Finding your feet on the high street can be a challenge. Even those retailers who are seeking to bring their online and e-commerce success to the brick-and-mortar landscape can find themselves soon surprised at the difficulty in getting their shop noticed.
Social media remains an effective tool but can be drastically misleading. Consistently changing algorithms combined with a significant portion of the population remaining outside of the Instagram and TikTok spheres means retailers must continue making an effort to reach customers in other ways. This is where high street retail strategies and, importantly, shop design come into play.
If you’re a new retailer to the high street or a brand bringing their presence to a new location, here are three ways in which you can better stand out and reach customers.
Effective Signage
Drawing the attention of those passing by is largely a responsibility of signage. Effective designs and considered positioning can mean the difference between new customers discovering a shop space and having them simply walk by.
Effective signage can be created in a number of ways, with some methods and styles being more appropriate for various brands than others. Bold designs and vivid colours would not be complementary to a bespoke and understated designer, just as elegant and subtle aesthetics would be contrary to other brands.
Once a design has been confirmed, one that captures the voice of a brand or product, positioning must be considered. A-Boards remain popular for their versatility while projecting wall signs, those that protrude from a shop, are continuously celebrated for their effective positioning.
Window Displays
One of the most effective tools a high street retailer has at their disposal is a window display. These tableaus of advertising are a platform forbranding and shop fittings that can, and should, quickly communicate the core values and message of a shop.
That’s not to say, however, that customers will move on quickly. Instead, window displays should keep customer attention, drawing them to inspect a product display. Some retailers will have displays without backdrops, known as transparent displays, so that customers can not only inspect a window display but also see into a shop space too.
It’s important not to get too attached to certain designs, however, since a regularly changed window display will continuously draw in the attention of customers, even those who are familiar with the brand.
Pop-Up Events
Limited-time events, those that occur both inside a retail space and outside of it, are a fantastic way to reach new customers and introduce them to a product, offer, or brand. Pop-up events not only generate an immediate interest on the high street, with shoppers being drawn into an exciting experience, but also online too, with word of mouth being spread.
Pop-up events can also take place in other venues too, with smaller retailers often collaborating with complementary and established brands as a way of boosting their own presence and reputation by association. These mutually beneficial experiences can help retailers share audiences too.
