‘Tis the season for sales! Even though online shopping is popular, Black Friday is still huge for brick-and-mortar stores. Signage, merchandise displays, and retail window displays are crucial for catching the attention of shoppers and driving sales. Amidst the frenzy of deals and discounts, a new trend is emerging. Retailers now find themselves preparing for the November holiday much earlier. As a large format printing company, the Color Reflections teams get requests for custom-printed and installed retail graphics as early as July and August. So what’s the best way to stay ahead for 2024? Here’s our Black Friday retail store display checklist to help you nail your sales setup.
Why Plan Black Friday Merchandise Displays Early?
Black Friday is the most anticipated shopping event of the year, but its roots aren’t in retail. “Black Friday” was first coined after the U.S. gold market crashed in 1869. The date, the Friday after Thanksgiving, came into play in the 1950s. Shoppers and tourists poured into Philadelphia ahead of the Army-Navy football game. Philadelphia police began calling the day Black Friday thanks to the chaos of crowds and the exhaustion of extra long shifts. Retailers eventually turned the negative connotation into a positive—literally. After all, they went from being in the red (not profitable) to being in the black (turning a profit). And the one-day sale bonanza was born.
Black Friday remains a crucial in-person shopping day for stores and brands. The goal is maximizing sales, and the right signage is one key to success. Retail window displays help attract foot traffic, while custom-designed signage and merchandise displays placed throughout the store help direct shoppers and alert them to sales. By planning early, retailers can design compelling and informative signage and create a memorable customer experience. Our comprehensive checklist will help you focus on the most important elements of store signage and retail displays to transform your space into a dynamic Black Friday destination.
1. Choose Your Theme and Messaging
Develop a cohesive theme that aligns with your brand and the excitement of Black Friday. This helps set the stage for customers and can set you apart from other retailers. Start by understanding who your customers are and what products attract them the most. Once you have these insights, you can create your holiday marketing strategy and signage.
2. Design an Efficient Store Layout
Between shoppers searching through products and long checkout lines, there will be a lot of people. You want to map out an initiative layout to accommodate everyone while still ensuring all signage, POP displays, and other retail graphics are visible.
3. Signage and Merchandise Display Placement
Identify high-traffic areas within your store, such as entrance points, popular categories, and major pathways along the new layout. You want to make it impossible for customers to miss the fantastic deals you’re offering. This strategy will also help you decide on the types of retail graphics that will have the most impact. Creative retail display ideas can include:
- Retail Window Displays – For many shoppers, your storefront windows fuel the anticipation and excitement before they even step inside. Create bold window displays that highlight your best deals. Use bright colors, big graphics, creative lighting or mannequin staging to draw attention.
- Special Entrance Signs – Greet customers right at the doors with Black Friday messaging. Call out your biggest savings and hottest deals using personalized signs and decor with outdoor banners or murals. This builds energy and reinforces they’ve come to the right place to save big.
- Promotional Floor Decals and Graphics – Once inside, don’t stop engaging your shoppers. Get creative with vinyl floor decals featuring arrows, footprints or Black Friday sale announcements that direct and inform people. Ground graphics help lead shoppers to special sale items and checkout areas or offer other wayfinding information.
- Hang Sales Banners Over Key Areas – Take advantage of the space above shoppers with large format banners. Whether it’s apparel, electronics, or home goods, hanging banners help highlight the biggest savings zones relevant to your top Black Friday promos. Custom vinyl or fabric overhead banners can connect the merchandise below with the can’t-miss deals available or also help direct traffic throughout the store.
- Go Big With Environmental Graphics – Also known as “super graphics,” environmental graphics are large-scale graphics that transform the space and add to the visuals. Imagine the impact larger-than-life cutouts, wallscapes, and 3D displays could have on the entire shopping experience!
- Incorporate Lighted Signage – Bright light can draw the eye, and lighted signage can create a captivating atmosphere. Use lighted signage, like a Light Frame Mini from our printing partner Expolinc or SEG displays, to highlight specific products or emphasize messaging throughout the store.
- Remember Checkout Counters & Shelf Signage – Smaller signage near checkout areas or directly on product displays are last-chance opportunities. Visual merchandise displays can include POP displays, POS displays, shelf stockers and endcap signage. These remind shoppers of discount gift card offerings or hot savings they might have missed in the store or offer last-chance products.
POP displays are a top retail graphic for Black Friday. Learn how to leverage them for your brand with our complete guide to POP displays.
4. Grab Attention With Eye-catching Graphics
Design matters. Create visually appealing graphics with large, easy-to-read text and bold, contrasting colors that demand attention. The goal is to make your signage a visual feast that draws customers in and also tells them where to go and which products are on sale. While the graphics can be fun and creative, you want to make sure your retail signage and merchandise displays are still on brand when it comes to tone, colors, and messaging.
5. Get Interactive With Digital Displays
Make Black Friday a hands-on experience with high-tech digital displays. Interactive elements help elevate the shopping experience. Touchscreens provide a dynamic and engaging way for customers to explore additional deals or product information. You can keep less inventory on hand by having shoppers use QR codes to buy sold-out items directly from your website. Surround digital displays with vinyl banners or mount touchscreens on custom-branded 3D stands.
6. Emphasize Inclusiveness
The Black Friday shopping experience should be enjoyable for everyone, including those with disabilities. While ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant signage is required for certain things, like bathrooms and exits, tactile signage with braille or raised lettering can assist visually impaired shoppers. Signage should also have good color contrast, making it easy for those with vision difficulties to read. You want to make it easy and safe for everyone to navigate the space and take advantage of all the special sales and discounts.
7. Prepare Your Staff
While no one is truly ready for the onslaught of shoppers, your staff can make or break you. You want to train all employees on store layout, product location, and Black Friday promotions. And make sure they understand the importance of excellent customer service. You can even get creative with custom-printed staff t-shirts, hats, and other wearable items.
Order Custom Merchandise Displays and Signage From Color Reflections
Preparing for an unforgettable Black Friday that goes beyond deals and discounts will help you deliver an immersive and engaging shopping experience for all who walk through your doors. With six nationwide locations, Color Reflections has more than 50 years of experience printing, shipping, and installing custom retail graphics for all types of spaces across the U.S.
Whether producing retail window displays, custom banners, floor graphics, or counter signage, our large format printing capabilities are second to none. With quick turnaround times and cost-effective solutions, Color Reflections will help you stand out during the year’s biggest shopping event. Contact the Color Reflections team today to get started!