Using Qudini’s Retail Choreography Suite: virtual queuing system, appointment booking software or click and collect check-in system will enable you to create a better customer experience that drives foot traffic, increases revenues and reduces operational costs, all while enabling you to capture game-changing data insights that help you to build a more profitable future.
To reap the many benefits of using software to choreograph an engaging customer experience, it’s important to perfect your in-store signage to drive maximum customer usage by ensuring the service is easy for them to understand and use.
Our downloadable guide provides best practice tips for creating succinct and striking in-store signage that drives customers to follow the right process.
Our guide to creating effective signage
This best practice blog summarises some of the key things that you need to know.
The Qudini formula for highly effective Retail Choreography signage
When creating signage we always like to use a tried and tested formula that works by keeping messaging simple to authoritatively tell customers what they need to and then providing a logic flow of additional things they need to know including the benefit of using the service.
Here’s what we recommend a sign should look like and include:
Some content tips
Key to creating compelling signage that drives customers to action: whether it’s to join a queue, book an appointment or check-in to collect an online order, is:
Customers don’t read details.
So minimize text, keep Call To Actions loud and clear and have a cadence of additional text in order of relevance so that your customers can read more if they want to. If you do need to explain things in more detail, break it up into sequential steps, ideally following the power of 3.
Explain the benefit.
Always answer the “Why” – why should customers follow the process? What’s in it for them? Write your value proposition from the outset and tease this out within your signage content.
Nudge customers with images.
Use images to visually explain the process and to nudge customers towards your desired actions.
Verbs speak louder than all other words.
Make your signage clear and authoritative from the first word a customer reads by using action words to drive customers to action: book, join, check-in.
Triage using questions if you need to.
If your signage only needs to strike the attention of specific customers, use questions to triage the ones you want to speak to.
Vary your font formatting.
Draw attention to your sign and highlight key messages using different font styles, size, widths and coloring.
Address customer problems.
If some customers might have problems or queries when following the process (such as not having a mobile phone or wanting to know how their data will be used), address these at the bottom of the sign.
Make them match, but also differ.
If you are using Qudini for multiple customer journeys, have some consistency in the style, content and tone of voice within your signage but also make them visually different through different images, coloring and wording.
Try out numbers, symbols and punctuation.
Using numbers, symbols and punctuation can help to draw customer attention towards your sign. E.g. Did you know….?
Key copywriting steps to follow
To create signage to include these key content and logical flow there are a few copywriting steps to take including:
Naming your service
Throughout all your signage content it is essential to be clear, bold and consistent in how you talk about your new process. Our best practice guide provides more tips and examples for each Qudini solution.
Creating compelling call to actions.
After defining the name for your service, it helps to think about the one CTA you want customers to take in relation to that service.
Using clear and compelling CTA statements throughout your signage is essential to driving your customers to take the actions you want them to. Our best practice guide provides more tips and examples for each Qudini solution.
Defining your value proposition
The next step to defining your offering involves writing a simple value proposition statement that explains your new Qudini service within a single declarative statement.
Doing this will bring clarity to what you are trying to say to customers as the value proposition will inspire the key content across your signage content.
Creating images and icons
Using clean and simple images that visualize what the Qudini service is, it’s benefit and the action that your customer needs to take to use it can really help to explain your offering and to nudge the customer to take action.
We’ve included some example images on the next page and you can even download the Qudini icon kit and use our suggested images across your content.
Clarifying your customer journey steps
Defining the customer journey steps that a customer will need to go through once they follow your Call To Action is also a helpful process for creating extremely clear signage.
These process steps can then be alluded to within your content or you might choose to include a simplified list of these process steps as subtext within your signage.
Download our signage planning canvas pack
In addition, you may wish to add a few notes to answer customer queries, such as; what do to if they don’t have a phone or how you will use their data.
Our signage pack helps you to create all of these key content pieces to build a perfect signage that drives customers to the right actions:
Signage examples using the formula
Examples of virtual queuing signage
Examples of appointment booking signage
Examples of click and collect signage
Signage types and locations:
Some of the different types of signage that we’re seeing our customers successfully use include:
End of queue barrier
Lollipops
Window posters
Window easels
Host desk – wrap banner
Digital signage
Closed desk/Store Signage
If you are using Qudini to provide customers with a way to get service when colleagues are unavailable at a desk or specific service location (such as click and collect desks or information desks). It can help to use a desk sign to inform the customer of the alternative process they should take to get service.
Some of our cilents are also using appointment booking links on their closed store signage to encourage customers to book their time to come back.
Contactless collection examples
End of parking bay placard
End of parking bay lollipop.
Parking bay – Painted or vinyl sticker
Stand out in winter
For outdoor signage remember to think about how dark it can get in the winter month and how you can keep our signage lit up.
If you are using the Qudini Self-service Kiosk App to enable your customers to join the queue, check-in for online orders or to book appointments you will also need to clearly sign post your this to drive customers to use it.
Most clients find it works to include similar signage with a very clear call to action around it and at times additional information to support the customer’s journey.
Kiosk locations
Place your kiosk in the footpath of the customers you want to use it, including: the front of the relevant service area, near a queue barrier, in front of a relevant service desk, at the store entrance, near the staircase.
Use visual nudges (arrows or footsteps) to direct customers to wards your kiosk
If a kiosk is placed near the counter, your customers will likely request the help of your staff first, unless the staff are unavailable or the customer has been previously educated on the process.
Make your host stand out
If you are using a host to enable customers to join the queue or to book appointment from a tablet or reception desk it helps to make them visually stand-out from your other colleagues, so that:
a) Customers can easily find them and are educated as to their purpose,
b) Host have a fixed meeting point and process,
c) Customers understand the host has a different role and don’t request service from them (which can be a common challenge),
d) Customer experience is consistent across stores,
Our clients are using one of multiple of the following methods to ensure their host stands out to customers.
Additional informative signage content
In addition to your primary “Call To Action (CTA) signage” used to drive customers to your required action then and there, you may wish to create additional “informative signage” and printed content (such as flyers) to tell your customers about your new service at other points in their shopping journey.
For this type of signage, all the copywriting principles are much the same except your CTAs will be different as they are not asking customers to take action there and then.
Instead you might use softer, more informative statements to engage the customer. Below this you will likely then use a combination of your process name, value proposition, customer journey steps and the CTAs for your customers to take advantage of the service next time they visit.
Examples of additional signage content
These might be signs, flyers or other printable content.
Additional informative signage types:
Other types of content our clients are printing and using at different locations within their customer journeys to inform customers about their new service offerings:
Business cards
Flyers
Leaflets
Create a customer education video
Currys PC World (international electronics retailer): “Collect Your Tech” video explains their new drive through collection offering and features Qudini 28 seconds in. https://youtu.be/GRPJVEBZzgI
NatWest (international retail bank): “How to book a Video Banking Appointment” video explains how customers can book appointments.
Inform customers using your website
In this next section we will suggest how you can inform customers about your in-store services used to perfect their experience using your website.
Starting with your:
Service information page
Create one single landing page to explain all the services you offer to improve your customer’s experience, as well as an individual landing page on each service.
This will ensure you realize the SEO benefit if customers search your brand name and service. Eg. QDi Virtual Queue
Mention the service on your individual store pages
On each store’s individual website page provide customers with more information about the service you offer for appointments, virtual queuing and contactless pickup.
For more info click here to download our full guide to signage.
