A number of recent studies have confirmed the value of floor decals in a retail environment. And the numbers are quite amazing.
One retail chain reported a 91 percent increase in sales of a name-brand insecticide after placing multiple six-foot-square floor graphics of “bugs succumbing to Raid.” In another study, a store used brightly-coloured floor graphics to increase its sales in Scott’s Miracle-Gro products by 29 percent while at the same time increasing overall sales in the gardening department by18 percent. Large floor graphics in another store increased sales in work clothes by 31 percent. And so on, and so on, and so on.
But perhaps one of the most interesting stories about floor graphics is the one that tells of the store that placed red arrows pointing in the direction of a particular product display. It had a huge effect in drawing buyers to the product. The Journal of Business Management Invention offered this explanation for why such a simple floor graphic could be so effective: “While some in-sore ads can seem invasive, especially those that block walkways or otherwise take up space . . . floor graphics have a ‘high level of consumer acceptance, as they are not interfering in the consumer purchase.’ The higher the level of consumer acceptance is associated with better ad engagement and recall, as well as higher conversion rates.” And all it took was a red arrow.
Pitch your customers. Floor graphics can be a powerful tool. So, the bad habit of people constantly staring down at a cellphone screen, is suddenly a good thing for floor graphics.