Brick-and-Mortar Branding: 8 Brand Identity Examples for In-Store Marketing

Although shopping online is the new fad, heading out to an actual shop still has its own special perks. There’s something far more interesting and exciting about walking into a store that you love visiting.

But how do you get your customers to love your brick and mortar store? What are the secrets to making the experience one they’ll never want to give up?

Listed below are different brand identity examples to get your in-store marketing started in the best way possible!

1. Employee Personality

Although the way your store looks has a big impact on customers, the main feature they’ll interact with is your staff. Having your employees know the right social cues is an important step in any branding design.

Not only does it put customers at ease, but it also gives you a lot of room to play. Using catchphrases is something that sets your employees apart from any other store.

For example, Chick-fil-a employees say “my pleasure” instead of the standard “you’re welcome”. It’s not a big change and it’s easy to implement. It sticks in the minds of customers and gives the idea that every interaction is a joy for the employees.

Find a way to give your employees personality cues that help impact every customer interaction.

2. Custom Lighting

The lights of your store create a different kind of ambiance depending on what style you choose.

Low lighting makes the store feel cozy or private which restaurants use to their advantage. Natural lighting brings in a kind of freshness great for stores selling plants and outdoor equipment. Colored lights bring a pop of color that feels exciting.

When coming up with your own type of ambiance, take into account the feeling you want to convey to your customers. Do you want something bright and happy, or something more playful? Use different lighting cues to help boost the feeling of your brand identity.

3. Enticing Scents

Ever walked past Abercrombie and Fitch? What about a Lush store?

These unique scents grab the attention of anyone who walks by, not letting them ignore the store itself. For Lush, it’s the scent of their soaps and products. For Abercrombie and Fitch, it’s cologne.

These scents make you notice the presence of the store. Even if you’re not looking to buy soaps, you still notice that Lush is nearby. If you’re a fan of the store, you might even look forward to it.

When you have a physical location, it’s good to make use of every sense to sell your brand in every way possible. Smells are as important as sight when it comes to branding.

4. Music Style

It’s not a big revelation that people enjoy listening to music while they browse and shop. Almost every store uses different tunes to put their customers at ease.

But the style of music you choose to play at the store should always go along with your brand identity.

If you sell musical instruments, play classical music to get your customers in the right mood. If you’re a clothing store for kids, all the latest children’s music is the perfect match.

Take some time to find the right music style that works best with your brand.

5. Target Audience

Which demographic is the one most intent on your product? What age group? What will entice them to come into the store?

These are the questions you need to ask when approaching every step of your in-store marketing strategy. It’s good to sit down and figure out the target audience of your product and cater your brand towards them.

This way, you’re getting the most out of every decision and your brand identity continues to grow.

After all, if you’re selling knives, catering to children isn’t the best way to go.

6. Colors

Colors affect our emotions in a lot of subtle but important ways. Blue is calming while red is exciting and passionate. Yellow grabs our attention, whereas green puts us at ease.

Understanding the way color affects your customers is a vital part of any brand identity design. You want to choose colors that suit your brand and don’t detract from it.

McDonald’s, for example, uses red and yellow colors to excite their customers and make them feel happier. It also is a play on the colors of mustard and ketchup, which goes perfect with their products.

Finding the right match of colors for your company will elevate your branding to a whole new level.

7. Decoration

There are countless ways to decorate your store. The choices you make all depend on the kind of feeling you want to convey.

Cracker Barrel, for example, uses old southern American charm and antiques to sweeten every meal. It fits right along with their southern cuisine and helps make the interactions as memorable as possible.

Adding your logo and your brand’s colors into the decorations is always a good choice. After all, your logo is the face of your brand. Make sure to browse this post for more information on how to incorporate your logo in a successful way.

8. Consistency Is Key

Once you’ve put your branding into place, make sure to always keep it consistent. Your customers should know what to expect every time they step into the store. Otherwise, it might leave them feeling uncomfortable or uninterested.

It’s okay to change things up. Holidays are a great example of when it’s good to change designs around.

But at the core of everything, your brand identity should remain the same. The heart of your business should always shine through everything else.

Use These Brand Identity Examples to Spark Inspiration

With the help of these different brand identity examples, coming up with the perfect in-store appeal is an easy task. But these aren’t the only ways to send enticing messages to your customers.

Brainstorm with your team and see what you come up with. There are countless ways to show the unique qualities of your store.

No one knows your brand identity better than you. Use that to your advantage when setting up the next big marketing strategy.

Once everything’s in place, don’t forget to check out other ways your business can get ahead of the competition!