This article by Kellie Northwood, CEO, The Real Media Collective was published in the December 2021 issue of ProPrint magazine. To read the full magazine, please click here.

On August 11, 1994, something happened that would change the face of retail forever. In a bedroom in New Hampshire, USA, 21-year-old Dan Kohn sold a CD to a friend in Philadelphia, who used his credit card to pay USD$12.48 (plus shipping). The CD was a copy of Sting’s famous Ten Summoner’s Tales album. This was the very first recorded online retail sale and this purchase brought about a seismic shift in retail, one that would fundamentally change the way we shop and the entire business model of the global retail sector, forever.

Today, Australians spend over $50.46 billion buying goods online, while worldwide the online retail market is estimated to be worth over $4.92 trillion. Considering the online retail market is just 27 years young, these are staggering figures that give retailers food for thought and during COVID ecommerce sites were being built in rapid speed.

However, these figures are small when compared to sales in traditional stores, which still account for $407.6 billion. Digital may have the convenience and comparative pricing, however it’s clear that the bricks and mortar store holds an appeal for the shopper that’s proving difficult to shift and this is where printed point of sale and in-store signage is proving critical for sales uplift and impulse buying for the festive sales season.

The physical experience

Of course, a major part of the in-store shopping appeal is the physical experience. Whether it’s feeling the texture of a new shirt or testing the bass of a wireless speaker, a store’s ability to stimulate all the senses is something that just can’t be replicated online.

Retailers understand that they need to constantly innovate to keep the attention of the consumer. Print signage is one of the best ways to give a new look to a store without an expensive refit. From banners bringing instant attention to new products and promotions, and posters using high-res imagery, eye catching, complimentary colours and prominent positioning to draw in curious customers, all the way to Point of Sale (POS) providing that last push to purchase, print offers quick turnaround marketing that works hard in-store to help the casual browser make their decision and the loyal customer find their favourite product.

Today as we reappear from COVID-19, familiar floor decals are looked for, options to move from COVID social distance directions to marketing store navigation are open. Discuss with your customers too how to continue floor decals to push shoppers to the area of the store they want to direct them to for the ‘best buys’ or store experience. Whilst not overly ‘in your face’, signage such as this has created a consumer behavioural pattern and one we can continue to work with.

The connected store

Like the majority of the marketing industry, modern marketing now relies on a multi-channel strategy, with in-store signage working hand in hand with online, social and mobile, hitting every touchpoint on the customer journey. That’s why retailers are bringing print and digital closer together to add to the shopping experience.

French womenswear brand Comptoir des Cotonniers created a campaign that allowed their customers to instantly purchase items by scanning posters, advertisements with their smartphones in-store or at bus stops.

Given this fusing of print and digital elements, it should come as no surprise that the next development in signage lies in technology. There are already digital posters that can interact with customers, such as the screen advertising the ‘Movember’ campaign that could pick out males with facial hair (“2016 called – it wants its beard back!”) or the billboard that could charge a Samsung Galaxy S10 just from a user holding it up against the screen.

Next will be pieces of technology embedded into posters, POS displays or product tags that can transmit digital information direct to a smartphone. ‘Beacons’, which use Bluetooth connections to send marketing messages or information to a nearby phone, and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), which uses radio waves to read and capture information in a tag, both have an enormous amount of potential when it comes to digitising the shopping experience.

No matter how much digital technology is brought onto the shop floor, print will play a role. Its simplicity, speed of production and relative low cost makes it the ideal accompaniment to a relaxing day of bargain hunting. Our role, as an industry is to communicate the creativity, innovation and solutions we can bring for in-store point of sale and general signage for our customers as they open up once more and need our craft, guidance and expertise. Bricks and mortar retail is here to stay, and print plays a huge role in their success.

Kellie Northwood is the Chief Executive Officer of The Real Media Collective, a not-for-profit industry association representing media channels that deliver results. For more information, please visit www.therealmediacollective.com.au.

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