A Storefront to Bring in Customers

On the street or in the middle of a mall, if your storefront doesn’t stand out from your neighbours, that’s a problem. Your storefront depends on attracting customers, so your storefront design has to capture attention and inspire prospective customers to step into your shop or restaurant. But especially if you’re a smaller face in the crowd, how do you make that happen? 

Assess your current situation.

Improvement starts with knowing where you stand now. Spend some time observing how people passing by your shop react to your store signage and window displays. Take note of eye movements and whether people slow down or stop to look. Now check out your top competitors in the same way and compare your results. If they’re attracting more attention and traffic than you, what are they doing differently?

Signage does more than announce your name.

Your sign helps people find your business, introduces you to prospective customers and promotes your shop. Is your signage attractive and eye catching? Is it easy to read? Does it tell cusotmer's what products or services your shop provides?

Storefront awnings can give your place an even more distinctive appearance, and in most cases they can double as signage that’s visible from multiple angles. That’s a big benefit if you’re located in a congested area.

On some streets, store frontage isn’t at street level. If patrons have to hike up or down even a few steps to reach your door, you have an additional challenge, but even a hidden shop can stand out smartly – often by using different colors than their neighbouring shops.

What’s in your window?

Especially if your storefront is small, you can’t afford to squander even one square inch. That means you have to create window displays that turn heads and drive foot traffic. That does not mean displays should be stuffed with too much merchandise or other items. Our eyes naturally look away from “visual clutter,” so you’ll draw far more attention with a cleanly designed, less effusive display.

For most types of stores, pedestrians will be more interested if they can catch a glimpse of what’s actually inside, not just your window display.

Every detail matters.

The colours you use on your storefront design should reflect your store’s personality and reinforce your branding. Lighting is critical, because your storefront should sell for you 24 hours a day, every day. And the simple act of keeping the area in front of your shop clean and tidy tells people you care about quality. Cusotmer's tend to notice dirty windows, fingerprints on the door or trash outside your shop.

Know the rules.

Every plaza, building owner and municipality has set requirements regarding signage and other storefront elements. If you learn those before you begin your storefront design, you can save yourself the cost and heartache of having to start over.