For many people here in the United States, outdoor signs and indoor signs alike tend to fade into the background. After all, the individual person will see as many as 3,000 of them (if not more) over the course of a single day, so it only makes sense that some of them are not really remembered. However, many people find that signage matters more than they might constantly think and the truth of the matter is that both outdoor signs and indoor signs can have a tremendous impact on our purchasing decisions.
Outdoor signs in particular are commonplace no matter what part of the country you might go to. And most popular among outdoor signs is that of the billboard. Billboards can be found along roadways throughout the states, and many of them are often quite creative and ingenious. Some billboards have even begun to display electronic messages, switching back and forth between ads. This means, of course, that more can be advertised in a shorter period of time and while utilizing less space, something that tends to be beneficial all across the board.
And people pay attention to outdoor signs like billboards more than one might think. In fact, more than 70% of all people who drive or ride in cars (around 71%, to be a little bit more exact) will note some of the billboards that they pass – and nearly 35% of all people look at all of the outdoor signs that they pass by while in the car, every single one of them, no matter how insignificant some of these outdoor signs might seem. And billboards have been proven to be quite successful, as up to 50% of all new customers that any given business in the United States brings in have been directly brought in from the outdoor signs (namely, billboards) that they have seen.
There are, however, some important things that must be considered when outdoor promotional signs are erected. For one thing, proximity to the business in question is an essential factor, as the vast majority of all people who frequent a business (around 85% of them, to be more precise) will live within a mere five miles of the brick and mortar location in question. For a billboard to be effective, it should be located within this distance, as the people who live in the area might see it as many as 50 times over the course of a single week, making it effective as a way to improve brand awareness.
But in addition to outdoor signs, indoor signs are hugely important as well. In fact, they are so important that taking out as many as 24 full page newspaper ads over the course of a single year would actually have the same effect in the long run. Store signs can come in all shapes and sizes, from window decals to signs in floor standing sign holders. Even things like brochure displays can be quite effective. After all, anything that attracts the attention of potential customers is likely to be hugely successful in any given brick and mortar location.
Some people, however, think that some supplemental promotional signs are simply not necessary, due to the rise of e-commerce and highly accessible online shopping platforms. After all, the market for e-commerce is now worth more than $400 billion – and steadily climbing in an exponential way. But this is far from the case, as most people – up to 94% of them – will still actually go to brick and mortar locations before making a final purchasing decision. And while they are in the store, they are much more likely to make an impulse decision if the presence of in store signage is prevalent. After all, even fully priced merchandise will sell up to 20% more successfully when their is in store signage, according to a study conducted by Brigham Young University and backed up by a number of other studies.
At the end of the day, all types of signage is hugely important, from outdoor signs to in store signage too.
