Mathilde Lacombe

Due to the COVID19 pandemic, operating a successful retail business has never been more difficult. With most target customers stuck home because of the COVID19-fueled lockdowns, it’s become increasingly difficult for retail store owners (physical stores) to regain public trust and attract customers. Grocery and chain stores are facing great hurdles. But, there are some basic solutions that can help these stores drive sales even during the pandemic.

Understanding What Customers Need

To get noticed by fearful customers, grocery and chain store owners need to understand how their target consumers are currently feeling about the prospect of shopping in physical stores. In a recent survey involving such consumers – 

• 66% of the respondents stated that grocery and chain stores need to change their ‘formats’ and make it easier to pick up orders from the store. 
• 69% of the respondents said that grocery stores, restaurants, and chain stores need to have clear spaces, so that in-house movement is hassle-free for consumers. 
• Only 50% of the respondents said that they felt happy with how their local grocery stores, restaurants, and chain stores have performed in terms of meeting consumer needs during the pandemic.

All three of these problems can be solved with high-quality signage. Safety or compliance signs are proving to be effective tools for driving foot traffic inside grocery and chain stores during the pandemic. When consumers spot these signs, they instantly feel a sense of reassurance. 

On the other hand, grocery or chain stores that don’t feature these signs are very unappealing for consumers. When consumers don’t know how to behave inside the stores, they naturally feel confused. Plus, most consumers are fearful of entering grocery and chain stores that don’t have compliance and safety signs installed.

If the grocery and chain store owners and employees aren’t serious about maintaining strict safety standards, why would anyone shop there? That’s why these retail signage tools play an extremely important role during the pandemic. 

Using Compliance and Safety Signs in Retail Stores 

Almost all top e-commerce stores in the world currently feature attention-grabbing news and guidelines about the pandemic. Retail store signage tools need to do the same and inform the public about the potential safety risks they face. These signage tools should be used – 

For Navigation

Compliance and safety signs can serve as salespeople during the pandemic. They can be used to help customers navigate different regions of the store without having to depend on the assistance of store clerks. Since not communicating is the best way to avert the risk of spreading the virus, these tools can come in extremely handy. 

Dictate Employee Etiquette

Customized compliance and safety signs give viewers the right messages at the right spots and at the right time. This ‘narrowcasting’ technique can be used to dictate employee conduct and behavior. When employees can read location-specific instructions on the compliance and safety signs, it becomes easier for them to follow health and safety protocols consistently.  

Attract Customers 

Lastly, compliance and safety signs can be used to drive foot traffic inside the stores. When customers view these large signs inside and outside the stores, they’re likelier to feel safer shopping in those stores.