Agents ‘worst on high street’ for poor signage/posters

Travel agents are the worst stores on the high street for poor or illegible signage/posters, new report claims.

When asked: Which industry do you think is worst for poor/illegible signage/posters, the response was: Travel agents (40%), pubs (22%). high street shops (15%), betting shops (11%), banks (08%), other (04%).

The findings show that consumers do not trust retailers using handwritten signs over printed marketing materials – 63% question the credibility of brands using them; 55% have considered taking their custom elsewhere over a spelling mistake.

The ‘Brandwriting Index,’ commissioned by web-to-print marketing specialist Gecko, shows that consumers find handwritten signage, posters and offers a turn-off – just 12% have any trust in signs that have been handwritten.

More than 90% find poor spelling and grammar annoying, while 55% of high street shoppers have considered taking their custom elsewhere because of a spelling or grammar mistake.

The poll of more than 1,000 adults last month found that two-thirds have difficulty reading handwritten signs.

Additional snap-shot research revealed that 40% of outlets on a typical high street – including leading banks, book sellers, travel agents, music stores and electrical retailers – were using handwritten signage or marketing collateral.

Gecko development director Andy Milner said: “UK companies spend millions annually developing their brands, creating brand books, and then implementing these processes and procedures across their organisations.

“Yet it is often these shop floor customer messages that can sometimes fail to reflect the brand values and which can at the very least start to unravel all the other work, and potentially start to damage reputation.

“National retailers with multiple UK stores appear to be the most regular offenders – our report shows that on a typical UK high street up to 40% of national brands are still using some sort of handwritten customer communication.

“Some of the country’s best known brands are essentially leaving important customer communications to staff, perhaps even part-timers or temps, most probably untrained in sign-writing and without a full understanding of the company’s brand values.

“Why invest so much time and resource on corporate brand identity when locally – where the product or service is literally in the shop window – it is often being overlooked?

“There’s no doubting, in the right hands and in the right context, a skilled signwriter can produce superb handwritten customer communication – in fact, offer-led signs can work better with a handwritten appearance as the style suggests just-reduced prices.”

Dr Jonathan Reynolds, director of the Oxford Institute of Retail Management and a Fellow in retail marketing at Templeton College, Oxford University, said: “This research serves to remind us that shoppers increasingly expect professional communications from retailers – and that inappropriate, hastily handwritten signs send all the wrong signals, and may even damage the brand.

“Informal handwritten signage may work in certain circumstances – communicating the ‘just arrived’ nature of a special offer, or a temporary price reduction – but its use still needs to be carefully limited and controlled.

“Brands such as Lush, which use pre-printed and handwritten-style signage in carefully controlled circumstances, serve to demonstrate how handwriting can contribute to a friendlier, more informal store ambience, whilst still meeting a brand’s communications goals.”

*A random, snap-shot survey of 30 high street stores in Leeds. Of the 30 stores analysed, 40% were using at least one type of handwritten signage.

   Barclays    No

   Boots    Yes

   Borders    Yes

   Burger King    No

   Carphone Warehouse    No

   Comet    Yes

   Currys Digital    Yes

   D&A    No

   Debenhams    No

   FirstChoice    Yes

   Going Places    Yes

   HMV    Yes

   House of Fraser    No

   HSBC    No

   Lloyds TSB    No

   M&S    No

   McDonalds    No

   NatWest    Yes

   Next    No

   Phones 4 U    No

   RBS    No

   Specsavers    No

   Starbucks    No

   Subway    No

   Thomas Cook    Yes

   Thomson    Yes

   Topshop    No

   Virgin Megastore    Yes

   Waterstones    Yes

   WH Smith    No

by Phil Davies