Marketing can be the difference between success and failure for your business, but that doesn't mean you have to spend a lot of money on it. Display signage by WL Concepts is an inexpensive way to reach new customers.

Get a Lot of Promotion at a Low Cost

Display signage is a marketing technology as old as business itself. For all the advances we have made, no marketing technique has been discovered that matches the promotional power of a simple sign. One of its advantages is that once you reach a customer, all that person has to do is open the door and walk in. Customers who see a television commercial or newspaper ad don't have that immediate access to your services.

Unlike other marketing methods, you don't have to keep paying for the advertising you get from WL Concepts signs. You don't have monthly leasing costs like billboards or spot fees on radio or television ads. Your company's sign keeps your business in the eye of the public year after year.

Tips for Great Signage Design

Display signage might seem simple, but you need to be sure your sign is saying what you want it to. A bad sign is going to do more harm than good to your business.

The main consideration is who your audience is. The visual displays we design for pedestrian traffic are very different from displays for automobile traffic. If a passing motorist has only a second to see your display signage, you need something simple and clean. Foot traffic has more time to read the sign so you can use a more complex design.

We've found plain lettering to be more effective on signs than complex, busy fonts. The fancy fonts look nice but can be hard to read. If the customer can't make out the name of your business, the sign isn't very effective.

Display Signage Position Options

Great display signage won't work if it faces out on an empty alley. Positioning your new sign is another important factor in using your signs effectively. Many businesses use signs perpendicular to their storefronts to catch the eyes of passing pedestrians, while others would use wall-mounted displays to grab the attention of traffic approaching from the front.

Lighting is another key component. Even if your business isn't typically open after dark, your sign continues to announce your company's presence to passing traffic even if your doors are closed for the night. Many city areas have different populations in the evenings than during the work day, so a well-lit sign reaches a whole new segment of the consumer population.

Don't give customers a chance to get bored with your display signage. Our brains have a way of filtering out things we see all the time, and that means you aren't getting the promotional capability you need out of your sign. Change the sign now and then to draw people's attention back to your business.

Visual displays produced by WL Concepts contain design elements that convey more complex information than any words that might appear on them. Different designs can create very different feelings in customers. You want your interior graphics to send the right message.

The Psychology of Color

In our many years in the industry, we've read countless discussions of the effect of color in customers. While no color has the same effect on every single person, there are some trends that are important when designing interior graphics. For example the red end of the spectrum tends to make people energetic while bluer hues are calming. Heavily saturated colors have a stronger effect and softer, pastel colors create more gentle images.

A great example of this can be seen in the fast food industry. Red and yellow are very common in the interior graphics of fast food restaurants. These colors tend to make people hungry so they order more at the counter. However these colors also stimulate people to want to get moving and not linger in the restaurant when finished eating.

What Mood Do You Want?

Before sending us your designs for interior graphics, ask yourself what mood you want to create in your establishment.

Stores that want fast customer turnover would prefer bright reds and yellows as in the fast food restaurant above. A business that wants customers to linger or wants to calm nervous feelings would choose a cooler palette of blues and greens. A health spa or dental office could benefit from these calming decors.

Color isn't your only option to set a mood with interior graphics. Images send messages as well. Pictures of smiling people enjoying people can increase sales. Illustrations of nature have a proven calming effect similar to colors. Stylistic choices such as simple vs. busy graphics create strong feelings as well.

Know Your Customers

When choosing the best design for interior graphics, consider who the business is designed for. Graphic choices for a toy store would be aimed at children, incorporating bright colors and images such as smiling teddy bears or simple geometric shapes. It's safe to assume these graphics wouldn't work for an auto dealer or sporting goods store.

Customers should feel comfortable in your business and graphics should create that feeling in your desired clientele. A decor that works for young white-collar professionals might not be as well-received by a retired blue-collar population. A store catering to women probably won't use the same design as a store with a predominantly male customer base. Factors such as age, income level and profession can affect how customers will respond do a store's interior graphics.

Designing effective graphics doesn't have to be difficult. Put yourself in your customer's shoes. Visit competing businesses to see how they are designed. With a little thought and with our help, you can create graphics that will improve your business.

