to connect customers with it, though it may be worth it to focus on branding or endorsements rather than an image of the product in some cases.
Fresh Signage Ideas for Your Business
The above principles can transform your signage for the better, but creating effective promotional materials involves more than just following rules. It takes creativity and innovation, new ideas and some risk.
Below are nine ideas for enhancing existing signage or inspiring new approaches to promotion.
1. Tiered Signage
One of the best store wall display ideas is to use multiple smaller signs across the aisle rather than a single large one. This layout gives customers multiple chances to engage with your brand and can guide them deeper into the aisle where your products are. You can even enhance these effects by dividing your messaging across each of the signs to invite people to keep looking to read more.
2. Educational Signage (Lists and Charts)
Lists and charts are highly effective for in-aisle signage because they quickly capture attention and make product information easy to digest. These formats allow shoppers to scan key features and benefits at a glance, which is ideal in a busy retail environment where decision-making happens fast.
Whether outlining what makes your product stand out or walking through how it solves a specific problem, these structured formats help turn interest into action. Adding icons alongside list items or chart elements can further enhance readability, helping shoppers process information even faster by pairing visuals with concise text.
3. Product In Use
Remember our discussion about unique sign shapes? Signage that shows your product in action is a great way to play with the silhouette of your signs and displays. A sign showcasing weedkiller, for instance, might show the bottle being sprayed. The spray then extends outward from the body of the sign, grabbing the eye and leading it back to your branding.
Showing your product in action also draws attention and helps shoppers visualize the final result. This can be a powerful motivator. For example, instead of simply showing a package of hamburger buns, a sign might feature a fully assembled, mouthwatering burger resting on the bun. This type of visual storytelling taps into desire and helps consumers visualize the end experience.
4. QR Codes
QR codes give shoppers an easy way to connect with your brand beyond the aisle. They can link directly to detailed product information, additional product options that help customers make informed choices or guided selection tools, allowing customers to easily find the best options.
When paired with a clear, compelling reason to scan, such as access to promotions, discounts, or sweepstakes, QR codes can drive deeper engagement and extend the shopper experience beyond the display.
5. Interactive Displays
Get customers involved by creating a sign or display they can interact with. You can do this by incorporating spinnable wheels, tearaway elements and more. Displays like this can be more expensive to produce, but they can also significantly increase brand recognition as a result of their interactivity.
For example, if you have a granola bar brand and want to introduce new flavors, you can put them on a spinning wheel and encourage customers to give it a spin to see which one they should try.
Interactive elements also work well for product education. A pet food brand, for instance, might use a spin wheel to help shoppers match nutritional needs to product recommendations. Some displays incorporate video screens to deliver brand stories or highlight product features, while others include toy dioramas to draw attention, especially in family-oriented aisles.
When power is available, lighting elements can be integrated to highlight specific messages or create a sensory experience that draws even more foot traffic.
6. Ask a Question
One of the best ways to encourage customer engagement is to ask questions in your signage. People naturally respond to interesting or relevant questions, and you can leverage that instinct to put some eyes on your in-store aisle displays. Large letters and placing the question at the center of the display can make it even more engaging. For example, a dog food brand might pose the question, “Does your dog really like their food?”
7. Gamification
Another retail wall display idea that can improve customer engagement is gamification. Interactivity increases the likelihood that customers will engage with the sign, and adding a competitive aspect to that interactivity can drive engagement and brand recognition even higher.
You can gamify your displays by tying them to loyalty programs, sweepstakes or campaign-based contests that reward shopper participation. Emerging technologies such as augmented reality (AR) can also extend the experience — allowing shoppers to use their phones to unlock digital content, explore product features, or participate in brand-driven challenges.
Create Effective Signage With Great Northern Instore
Whether you are looking for wall retail clothing display ideas or a custom display that leverages your business’s branding, Great Northern Instore has your back. We have partnered with leading companies to create stunning custom displays that embody their brands and reach customers in unique ways. Our displays and signs are tailored to your needs and preferences. Whether you are looking for a temporary, semipermanent or permanent installation, we are here to enhance your brand recognition.
To partner with us for retail signage, fill out our contact form or give us a call.
