Not every store has the luxury of expansive square footage. From tiny urban boutiques to seaside ice cream stands, many retailers face the problem of how to decorate small spaces while still promoting their products and services.
Take a look at these décor and sign solutions to make the most of any space, no matter how cozy:
Take Tips from Design Pros
Interior decorating principles for small homes can easily be applied to retail locations to create a more expansive feeling and highlight your signage. HGTV experts recommend using neutrals for small spaces to make them appear larger. Then use pops of color to highlight important signage or messages. For example, a small real estate office could decorate in all grays and whites, and then have a single decorated wall featuring full-color prints with shots of available properties.
Libby Landon, author of Small Space Solutions, recommends painting an accent wall in a bright color to create the illusion of receding space. Signage in the middle of the accent wall will definitely stand out. Also consider using a full wall decal to create an accent wall. A surf shop could create a decal with a beautiful wave photograph and the store's logo to enhance branding.
Finally, interior designers often use mirrors in décor for small rooms to create visual expansion. You can have custom signage created with vinyl lettering over a large mirror to serve two purposes at the same time. This is an especially good solution for clothing and accessory retail locations so customers can check themselves out in your signage.
Utilize Digital Signage
Digital signage is an excellent way to provide multiple consumer messages in a small space, which is why you see it so often in elevators. It's also proven to be effective: a Digital Signage Today whitepaper reports 19 percent of viewers who have seen a digital out-of-home advertisement make an unplanned purchase after seeing an item featured on a digital screen. Whether you have a single display unit or multiple screens around the store, digital signage can provide effective messaging with very little footprint.
When it comes to digital signage in small spaces be sure to consider the following:
Content creation: Consider your audience and marketing goals when deciding on content for digital signage. A counter-service restaurant may only want a static daily menu with updated specials to appear on the digital signage while a nail salon could benefit from a multi-media content loop with images, video, music and promotions.
Customer attention span: a longer content loop is more appropriate for places where customers will be spending more time. For example, a ski rental shop where people wait for custom fits would benefit from a longer loop than a convenience store.
Location in the store: Small retail stores can benefit from placing digital signage on the back wall to draw customers into the space and create an illusion of depth. However, this technique may not work for restaurants where the digital signage serves as the menu board.
Try these interior décor solutions for small spaces to visually expand your location while communicating effectively with your customers