Many clients who come to WL Concepts for traditional display signage are discovering a new way to promote their businesses. We can design portable custom displays that allow you to publicize your business anywhere and reach more customers. The uses for these signs are endless.

Advertising on a Work Site

A number of industries don't get the kind of foot traffic a typical retail establishment does. These contractors spend more time at customer sites than at the office. Many of them may not have a brick-and-mortar location at all. However they still need to reach customers.

For these kinds of mobile operations, portable custom displays are a great way to make their mark at a job site. The displays are taken to the site and set up in moments, letting passing traffic know who is doing the work they are admiring. We design custom displays optimized for the traffic you need to see. A residential landscaper looking to attract the attention of neighbors, pedestrians and slow-driving cars wants a smaller, more discreet sign. A construction contractor might have a site by a highway so would need a larger sign visible to fast traffic.

Getting the Word Out at Trade Shows

Although trade shows are great opportunities to attract new customers, finding a way to be heard above the crowd of other advertisers can be a challenge. Since trade booths vary from show to show, a display needs to be versatile and work in any venue.

Supplementing the main visual displays in your booth with small custom displays gives the opportunity to change your layout quickly and adapt to each setting. Small displays can be moved to face the busiest traffic direction and catch more attention than a static sign can. Custom displays can be moved as the day progresses, in the morning set up to catch entering crowds than turned around to be visible to people as they leave at the end of the day.

Use Sidewalk Signs to Overcome Invisible Business Syndrome

As customers walk through shopping centers, their attention is typically directed straight ahead. The problem is most retail establishments have signs set up flat against the building. This puts your store's sign to the side of passing pedestrians and they walk by without knowing you are there. Unfortunately, shopping center rules or city ordinances often prohibit permanent displays that overhang the path.

A compromise can be found in portable sidewalk signs. These custom displays are brought out when the business opens then put away when it closes. They can be placed in a conspicuous place in front of the store where they are more easily spotted than the shop's main sign. Your business no longer goes unnoticed by the passing crowds.

Our custom displays are manufactured to fit your business's decor and provide a creative and flexible way to advertise your business.

Running a successful retail operation involves more than throwing open the doors and letting shoppers wander the aisles. Ideally shoppers should be directed toward high-profit items. Retailers use POP displays to influence shoppers towards these products, increasing sales and revenue.

Impulse Buys Drive Up Sales

The power of impulse buys cannot be overstated. Most consumers think they aren't impulsive shoppers, but studies have shown that over 50% of purchases made are done so on impulse. Customers are heavily influenced by the display signage inside the store and retailers who take advantage of this can send sales through the roof.

As an example, let's say a store has overstocked an item. They need to clear out storage space so they put the item on sale. The items move but unit profits are reduced. Instead, the smart retailer comes to WL Concepts and we create POP displays to attract shoppers to the item. Sales increase without dropping the price.

A discontinued item could be marketed similarly. Rather than dropping the price, turn the liability into an asset. Displays that emphasize limited availability of the product will have shoppers lining up to take them off your hands.

Mass Media Doesn't Change People's Minds

Mass media is still an important component in a marketing plan. It alerts potential customers and strengthens the branding of a store or a product. What it doesn't do is change people's minds or alter their buying habits.

Let's say you create a killer television promotion that encourages viewers to come buy your most profitable items. Even if the campaign works, the consumer can't buy the item at that second. The consumer isn't a customer until he walks into your store. By then, the ad is forgotten and efforts to change shopping habits are wasted.

Instead, retailers use WL Concepts POP displays to create in-store advertisements. Now when the customer is prompted to buy an item, the merchandise is right there. Targeting people who are already customers greatly increases the success of influencing shopping habits.

Retailers and Manufacturers Work Together

WL Concepts has both manufacturers and retailers ordering POP displays from us, but the most successful campaigns we see are when the two parties work together.

POP displays benefit both organizations. They influence shoppers to buy the manufacturer's products over rival offerings. Retailers reap the benefits of increased sales as customers purchase merchandise they would otherwise have ignored. The displays create the classic win-win situation which makes both retailer and manufacturer stronger.

