VinylEfx Store Graphics Applications

Learn how VinylEfx graphics attract attention to store locations and  create an inviting appearance that increases store traffic, sales and profits.

Slides of VinylEfx films used for store graphics.

VinylEfx® films are not just for outdoor signage applications and vehicle graphics. These attractive films can also be used for a variety of store graphics applications, including window graphics, window displays, wall graphics, floor graphics and P.O.P displays.

VinylEfx® films are very easy to fabricate. These films cut like vinyl and print like vinyl, because they are vinyl. While all VinylEfx® films are printable, the most popular choices for print applications include: Smooth Silver, Brushed Silver, Smooth Gold, Brushed Gold, Brite Overall (Rainbow) and Matte Silver. Many of these films are available in 48" and  54" roll widths. 

Unlike silver polyesters, VinylEfx® films require no special top coating. The films are printable using thermal transfer, solvent, ecosolvent and UV inkjet digital print technologies.  VinylEfx® films are also printable using solvent-based and UV curable screen print inks.

The RTape film use in this Toys "R" Us display was screen printed. 

Used for printing posters and displays, VinylEfx® films are an exciting alternative to plain white print media. After all, what can be exciting about white media? Absolutely nothing! Some white media is glossier than others. Some white media is brighter than others. The bottom line is that all white media pretty much looks the same.  The result is one print looks like another. And that is BORING.

Printed on VinylEfx Smooth Gold.

VinylEfx® media is not the same old, same old. With VinylEfx®, your printing breaks through the boring barrier. Glittering VinylEfx® transforms ordinary printing into extraordinary printing! That sets you apart from the others.  And that WOW factor is your competitive edge.

Printed on VinylEfx Matte Silver

What follows are examples of how some retailers have use VinylEfx® films for their store graphics applications.

VinylEfx Window Graphics Attract Attention. 

Each day a store location is visually competing with hundreds of neighboring stores. Eye-catching VinylEfx films, used for window graphics, are a cost-effective way to attract attention and create a unique and memorable corporate identity. Those first impressions can be lasting impressions that can help build store traffic and lead to higher sales and profits. The VinylEfx graphics applied to the window of Great Northern Distilling (pictured below) immediately aroused the curiosity of passersby the day they were installed. 

VinylEfx Window Graphics Reinforce Corporate Identity.

Colorful window treatments can also complement and reinforce the corporate identity. Graphics should be consistent with the company’s corporate colors, logos, design motifs and advertising themes.  The window graphics pictured below, utilized the RTape Silver Metal Flake pattern.

Cost Effectively Rehab a Store's Appearance.

According to realtors, a critical factor in selling a home is what they call “curb appeal”.  That term refers to the initial impression that a prospective buyer has of a home from the street.  The same holds true for the retailer. First impressions are lasting impressions.  Shoppers immediately form a judgment about a company based on the physical appearance of a store location.  If the store doesn’t look inviting on the outside, shoppers will not be enticed inside. Rehabbing the appearance of the store with window graphics and window displays is much less costly than traditional construction costs for remodeling. 

Larger retailers have turned the decoration of their windows into an art. Often compared to theatrical productions, the primary purpose of window displays is to attract the attention of the shopper with interesting and creative product arrangements, then lure the shopper into the store with the latest and hottest selling products. 

That’s the toughest part: getting a new shopper into your store. Here’s why. People are creatures of habit.  They go to the same stores over and over again.  For the retailer to break their patterns of behavior, he has to do something dramatic.   Scenery, lighting, props and the stars of the production, the mannequins, can set the stage for an effective product display.Utilizing a variety of VinylEfx films, the Dries Van Noten store, shown below, achieves an inviting appearance.

VinylEfx Graphics Increase Store Traffic. 

Many communities in the US and Canada have restricted the amount of coverage on windows. New Look Fashion stores in the UK, used VinylEfx® to attract attention to their window displays (pictured below). According to POPAI (Point-Of-Purchase Advertising International)  window displays are viewed for an average of 11 seconds and account for 25% of store traffic. 

VinylEfx® Chrome Cherry Red was used as a decorative, eye-catching accent for the window displays of Armani Exchange during the 2004 Holiday Season (pictured below).

Eye-catching RTape VinylEfx® films help retailers take realize higher sales and profits by attracting a shoppers attention to window displays, generating more floor traffic and stimulating impulse purchases. 

VinylEfx Window Graphics Create a Uniform Corporate Identity.

These eye-catching window graphics (shown below) use VinylEfx® Large Engine Turn Gold to complement the store image and décor. The graphic was used on 44 Mac Cosmetics stores  to create a uniform corporate identity among stores which are architecturally dissimilar.

Kids Foot Locker (shown below) used Silver MultiLens to attract the shoppers' attention, stimulate interest in their products and entice shoppers to enter their stores. The results were higher sales and profits.

VinylEfx P.O.P. Graphics Stimulate Sales and Profits.

