Store Position
Most people approach stores from varying angles. They might come in from either direction, and will have a tendency to look at the external fascia on the side of the building they approach from. Factors such as columns, parked cars and other people can block eye-line, so positioning signage at a variety of heights and angles will assist the customer in seeing the initial advertisement and directing them through the door. It can be necessary to repeat the same message across multiple signage. A-boards, chalkboards and window vinyl are different tools to showcasing your message across a variety of sightlines.
Many small retailers don't do window displays, letting customers simply look straight into the shop. That's a mistake, says store design and display consultant Linda Cahan, "just like your eyes are the windows of your soul, store windows are the eyes of the store," she says. "Each window should tell a story."
To create an appealing display, use a single color theme to grab attention and communicate your store's image. It's also important to avoid clutter because in retailing, space equals luxury, Cahan says. If you cram items together in a window, they'll look cheap.
Combine these factors with shoppers’ tendency to turn at 45 degree angles and not turn back on themselves, the likelihood is they will continue walking in the same direction in which they entered through the door.
Position of staff & tills
This varies according to the type of store you have. In service based environments, places such as banks, people will head straight for the counters, making the direction of footfall easy to predict. In browsing environments, clothes stores or supermarkets, people will avoid the counters until they require assistance or are ready to pay. In this case, it’s important to utilise the signage inside to help navigate customers towards key product areas. Supermarkets often use hanging signs, but it’s not always as simple as that. Graphic wallpapers can be a particularly useful tool to attract customers and convey a message clearly. For example, in Nike Town in Oxford Street the majority of the walls have digital printed wallpaper in order to supplement the main product. If the product is football boots, it will be surrounded by life-size imagery of a professional footballer wearing those boots. Creating a memorable impression will slow them down and attract customers to that particular product.