When retailers and manufacturers create POP displays cooperatively, the final design is better than anything they could create separately. Manufacturer-created POP displays can be difficult to integrate into the store's other display signage, sometimes creating jarring displays. Cooperatives displays are more powerful and influence customers more effectively.

 

 

Merokian honored for his philanthropy

Bill Levine, a Merrick resident, was recently honored by the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County (UCPN) at the 7th annual ucpn Dignitary Awards Luncheon.
 
President of his synagogue for the past three years with various other positions prior to that, Mr. Levine has undeniably and tirelessly shown his commitment to community service.
 
On his first visit to UCPN in 2007, he learned that the agency was about to celebrate its 60th anniversary of assisting individuals with disabilities.
 
His company, WL Concepts, then proceeded to design a commemorative banner, had it produced and donated a collection of them to adorn the grounds of the ucpn facility. WL Concepts also took a list of significant dates in the history of ucpn and transformed them into a spectacular timeline display that was donated and made its debut at the anniversary celebration day last May.
 
The timeline will remain a permanent display in the ucpn breezeway and will be a resource to be enjoyed by all.
 
The UCPN has been assisting individuals with disabilities since 1948.  Today, close to 2,000 children and adults benefit from the programs and services offered by the agency.
 
Mr. Levine started his company WL Concepts in 2000. By obtaining guidance through the New York State Department of Labor through its SEAP (Self-Employment Assistance Program) Program, and with assistance from a mentor and now friend, former Naval officer John Narciso, Mr. Levine was able to begin his own company.
 
Since 2000 he has ignited a revolution in on-site branding, graphic displays, and signage. He motivates everyone he meets with his wit, humor and gregarious personality. His client roster reads like a “who’s who” in marketing.
 
By capturing the imagination of some of the world’s most successful marketers he has inspired new trends, developed long- term relationships, which have allowed him to reach phenomenal success and growth with his fairly young company.
 
He is an entrepreneur in every sense of the word.  He takes lemons and there will always be lemonade for all to share.  His ideas know no limits or bounds. Mr. Levine truly loves coming to work every day and making people happy.  All at UCPN are grateful to him and the staff of W.L. Concepts for their generosity and support.
 
Mr. Levine is the husband of Audrey Conti-Levine and father to Alissa, Robert and James, and grandfather of two.

 

The above Article appeared in MERRICK LIFE
Vol. 72 No. 26
Issue dated Thursday July 9, 2009
Information Provided to and Merrick Life by UCPN
through the assistance of Marian Keilson

Some of our clients view display signage as a minor detail, something to be added almost as an afterthought. In point of fact, a number of studies have demonstrated that visibility and design of signs have a direct correlation on an establishment's customer traffic and profits.

Signs Attract New Customers

Business owners sometimes don't appreciate just how often customers enter stores on whims. They try to attract customers through expensive advertising campaigns when in many cases good display signage will be more effective.

The Small Business Administration did a study on the effects of display signage on restaurant patronage. They discovered that over one-third of new customers in a typical fast food restaurant entered the establishment because they saw the sign. No other factor affected new customer traffic so strongly. Sit down restaurants saw as much as one quarter of their traffic generated from signs.

To be effective, these visual displays must be designed to stand out from the visual clutter around them so they grab customer attention right away. WL Concepts helps you create a design that will generate a positive, inviting feeling and encourage customers to step inside.

Signs Direct Shopper Decisions

Stores have many reasons for wanting to push certain merchandise on customers. They might be trying to unload discontinued items or want to sell products with higher markups. Whatever the reason, display signage directs customers' attention toward these key items. Successful retail stores boost profits by influencing shoppers without the customers realizing it.

Impulse buys are a significant source of revenue for most retail outlets, which is why racks are set up at store entrances, in the aisles, and at checkout stands. These small purchases don't seem like much to the customer, but can add up to significant income for the store. However these displays have become so common customers stop seeing them. Strategic use of display signage grabs shoppers' attention and encourages impulse buys.

