At Dorchester Awning, We Have Vendors You Can Count On!
January 1, 2019
At staff meetings across America, business owners are challenging their colleagues with the question, “What can we do to draw more attention from shoppers?”
The question is both relevant and urgent; brick-and-mortar businesses are engaged in a storm of competition from online vendors. So if you’re searching for a beacon to give you enhanced visibility and more sales, look no further than outdoor awnings. While they serve as natural attention-getters, they provide other benefits, too. Consider these advantages:
Outdoor Awnings “Pop” among a Sea of Generic Facades
In many business districts, outdoor awnings are the exception, not the rule. This is something to capitalize on. Look at your business from the perspective of shoppers on foot who often scan a street horizontally before crossing and deciding which business to enter. In this environment, an outdoor awning is more than an attention-getter—it’s an invitation.
Outdoor Awnings Can Burnish a Brand
Your corporate brand—your image and identity—is a precious commodity. And you’re rightfully proud of what it signifies. An outdoor awning made in your company’s main color (or colors) and embellished with your logo can cement your brand in the mind of consumers. Marketing studies repeatedly show that customers are more likely to extend loyalty to brands they identify with and recognize instantly.
Outdoor Awnings Provide an Inherent Advertising Opportunity
In addition to providing a canvas for your company colors and logo, an awning can be used to communicate your phone number or website address. As you might guess, long or wide awnings are most conducive to featuring this information since you want to text on your awning to be easy to read. Graphics, words, and numbers can be applied to fabric awnings with cutout lettering, digital printing, heat-color transfer, painting, pressure-sensitive graphic film, and silk screening. A commercial awning expert can educate you about the different looks these methods produce.
Outdoor Awnings Extend and Enhance a Business’s Usable Space
Some proactive business owners capitalize on the space underneath awnings by setting up booths and displays. Over time, customers grow accustomed to seeing this activity and begin looking for it. Other businesses choose to set up chairs or a bistro table and chairs underneath an awning, establishing it as a customer meeting place. In these ways, an awning’s style is paired with function, making it an investment that pays dividends time and again.
Outdoor Awnings Provide Protection from the Elements
Your customers will appreciate an awning on a rainy day. But don’t discount the value of shelter to people who might gravitate to your awning as they make a phone call or wait for a ride. These are prospective customers who will not only appreciate your hospitality, but also be likely to respond to your invitation to step inside and see what your business has to offer.
Outdoor Awnings Can Bring Energy Savings
When the sun shines on west-facing windows, a fabric awning can reduce heat gain by between 72 and 77 percent, according to studies by the American Society of Heating and Air Conditioning Engineers. On south-facing windows, an awning can reduce heat gain by between 55 and 65 percent. It’s just a matter of time before an outdoor awning will pay for itself—and keep your business cool at the same time.
The next time you’re sitting at a staff meeting and you’re asked, “What can we do to draw more attention from shoppers?” you’ll have the answer—plus five more benefits that outdoor awnings can bring to your business.
Ready to learn more about the benefits of outdoor awnings? Then contact us today!