If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then your storefront windows are the lens through which potential customers can see the “soul” of your business – whether they walk, ride or drive by. With a quick glance they can immediately observe who you are and what you’re about.
If you’re not currently employing window graphics – such as wraps, as well as Custom Window Decals NYC – then you’re missing out on a major addition to your marketing toolbox and one that is proven to increase curiosity and foster an environment for boosting sales.
Why You Should Utilize Window Decals Graphics for Your Business?
In this blog, we’ll offer up five reasons why window decals in particular are a must for any healthy business looking to maximize its advertising efforts.
1. Promotional and Holiday Marketing
One of the most obvious advantages of vinyl window graphics such as decals is the fact that they can be swapped out regularly for special promotions, new products, sales, and even holiday greetings. The fact that they are non-permanent and require no construction makes them extremely versatile, inexpensive and easy to employ. People regularly walking past will often look to see what the latest message is.
This is a great opportunity for witty or clever ad copy that will entertain and promote your business’s unique culture to a specific demographic.
A slogan or phrase such as “Fresh gourmet home-style meals: because you know you don’t want to cook on a Wednesday night” will have people nodding in agreement as they walk through your doors to patronize your upscale grocery store. There is also an informational aspect of holiday or promotional signage — such as changing holiday business hours or a midnight sale. We’ll delve more into the informational aspects of vinyl window decals later on.
2. Increase Impulse Buying
Studies have shown that 8 out of 10 impulse purchases are made in brick-and-mortar business. The reason for this is simple. While an online purchase can be put off or ignored by a distracted individual, someone on an errand is more likely to think, “Well, I don’t know when the next time I’ll be downtown, so let me buy that “X” I’ve been wanting while I’m here.”
The enticing ad copy mentioned in reason number one will help ensure an inviting environment that helps someone “on the fence” justify buying a particular good or service. Normally-frugal people will often need a reason to treat themselves to a new item of clothing, a manicure, or new electronic device. By strategically using window signs, you can give them the reason to take that leap as a consumer.
3. Entice People with a Properly Staged Window Display or Interior Scene
Decals don’t always have to be the star of the show. Window decals and lettering can also add a decorative element to your storefront window. They can be used to frame the interior of a restaurant, a window display of products, or a smaller sign advertising a difficult to find service — such as a dentist who performs ultrasonic tooth whitening. Other ways window wraps and decals can work for your business, property or organization is by building on people’s natural curiosity.
By revealing just part of the interior— such as a single two top café table — people will want to see the rest of your space, which in this case is an attractive dining area filled with larger tables. A veteran sign maker once told me “Decals and wraps are for whetting appetites”. Don’t let new or return customers literally pass you by. Get the public’s juices flowing — with a window graphic that will transform any plain boring window into an invitation for new business.
4. Establish and Promote Your Brand
When people think advertising or marketing, many immediately think of brand-building efforts. One great side effect of decorating your storefront with window decals is the association of these elements with your business brand name. By taking a nondescript pane of glass and turning it into a stage — one where your retail business, hotel property or eatery is the star — will go a long way in endearing yourself to your neighbors and the public at large.
This is a good way to build both brand recognition and increase credibility. Having a consistently evolving message that is regularly updated will help you to both charm customers and connect with your fellow community members. A properly executed window graphic is like having a virtual brand ambassador standing outside your location — night and day, rain or shine — in order to promote your branding campaign.
5. Inform the Public
Perhaps the oldest reason for posting outdoor signage is for informational purposes. If you think about it, without access to the right information, how will a customer even know you’re there? Basic important facts about your business, such as store hours, social media links, available products and service specialties need to be disseminated to potential buyers. What better way to do this than by targeting the people who are already standing right at your door?
In centuries past, before most people were literate enough to read store signage, many shops would display a physical item outside — such as a tooth for a dentist or a piece of meat for a butcher. This was to inform the public about where to find something. It also doubled in letting customers know the location was open for business.
By incorporating art work in your window signage — such as a barber pole or a cup of coffee — you are carrying on this tradition of transmitting valuable information through images. The use of these relevant items is also useful in areas where multiple languages are spoken. These communication devices serve to eliminate the need for cluttering up your storefront with a number of different translations.
Public Outreach that’s Personal and Traditional — with a Modern Twist
By using such a direct form of public communication, you help to personalize the public space by speaking to people on an individual level. That office worker who passes by at lunch will make a daily habit of looking at your window to see what’s new, thereby internalizing your space as not just as a physical place but as an experience. They will encounter your enterprise in the most intimate place possible — the theatre of the mind.
This is the same reason why people get attached to their favorite talk radio, internet chat rooms and social media. They see your signage as a type of landmark, lighthouse beacon, avatar, or even an inanimate companion of sorts. Studies have been published showing that the relationship between people and signs may be as old as commerce and civilization.
Remember that when you embellish a window display or store interior with window decals you’re enriching the streetscape experience, as well as carrying on a tradition as old as trade itself. And by using vinyl decals, you’re harnessing the power of modern technology — including advances that make this advertising method more accessible than ever.
To learn more about how to maximize the potential of your storefront window, please visit our Signs NYC window decals page, or simply fill out this form for a free quote.
