This recent article from the Food and Beverage Smartblog highlights the ways several retailers are using their in-store signage. The collection of examples reveals a few interesting themes:
1) Using signage to promote a trend throughout the store, as with Pumpkinpalooza at Trader Joe’s.
2) Using signage to further drive retailer equity as with the digital signboards at Whole Foods featuring farmers’ Instagram posts and health information.
3) Using signage as part of a holistic program as with the Meijer Ready! for You program that lives online and in store as a way to help shoppers quickly and easily put meals together with products from around the store.
This is a good reminder that retailers are sophisticated brand stewards themselves. They see their in store real estate as part of a network of communication that they use to communicate with their shoppers.
For shoppers, this signage is good news when retailers are tuned into what’s useful and valuable to them and bad news when they’re not. For example,
the Meijer program solves an immediate and relevant need of grocery shoppers—“What’s my game plan for feeding myself/my family today/this week?” The Whole Foods program on the other hand is more equity building and provides information versus practical solutions.
This presents another opportunity for manufacturers to help retailers understand the needs of shoppers in specific categories and types of shopping journeys. And, in turn it’s critically important for shopper marketers to understand the full ecosystem of the retailer’s communication priorities in order to fit seamlessly into the picture and connect with the shopper.At 4:45 on a Wednesday, the Meijer signage might be a lifesaver.
Contributed by: Sara Manke, Integer Denver
Photo Source: Supermarket News
