January is a challenging month for retailers, as they compete for post-Christmas shoppers who may have limited budgets but have their eye out for a good sales bargain. It’s traditionally a time for sales and promotions to attract customers and sell off end-of year lines.
In the competitive high street or shopping centre environment, it’s essential to find a way to make your store stand out from the rest and attract casual shoppers. Here’s a look at how vibrant LED screens can help to capture the attention of passers by, boosting in-store footfall and maximising the impact of your winter sales and promotions.
Why LED screens will give you the advantage
Increased visibility
LED screens are significantly brighter and therefore more visible than static signage. They can portray rich vibrant colours with deep contrasts that will outshine a traditional ink image by a country mile. The screens can automatically adjust to the external lighting conditions, so they are equally visible in a brightly lit shopping mall, storefront or outside on a dull wet day.
Dynamic content
LED screens are highly versatile and can display a wide range of content. This includes moving images such as microanimations or short videos, which instinctively draw the eye, helping to increase interest in your business.
Furthermore, the content can be easily updated in real time, so you can keep customers informed about your most up to date offers and promotions. This not only helps to boost customer engagement and sales, but also saves you the time, manual labour and extra cost of constantly updating static signage.
Tips for using LED signage to enhance winter sales
Showcase limited time offers
A limited time offer is a time-bound promotion or deal, such as a flash sale that lasts for a few hours, or one that lasts for a weekend or so on. It could be in the form of an attractive price discount, a buy-one-get-one-free deal, a free gift alongside a purchase…you get the idea.
The point is that this approach drums up a sense of urgency and triggers fear of missing out. The human psyche is naturally programmed to fear losses and take satisfaction in making a gain and conserving resources, so these types of offers are very compelling and can result in impulsive purchasing decisions.
However, avoid contrived promotions that leave your customers feeling cheated, such as artificially inflating prices for a short time before offering a discount to make the product appear cheaper, or offering a low-quality free gift. These tactics are soon sussed out, and will ultimately damage your business reputation rather than enhance it.
Use your screens to display countdown timers to emphasise the limited availability of the offer, or use bold calls to actions such as “Winter giveaway: 50% off all stock for today only.” Keep it simple and clear, and add subtle motions such as falling snowflakes or ticking timers for extra effect.
Use interactive features
LED screens are capable of being integrated with interactive features such as QR codes that are linked to your website. Take advantage of these to boost dwell time and help your customers to find out more information about your product.
For example, it could link to a web page with a ‘How to’ guide, showcasing different uses for the item in its intended context. This helps the customer see how the product would fit into their lives and benefit them, rather than just being another item on the shelf.
You could also include link ups to customers’ social media feeds, displaying user generated content from satisfied customers tagged to your brand name. You can also display any relevant media stories or tie-ins with events in the local community to demonstrate that you are not just another faceless brand.
Tie-in with New Year resolutions
At this time of year, many people are looking for a fresh start with their health and fitness, or other aspects of their lifestyle. Think about how your products could tie in with this. For example, if you are a clothing brand, promote deals on gymwear and athleisure clothes.
If you sell homeware and kitchenware, stock up on items that will help your customers with their diet goals, such as juicers and smoothie makers. Use your in-store digital screens to encourage customers to spend more time in the areas where you stock these items.