While we may not yet be at the point of using digital glass media for storefront window graphics any day soon, it is coming. Regardless, storefront graphics and signs can still account for 85% of in-store foot traffic within 5 miles of your business!

With online shopping, online storefronts, and COVID-19, you may feel like brick-and-mortar storefronts are a thing of the past. You might even catch yourself saying "Who cares?" and start packing your shop up to sell online. Before you do, it's important to consider that people that have been stuck inside will be dying to get out after 2020.

How can you capture the power of storefront signage and use it to drive your business and brand? How can you implement storefront signage effectively?

It's time to take some notes for your business needs. Anything that works on a storefront also has its digital doppelganger to apply it to.

Are you ready? Let's go!

Storefront Window Graphics Rock

Why are storefront windows such a strong driver of foot traffic and interest? People like what looks good, is directly relevant to them, and makes sense. We're also very impulsive (17% of us, anyway).

Some of the ways you can tap into that impulsivity is to follow these tips on window wrap advertising for your storefront signage. Seriously, every storefront business (and even online ones) should take note of these tips.

Know Who Your Customer Is

The most important thing about anything in graphics is to know your customer. In fact, it should be the most important thing for any business owner, salesperson, marketer, or designer. Who your customer is should be in front of your eyes constantly, so you don't miss the mark.

Kind of like Forest Gump not taking his eyes off that ping-pong ball, if you follow this rule on your storefront designs you'll be a world champ in every way.

In the case of a formal-wear shop, imagining that your only customer is an older businessman and has tons of money to burn is a bad idea. Men look good in suits; it's a fact. If your product is business- and fashion-oriented formal-wear, you can capture the millennial demographic too.

Millennials are the largest economic force in the market today and are also the emerging industry leaders that need to look the part. Interesting them will bring in more than the old yacht-driving businessmen of Martha's Vineyard.

Think Minimalistic (But Not Tiny)

Minimal and small are not the same thing. Minimum requirements mean no frills. Do what is required and know when to stop.

Say as much as you can in the smallest possible space. Don't be afraid of whitespace. Keep them wanting more.

See what we did there? Don't forget your call-to-action.

"Accessories 30% off," is enough for a sale. Having something on the door that says something to the effect of "see for yourself" is a good way to get them inside and keep your storefront looking balanced. 

Of course, there are limits. You don't want things to go so small that people miss it entirely.

Keep reading to get to the nuts and bolts of how to implement this tip.

Have an On-Brand Theme

Tell a story with that theme that amplifies your branding. Everyone loves murals, but you don't need to have a whole dynastic saga stuck on your windows to be interesting for your customers. Remember what we said about being minimalistic.

Going off-brand at this crucial location—the face of your business—will send mixed messages and confuse your customers. Whatever theme you want to go with, make sure it matches the theme of your brand.

A formal-wear shop probably wouldn't advertise using HelloKitty-like elements and get away with it. Rather, a simple, single-color badge to advertise your next sale can invoke trendiness and a younger crowd while not alienating the business atmosphere suits entail.

Make It Legible

It doesn't have to mean Times New Roman or Arial, though. Some fonts are made to be displayed to transmit information, and some are made to be eye-catching (but that's all). The 808 Wraps logo is designed to be legible but not readable.

What does that mean? You wouldn't want to read the font in our logo if you were reading a book. Neither is Inter (the body copy font of this article) an eye-catching font to use for a large-scale sign or storefront window, but you can read it easily, right?

Using the badge on the formal-wear shop analogy again, badge creators often use several fonts together to create an "old-timey" look hipsters and millennials love, but it could be too informal and cluttered to present the information you want.

Again pointing to minimalism, we say: Less is more. Use at most two fonts in this scenario to transmit your sale information.

Create Intrigue

Obfuscation is a great technique for creating an air of mystery about your product or intrigue. Frosted glass stickers ensure you can do more afterward and looks better than "spray snow" in our opinion. Surely, it's easier to clean up.

Put this in combination with an unbeatable sale or promotion, and you have a winning combination. They have no choice but to go inside to see what patterns, colors, or what have you, you have for sale at such a low price.

Creating a solid block of color or a frosted look across the windowpane at eye-level, disrupted only by the badge, could be a great way to create this intrigue or mystery at our formal-wear shop.

Save on Permits, Hassle, and Expense

Window graphics very very rarely have any kind of permitting or ordinance problems that you run into. On the flip side, a standalone sign or even a sandwich board on the street might come with permits and other hassles, including vandalism.

Since your wrap is inside, even after spraypainting the front of your storefront you can often razor-blade away the paint to get your graphics 100% again. Cleaning a sign, especially with harsh chemicals, can scrape paint or make it run and disintegrate plastics.

Best of all, almost no window is too big, too small, or too weirdly-shaped for window wraps.

One word on standalone signage, sometimes it's necessary, and we even have you covered there.

Stuck on Window Graphics

At 808 Wraps we're stuck on the idea of storefront graphics to drive your business. Storefront window graphics concepts can even be used on your website to give the impression of a unified front, and professional look.

Are you ready to go from being a small-time business to a household name? We can help you! From design to installation, our graphic artists and installers can boost your business.

We've already proven our worth to dozens of clients and performed hundreds of wraps. Contact us today to become the community figure you deserve to be!