Many business owners don’t take full advantage of everything they can do with the windows of their retail stores. A retail store window display is a prime place to communicate with customers—even when the store is closed. Custom decal printing is an affordable way to jazz up shop windows, floors, doors, and walls.
How Do Decals For Retail Window Display Work?
Often called “windows stickers,” the technical printing term is window decals. Versatile and flexible, these decals are highly customizable. They can be printed in any color, shape, and size and can include letters, illustrations, photos, and logos. The decals allow businesses to do virtually anything with their business window design and retail space.
Made of heavy-duty vinyl, the decals are rugged, durable, and last for years. They can be touched, walked on, and left outside in the sun, snow, or rain. The decals can be placed onto almost any surface, including:
- Glass (such as shop window displays)
- Floors
- Walls
- Wood (such as door decals).
The decals fit seamlessly against the surface to which they are applied. Depending on a customer’s needs, a permanent or removable adhesive can be used. (Be sure to specify which type of adhesive is needed when placing an order.)
If a business window display is expected to change frequently, then removable adhesive is best. Of course, a window might include a mix of both permanent and removable decals.
Window Clings vs. Decals
Customers often ask about the difference between window clings and decals. Besides using different materials, window clings are less durable and permanent than decals because they don’t use adhesive. Instead, clings stick to almost any non-porous surface via suction/static electricity.
Clings can be applied to surfaces such as glass, plastic, and metal. However, they should be installed indoors as they cannot withstand the elements.
Window clings can be easily removed and reapplied—making them ideal for communicating temporary or seasonal information on a shop window display. For example, customers often use window clings to promote holiday hours or short-term sales (e.g., “50% off today only”).
Both decals and clings have their place on retail window displays. Many businesses use clings for short-term needs and decals for permanent/semi-permanent signage or decoration.
Benefits of Custom Shop Window Displays
Below are just a few of the benefits of using custom printed decals for retail window design and store window displays.
- Less Expensive Than Traditional Signs. For just a fraction of the cost, businesses can cover their entire retail window display for less than what an outside sign would cost to build and install. Decals also have a lower cost-per-impression compared to other types of signs.
- No Permits Needed. Unlike traditional signs, decals are easy to install and don’t require permits or bureaucratic red tape.
- Removable and Reusable. If removable adhesive is used, the decals can be reused year after year. This is particularly useful for holiday decorations. It also allows business owners to change up their shop window design seasonally or when freshening up is needed.
- Decals can contain as much or as little information needed, including hours of operation, phone number, website, social media links. If removable adhesive is used, the decals can also be used to promote short-term sales, promotions, or events.
- Energy-Saving. Depending on how they are printed, decals can help lower energy costs by blocking out the sun’s heat.
- Colorful and Vivid. What better way to entice customers to enter a store than to display colorful photos or illustrations of the food or goods found inside?
- Brand Awareness. Using decals throughout a retail location (including in a store window display) can help businesses increase awareness of their brand.
Using Decals for Windows … And More
As mentioned earlier, custom printed decals can be used to convey a variety of information and can incorporate any font, illustration, logo, photo, or color. Plus, the decals can be printed in any shape or size.
This allows companies to create creative and customized store window designs that capture the unique look and personality of the business. The only limit is the imagination of the designer!
Communication Ideas
Although most businesses use decals in a retail window display to convey information such as hours of operation, there is almost no limit to what can be communicated. Here are just a few of the ways that businesses use custom printed decals:
- Business Hours and Contact Information
- Welcome Sign
- Business Logo and Branding Information
- Sales and Product Information
- Directional Information (decals placed on the floor can help guide customers to specific areas of the store).
Decals On Walls
Wall decals can be used to brighten up or personalize a waiting room or office space (including office doors). Plus, they provide more flexibility and customization than a simple paint job or hanging posters or pictures. If things start to feel stale, the decals can be easily removed and replaced with new ones.
Art galleries often use decals on walls to describe the displayed item and artist information. This practice can be applied to retail stores as well—with businesses using decals to label areas of the store or product displays in creative ways. The possibilities are endless!
Case Studies and Examples of Work
Nova Custom Printing has printed and installed hundreds of custom designed decals for a wide variety of businesses—ranging from small window decals for a shop window display to a wall decal that was as tall as a giraffe!
Here a few case studies for companies that Nova has printed decals for in the past (including some photos of the finished work).
- Bumble is a social network that helps people make connections for dating, friendships, or professional networking. Nova has printed many decals for the company, including a wall decal up to 12 feet long.
- Vivienne Westwood is a high-end fashion and apparel company that offers clothing, bags, shoes, jewelry, and other accessories. The project included printing and installing store decals in the NYC store.
- Urban Zen is a chic store that supports Donna Karan’s nonprofit foundation by selling globally inspired styles, jewelry, and furniture. The project included printing and installing store decals on windows.
- A project for the West Side YMCA in New York City involved printing and installing a decal that was 24 inches high and 29 feet in length.
If your business needs a custom vinyl decal for its windows, walls, or floor, contact Nova Custom Printing for more information and to begin your project.
