It is becoming clearer and clearer with each passing month that high street shops are struggling. And it isn’t just limited to small enterprises or independent sellers – even big chains are feeling the pinch, or even going under altogether. Retail workers are rightly worried at the moment that their jobs are at risk, as some outlets look to cut staff to stay profitable. In these straitened times for the high street, it has become imperative that shops display some retail design mastery.
Marketers are able to use SEO and calculated strategies to turn clicks into conversions, and are able to predict sales numbers with greater accuracy than ever before. This kind of skill isn’t limited to the online world, and physical stores need to get more out of what they have in order to remain successful in the 21st century.
Dynamic signage
High-street chains are often compared unfavourably with online businesses, seen as some old-fashioned or even out of date. But this couldn’t be further from the truth – just see the intelligent, charismatic adverts that get made in their name as Christmas approaches. All too often, though, it’s a case of an advert not being applied to a store. Christmas adverts are expensive to make, and they only get rolled out in the middle of November.
However, by using LED screens, stores could realistically transform the space using their new advertising campaign as a basis. And when they change an ad campaign, the store interior can change right along with it. With an LED screen, all it would take is a click of the mouse.
As well as using LED screens to synergistically maintain your ad content in-store, you could also incorporate it in a much more obvious, eye-catching way by installing a giant screen indoors and making it a part of the store itself. You might choose to emulate the route taken by major brands like Nike to make your own brand larger than life.
The key is to build a store that isn’t just a place to buy a product, but a location that will draw visitors as well as actual customers. The high street was never just supposed to be about shopping – it’s place in the coming decades will be determined by how it responds to falling consumer interest in ‘things’, including items like clothing. A high street is where the town’s living heartbeat is, and a store should reflect that by being visually awesome.
Project an offering
Another important part of online retail that could be emulated by high street stores is the concept of an ‘offering’. Content for a website could feature a video tutorial or a link to a ‘how-to’ demonstration related to a product. High street stores can do the same thing, using their new LED screens as a delivery system. Shoppers will stop and view your content, and just like online, if it’s compelling enough may come inside. The point about LED screens is not only their picture quality and dynamism, but also their ability to be so much more flexible and versatile than traditional mediums. If shoppers are visiting the high street once every couple of weeks, they’ll return to see your offering if they can reasonably expect it will be different most times.
If you’re interested in finding out more about what LED stores can do for your business, give us a call and speak to a member of our friendly team today.
Photo by Graham Robson – CC BY-SA 2.0
About author
