Signage is often described in retail circles as the “silent salesman.”
This is certainly the proverbial foot in the door to your customer, who you are trying to sway in one manner or another, to buy your product. In the produce aisle, signs are everywhere. What you express on these signs, and how you present the signs, where and when you place the signs, and why you choose the information conveyed, all makes a difference.
In produce, you might see a small tag for fresh persimmons at, say, 99 cents each. However, what if the tag was a little larger and mentioned point of origin, the nutritional value, organic or conventional, the flavor profile and how to tell when the fruit is ripe? That would help sell the item immensely, wouldn’t it?
And suppose further, as we often see, that small tag is hanging above the displayed section among a dozen other specialty item tags. That would convey the desired information all right, but suppose a customer doesn’t know what a persimmon is in the first place.
That’s not the best spot to sign an unfamiliar item. Yet many produce departments choose this placement for their convenience and likely will see the persimmons slowly shrivel, unsold, and eventually shrink.
I’d say that silent salesman was extra-silent in that example.
A produce operation must have strict standards when it comes to signage. Will the program include premade plastic signs with item headers, as many do? A standard kit or custom-made? Whichever program is chosen, the signs should be consistent in appearance, rugged enough to withstand the rigors of a grocery store, available in several sizes, pleasing to the eye, but not loud or busy with too much detail.
After all, the produce needs to be the focal point of the customer’s eye.
Related: More insight from Armand Lobato
A good sign kit should have extra name headers of common items, with easy to affix numbers and all the extras such as the LB, EA, Bag, etc. tags. If you’re like most chains, you have the sign kit as the core of your signage. Yet, you still use larger paper-type signs for ads or specials. (Avoid handwritten signs unless these are neatly done.)
Many sign-kit headers and numbers are laminated to extend the wear and tear or are water-resistant. The kits commonly include telescoping sign stands or other frames to hold signs for multiple applications. No matter what style you have, it must be organized to start with, organized as you use it and taken care of so that it only takes a few minutes to make sign changes.
And in the produce aisle, sign changes happen all the time.
So, it behooves a produce manager to assign only one or two trusted employees to manage the complex and expensive kit, lest it fall into disarray — which happens more times than not with unlimited access. That creates some unwelcome sign results, as well as taking far too long to perform the simplest signing tasks.
Then of course there’s how a sign is assembled. Customers are confused with signs that say things like, 2 EA for 4.00$/Bag, when it should be 2 Bags for $4.00. It sounds crazy, but we’ve all seen what can happen, with some of the wackier results even ending up on social media, such as the printed sign, “Boneless Bananas.”
Your chain should follow a regiment. Perhaps post example signs in the prep area so that when someone makes a sign, it’s consistent with your program and makes sense. Instill this regiment or program during the signing person’s training. Include how to maintain the sign kit, matching sign size to display size, sign presentation and placement, keeping everything neat and organized, and how to keep up with ordering replacement headers, numbers, hardware, signposts, etc. on a weekly basis.
Signing is an ongoing job that takes time, patience, product knowledge and skill. Don’t make it harder than it already is.
The customers — and the silent salesman — will thank you.
Armand Lobato works for the Idaho Potato Commission. His 40 years of experience in the produce business span a range of foodservice and retail positions.