When a consumer enters a grocery store or retailer, they typically have the intention of spending money on the things that they need. They come to the store with a goal, and along the way they might pick up some things that they weren’t planning on. Strategically designed marketing pieces in the store may help them to make decisions during their shopping experience. In-store displays, for instance, can captivate someone’s attention for long enough to pique their curiosity about a brand and make an appeal to them.
Display design needs to draw on all of the elements that make brand marketing so effective in the first place. With the right colors, designs and messaging, your in-store displays can draw shoppers in to create a connection. This is particularly important if you brand is new and consumers haven’t caught onto it yet. In the future they may know what to look for, but initially you’ll have to have a display that can “introduce” them to your brand.
It isn’t easy to get consumers’ attention, even though they might be walking within a few feet of your brand’s display in a store. One designer puts it this way: “...we must compete with an increasing amount of visual pollution competing for our viewers’ attention. As you create different pieces, bear in mind that they don’t exist in isolation” (aiga.org). Most retail spaces are crowded and the barrage of visuals can be overstimulating for the focused shopper.
An extensive research study that was conducted by the Minnesota firm InformeDesign yielded some fundamental insights into display design (informedesign.org). The study, entitled, “Consumers’ Attraction to Point-of-Purchase Displays” found that there are three very important elements that make displays successful in a retail space:
- A high degree of mystery that draws consumers in and motivates them through curiosity.
- Clarity of design using things like symmetry to attract consumers in the retail environment.
- Meaningful interaction of design elements with the permanent environment surrounding the display.
The study proved without some means of drawing consumers in (mystery and clarity), displays won’t achieve the kind of consumer promotion that your brand is looking for in retail environments. It is also interesting that the study highlighted the importance of the way the display worked with the surrounding environment. This means that designers should think about the way a display could be enhanced or diminished by the style of the retail space that it will be placed in.
The fact is that brands won’t ever have an impact without physical showcases to give them some leverage amongst consumers who are busily shopping for the essentials. People don’t have time to read every label and consider all of the thousands of options in the store, and you can’t blame them. By helping to guide their attention to your brand through the use of a display, even if it is only for a moment, you are making a direct connection with consumers.
At Hangar12, we use our trademark Consumer FirstⓇ approach to translate feedback from consumers into impactful designs that resonate with the concerns and desires of your brand’s target audience. We understand that brands are for consumers, so that best way to truly engage with them is to understand who they are and what they are looking for. This goes for everything from digital promotion to in-store display designs.