Ladies Foot Locker utilized the VinylEfx® Diamond Plate pattern (shown below) to attract attention to their holiday season footwear displays. According to a POPAI study, in-store decisions have increased from 70% in 1995 to 76% in 2012. With such a high percentage of buying decisions being made after the shopper arrives at a store, P-O-P marketing has gained a more prominent role in the retail marketing mix. VinylEfx® films attract attention to displays, reinforce the corporate identity and image and stimulate sales and profits.

Many shoppers buy the brands with which they are most familiar. The header of this Disney display in the photograph below complements the well know images of the company’s brand identity. Their design incorporates the VinylEfx® Metal Flake sequins pattern. The design also reinforces the Disney corporate image and identity.

In store décor, image is everything. Once a customer has walked through the front door, they immediately form an impression about the store based on its appearance. Lighting, cleanliness, color and layout all make an immediate and indelible impression on the shopper. Within 10 seconds, that shopper decides whether to stay or shop elsewhere.

Graphics on the walls and on displays can help the retailer set the mood within his store and portray the image he intends to convey. With effective in-store graphics, the retailer can attract new business, build a memorable identity and stimulate impulse sales.

The award-winning Toys”R”Us display (pictured below), which uses the VinylEfx® Metal Flake sequins pattern, promotes the Disney video section of their store.

Eye-catching displays attract the shopper’s attention to products which otherwise would be lost among the array of competing brands. The fact is that displays decorated with VinylEfx films work. These eye-catching displays get noticed. Their messages get read. And the graphics get remembered.

For “The Discovery Channel” Stores, VinylEfx® Sparkle-Brite® was applied to foamboard, screen printed and steel rule die cut. (See the photograph below.)

Glittering Point-Of-Purchase displays attract attention helping promote a particular product line and project a positive corporate image. Situated near the checkout register, eye-catching counter mats entice the consumer to make an impulse purchase.

RTape VinylEfx® Diamond Plate Silver, shown in the photograph below) was used in the production of this POP Swisher Sweets counter mat.

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Vinyl Application Videos

Squeegee Technique. Nothing is more basic in vinyl application than the squeegee. But some squeegees work better than others. And there are right ways and wrong ways to use this simple tool. This video clip reviews squeegee selection, squeegee care and squeegee technique. Click to Link

Wet Applications. Dry applications are typically recommended for most vinyl applications. For those exceptions to the rule, this instructional video explains the right way to perform a wet application. Click to Link

Application of Window Graphics. Installing vinyl graphics on glass can be challenging, because the adhesive aggressively grabs onto this high energy surface. Repositioning graphics on window is generally difficult, if not impossible. This instructional video explains how to dry apply window graphics right the first time. It also describes the necessary steps required for surface preparation. Click to Link

Transferring Frosted Window Graphics Films.  Because frosted window films are highly textured, transferring cut vinyl graphics can be problematic. This video provides direction in selection of the right application tape and how to apply these films quickly, easily and without problems. Click to Link

3-Step Surface Prep. This instructional video describes how to properly clean the surface of a vehicle before applying pressure sensitive vinyl graphics to a trailer or doing a full wrap of a car or van. This three step surface prep involves detergent washing, solvent cleaning and a final wipe down with IPA. Click to Link

Vinyl Application Over Rivets. Applying vinyl graphics on vehicle surfaces with rivets is challenging for most sign makers. Vinyl failures to these surfaces are all too common. This video demonstrates some tips and procedures, used by professional decal installers, which will make these demanding applications easier and more trouble-free.  Click to Link

Vinyl Application to Corrugations. Learn how to apply vinyl graphics to corrugations in a relaxed state. Forcing films into the valleys of corrugations puts too much mechanical stress on the film. Sooner or later, the vinyl will lift or tent in valleys. Click to Link

Applying Air Egress Vinyls. Vinyl films with air egress release liners have almost eliminated bubbles and wrinkles from applied graphics. Air egress release liners with their highly textured surface structure are problematic. Not much will stick to these liners other than the vinyl film. At RTape our best premask solution for air egress liners is a special Conform® tape called 4761RLA. Click to Link

About Jim Hingst: After fourteen years as Business Development Manager at RTape, Jim Hingst retired. He was involved in many facets of the company’s business, including marketing, sales, product development and technical service.

Hingst began his career 42 years ago in the graphic arts field creating and producing advertising and promotional materials for a large test equipment manufacturer.  Working for offset printers, large format screen printers, vinyl film manufacturers, and application tape companies, his experience included estimating, production planning, purchasing and production art, as well as sales and marketing. In his capacity as a salesman, Hingst was recognized with numerous sales achievement awards.

Drawing on his experience in production and as graphics installation subcontractor, Hingst provided the industry with practical advice, publishing more than 150 articles for  publications, such as  Signs Canada, SignCraft,  Signs of the Times, Screen Printing, Sign and Digital Graphics and  Sign Builder Illustrated. He also posted more than 325 stories on his blog (hingstssignpost.blogspot.com). In 2007 Hingst’s book, Vinyl Sign Techniques, was published.  Vinyl Sign Techniques is available at sign supply distributors and at Amazon. 

Slides of Jim's Artwork

© 2016 Jim Hingst