CARROLLTON, TX - Consumers are more selective than ever before when it comes to where and how they spend their hard earned dollars. Businesses of all shapes and sizes are looking for ways to capture the attention of these customers.

One tool to consider is the use of point-of-purchase (POP) materials, also known as place-based advertising. Through POP, customers are directly targeted while already in the process of shopping or purchasing.

In a sluggish economy, retailers should make even more of an effort to capture sales through POP materials,” said Drue Townsend, senior VP of marketing for FASTSIGNS International, Inc. “Effective POP signs and graphics can directly affect incremental sales, and even encourage brand switching.”

According to the Small Business Association, signs and graphics at the point of purchase reinforce other advertising efforts, such as TV commercials; web marketing campaigns and direct mail pieces, developing a memory of the products or services. Additionally, POP attracts new customers who might not be aware of the product or service, or might not have ever considered it before that time. In a competitive environment, effective POP provides marketers an additional opportunity to influence consumers.

Studies completed by the Point-of-Purchase Association show that when brand messages are able to create a connection between the product and consumer, sales increase. For example, one finding showed that in-store ads with photos on beverage cooler doors lifted soft-drink sales by as much as 33 percent. Small convenience items at the checkout saw a 30 percent sales lift when combined with a brand logo, a photo and price savings information.

“Service providers and retailers not only have to get the customer’s attention, they also have to persuade them, and that is where utilizing POP comes in,” explains Townsend.

Whether suspended from the ceiling, affixed to a floor or wall, or standing near the register, the use of POP signs and graphics continues to advance as printing technology advances. Here are some of the options available:

• Creative use of graphic applications allow floors, walls, windows, doors, even carpet and ceiling tiles to become unique and unexpected POP canvases.
• Full-color graphics have transformed POP materials and signage into vivid, eye-catching works of art.
• Dynamic Digital Signage allows service providers and retailers to adapt their POP messages instantly, providing more targeted and timely messages to customers.

FASTSIGNS® sign and graphics centers use innovation and technology to make the sign buying process fast and simple by offering consulting, design, production, file transfer, delivery and installation for a full range of custom sign and graphic products.