Signs Reinforce Branding

Marketers know that strong, positive imagery is an integral part of a successful branding strategy. Carefully designed display signage not only draws the attention of passers-by, potentially turning them into customers, but creates a powerful association in people's minds.

The importance of architectural signage is so great that we have seen entire stores built to draw attention to the sign. Of all visual displays, it is the one to reach the largest audience. When the sign is the focal point of the store, there is a direct effect on profitability.

We try to educate our customers on the value of display signage. The displays seem so simple but in reality they are powerful promotional tools. A sign that is hard to see or one that presents a negative image can hurt a business. When signage is considered as part of your marketing and promotion strategy, you are positioned to reach the most customers in the best way.  

ADA Information Updates

On June 17th the US Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a formal proposal to adopt new ADAAG.  This is a huge and critical step in both updating and increasing ADA accessibility guidelines in the private sector as well as for state and local governments.  Of course there is the normal 60 days governmental period for public comment before final approval is expected.

Of course, it is likely that the DOJ will set the effective date for these changes several months down the road into the future.  This will allow and provide building owners and operators sufficient advanced notice to comply with the new requirements.

The new ADAAG includes many changes to accessible sign specifications:
Criteria for tactile typefaces have been updated to require a thin stroke width, widely spaced, without serifs or embellishments of any kind.

Mounting height for tactile signs has changed. The base line of tactile characters must be within 48 and 60 inches above the floor, slightly lower than the current requirement of 60 inches from the center of the sign.

There are new minimum heights for visual characters which increase with viewing distance. Characters on signs mounted overhead can be as small as 2” if they are no more than 10 feet above the floor; however the minimum character size increases with mounting height.

Most state building codes currently in use are very similar to the federal requirements that the DOJ is trying to issue and approve.

If you require technical assistance or have any questions regarding signage and ADA requirements and compliance feel free to contact us info@wlconcepts.com or 516-565-5151 for guidance.  Also available is the Technical Assistance board to assist with very technical questions.  They can be reached at TA@access-board.gov r 1-800-872-2253.

Other helpful links can be found at US Department of Justice ADA homepage, and ADA Requirements for Interior Signage.

If you have a small product ready to hit the stores or if you have a small product that needs a little push to sell, POP displays are a great way to help your newest product make its mark with your customer base. POP displays, sometimes called kiosks or end caps, are typically found at the front of a store near the register. In your local convenience store, you will usually find cigarettes and gum in end caps and POP displays.

The goal of a great display is to entice consumers to add one more thing to their list by purchasing your product. Most of the time, these kiosks operate using humor, bright colors, and arresting designs. At WL Concepts, we have years of experience designing everything you could need in a store, including POP displays. If you are considering an end cap to better market your newest retail creation, then we would love to hear from you.

Options Are Important

No two POP displays are identical. Because of this, you need a firm that can present viable options for marketing your product, help you formulate ideas, and work in the best interest of your bottom line. At WL Concepts, we present choices, options, and ideas ranging from the ultra elaborate and regal to the super simplistic and utilitarian, including every permutation in between.

We have a good eye for design and great ideas for marketing solutions. Together, we can design an end cap that is in line with the interests and needs of your target demographic. We can provide something that will not only be true to your product, but will also announce your product in a way that catches the eye of consumers in a checkout line.

An Impressive Body Of Work

When deciding on a firm to design your POP displays, you want someone with a proven track record of getting great results. At WL Concepts, we have worked with some of the biggest names in the marketing world. Our client list reads like a who's who of marketing and advertising. Washington Mutual, Disney, Tommy Hilfiger, Kohl's, Macy's, Timberland, and many other large corporations have used our services in the past. We invite you to check out our body of work in the gallery section of our website.

It's All About Great Service

It is one thing to find a firm to design your POP displays and it is entirely another thing to find a firm that can do that and help your business grow to reach its full potential. At WL Concepts, our goal isn't to impress you with one design, call it a day, and move on. We want to help your business and your ideas reach their full potential. We work to forge a bond between your business and ours. From your first great idea to every subsequent breakthrough, we here at WL Concepts are here to help you make all of your ventures as great as they can be.

