Educational
Dubbed the silent salesperson sign, these work to educate the consumer about the product or service they are looking at.
A recent Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania study shows consumers want access to the same type of information in a brick-and-mortar retail store as they do online. Therefore, educational signage is needed to help consumers make their buying decisions while they are in the store.
These signs should include information such as the product’s features and benefits, why they should purchase the product over a competitor’s, warranty information, or simply explaining why they need the product they are looking at. Do not assume the consumer knows what they are looking at or what the item does.
These signs can be taken to the next level by adding QR codes. Once the consumer scans one of these codes with their smartphone, they are immediately taken to a website (e.g. YouTube) where they can watch a product demonstration video or to another website that has given the company and/or product a positive review.
Digital
Consumers are drawn to digital displays, the glow from a TV display or the motion of something projected on the store’s windows or walls grabs the consumer’s attention.
Not all digital displays need to be expensive kiosks. They can simply comprise digital photo frames that show a picture of the item and what the price is. Video can even be loaded to really get the consumer’s attention.
One way of doing this is to mount one or more 42-in. TVs behind the store’s water lab counter. Here, images of the store’s work, video showing available products, or even a menu of available services can be displayed via slide show presentations created using software such as Microsoft PowerPoint. Going one step further, these digital signs can also be used to deliver fun swimming- or pool-related facts (e.g. elephants can swim as many as 22 km [20 miles] a day—they use their trunks as natural snorkels).
