by Bob Steele

It's often the little things that keep their customers coming back, with the "shopability" factor at the top of the list. Department identification and organization are key elements here. How easy is it for customers to locate what they came to purchase without having to ask for customer assistance? Most customers will look a lot longer than they want to before they ask for help.

To help direct customers to product as soon as they enter the store, make sure your departments are clearly identified from the entrance area. To highlight key areas, use block-style, dimensional lettering mounted on various walls throughout the store.

Department identification can also be accomplished by mounting letters on an attractively designed signboard hung from the ceiling. Using shapes and colors on the sign will help draw the attention of shoppers.

The height of department lettering is dependent on store size. Smaller stores should use letters no less than 8 inches tall. Lettering comes in a wide variety of surfaces, colors, heights and depths. When mounting your signs on the wall or hanging them from the ceiling, keep them as low as possible, yet visible from a distance. Most customers are not accustomed to looking up when shopping, as their focus usually is forward and slightly up.

In addition, products across all departments need to be clearly identified in categories that make sense to the shopper. The category identification process will vary from department to department. In your Bible department, you've probably found that many customers know what translation and type of Bible they want. These customers easily can be helped by category and subcategory signage. Categories are generally identified with signage on top of a fixture while subcategories are identified at shelf level.

-Bob Steele is a former consultant and trainer with more than 30 years' experience in the Christian products industry.

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