Why retail POS displays are still important on the high street
There’s no denying that digital is dominating retail sales, however, that’s not stopping shops from putting on a show. If anything, brands are actually using retail POS displays to support their online marketing approach, by treating their physical space and advertising assets as a portfolio and ‘way in’ for consumers.
These days, everybody shops online, with ‘an estimated 1.92 billion people expected to purchase something online in 2019’. While stats for the high street don’t look quite so enticing, that doesn’t mean you should shut shop and focus only on your online store. In fact, it’s quite the opposite, you should be using POS displays.
With competition growing uncontrollably online, getting your website in front of your target audience isn’t easy. While you’re likely to be grappling with social media and online marketing to do everything you can to attract your audience – you might be missing a simple trick. Your humble shopfront.
The consumer
Retailers have access to a huge audience on the high street because people are still using it. The majority of consumers aren’t choosing to rely purely on eCommerce for their needs: one, because they don’t have to – there are plenty of shops on hand conveniently offering a wealth of products; and two, because they don’t want to. In a world where the web dominates our work lives and home lives, more and more people are touching base with that age-old experience of shopping in real stores.
The high street
While consumers are actively still traipsing the high street, there’s no denying that their buying journey is considerably different. Namely, they are more likely to simply ‘browse’ shops – or more often, and importantly, shop windows – as they pass by. Retailers must take this profile of the modern-day shopper firmly into mind, and build a succinct marketing approach around it. In other words, you need to be on the same page if you’re going to achieve engagement.
This objective is particularly important. Engagement (in its loosest sense) is exactly what you should be striving for with your shopfront; not conversions, or sales, which used to be the ultimate goal. Nowadays, the high street is more of a visual spectacle – or, theatre, as it’s commonly described – providing an abundance of punchy information to consumers. Therefore, your goal is going to be to make a visual imprint, be memorable and ultimately drive awareness of your brand – with the aim for consumers to go away and engage later, if not there and then.
The shop
There are a huge variety of options available when it comes to kitting out your shop window, as well as supporting retail display assets that can be showcased elsewhere. Luminati are designers and manufacturers of retail POS display solutions, providing bespoke and custom-made options for your shop, brand and campaign needs.
To really get the most out of your window displays: digital screens and tactical illumination, with LED lighting and hanging lightboxes, are positive techniques for drawing attention to your brand and campaigns. Off-site, you can also go for outdoor digital poster displays, outdoor lockable frames, and freestanding magazine stands if you have a print available. This means you’ll be able to get in front of consumers in more places than one, and placement can be carefully considered to align with where your target audience may be – perhaps outside a particular style of the cafe, or at a station.
Whatever your brand and type of shopfront, your retail POS displays should be at the core of your marketing strategy. Creating memorable and visual ‘theatre’ will leave a lasting impression with new and existing audiences, helping to drive multi-channel engagement, and, ultimately, sales in the long run.