If you are a retail entrepreneur, then you might already be familiar with visual displays. A visual display is part of the entire layout of your store. It can be as simple as a few clothes draped over a table or as elaborate as a multicolored wall of products that beckons customers as they walk in the door. Before you write a professional display off as superfluous and unneeded, think about how far you want to take your new business.

Your visual display is not only a display of products; it is also a sign of your aspirations. If you plan to stay local, small, and operate only one store, then you may not need to spend the money. However, if you plan to expand your business, then a high quality visual display is a great way to up your visibility and give your stores a cohesive and uniform look.

A High Customer Satisfaction Rating

A simple way to judge a business is listening to what others have had to say about them. Since 2000, WL Concepts has been an industry leader in customer satisfaction. An independent survey conducted by Dunn & Bradstreet found that our customers were happy with their results approximately 96% of the time, a number well over the sample's average score.

A big part of why we scored so high is that we are dedicated to working with our clients on eye catching visual displays that not only attract consumers, but are also true to the vision and outlook of the client.

Analyze Current and Past Clients

When selecting a firm to work with on your visual displays, it always helps to see some samples of previous work before making your final decision. These samples will give you a good idea of what the firm is capable of, their style, and what to expect from your own display. When contacting potential firms, it will help you greatly to find out whom they've worked with and to look at samples and photographs of those stores.

At WL Concepts, our former clients are some of the biggest names in the world of marketing. Tommy Hilfiger, Timberland, Kohl's, Macy's, Disney, Washington Mutual, and DHL have all called on us to help them with their visual displays in the past. You can find samples of our work with these firms on our website.

Awards and Accolades

It might seem like an afterthought, but awards and accolades really do mean something in the business of design. POPAI, VM & SD, the NYS Small Business Hall of Fame, LIDC, and SBDC have honored us with awards.

If visual displays are in your future, then call the experts at WL Concepts. No matter the size of your business, large or small, we can work with you and your team to design and implement a winning marketing strategy that will help you see increased interest, increased brand recognition, and increased sales.

POP displays are a fun and effective way to grab customers' attention and increase sales. POP (Point of Purchase) displays can be customized to the shape of your product, the venue it is displayed in, and even the customer it is trying to attract. Use your imagination when thinking of how to best get your product noticed!

There are three larger categories of POP displays, but as mentioned above, all of these categories should be customized to your product's special needs. The three main categories are:
 
•    In-line POP signage that sits or runs along a store shelf
•    Merchandise displays that sit on the countertop, perhaps near a cash register
•    Stand-alone displays, which can be found in aisles, or more open areas

In-Line Vinyl Signage

Customers are often faced with shelves and shelves of similar products. Without a special POP display, your product runs the risk of blending in to the sea of competitior products, not making it any more likely to be chosen than the item sitting above or below it. However, with eye-catching, in-line POP signage, customers will be immediately drawn to your product.

This type of POP display is also incredibly easy to change. Its flexibility in messaging makes it possible to run weekly promotions or tout additional benefits of your product no matter what merchandise you're selling or where you're selling it-- from a supermarket to an upscale boutique.

Grab The Impulse Buy With Countertop POP Displays

Countertop displays provide a huge benefit to merchandise selling. Whether you are placing a selection of a new products near the cash register to remind customers of something they heard or saw advertised, or if you are placing those small tried and true products where your customer won't forget them, countertop POP signage will drive up sales. Impulse products like magnets, snacks, lip balm, lotions, gift packs, and especially gift cards are great picks for countertop displays.

Let Stand-Alone Displays Move With Your Needs

Stand-alone displays don't require any supports or anchors, making them great to move with your seasonal needs. If you know that the lines for the cash register will be exceptionally long in a certain week or month, move stand-alone displays near the line, giving customers a chance to look them over before they even get to the countertop POP displays.


Almost any product can be displayed in a stand-alone display. However, if you have a new product or a special product featured in a certain month it's also a good idea to place a stand-alone display near the entrance, allowing a customer to encounter the product early in his or her shopping experience.

If selecting the best POP displays and POP signage seems overwhelming, professional signage companies, like WL Concepts, can help you design the most effective displays to meet your specific product needs.