Grocery Store

Signage & Product Solutions

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Table of Contents

Grocery Store Branding Guide

Independent grocers and regional chains across the U.S. partner with The Howard Company for signage that drives basket size, simplifies operations, and brings your brand to life from the curb to the checkout. 75+ years of grocery and retail experience, in-house design, and a full installation team.

Why Strategic Signage Matters The Business Case for Grocery Store Signage

%

leave without buying
when lost in store

%

enter a store based
on its signs alone

%

say store environment drives purchases

Why does grocery signage matter to your bottom line?

The grocery market itself has shifted. Online ordering, delivery, specialty grocers, and big-box retailers are all chasing the same basket. Two main reasons:

  1. Shelf tags, category signage, wayfinding, and digital displays shape how long shoppers browse, how much they spend per trip, and whether they come back next week. 

  2. Stores winning customer loyalty today are the ones that make shopping feel easy, organized, and worth returning to. Treated as a system, signage drives measurable gains in basket size, labor efficiency, and repeat visits, and it shapes that experience from the curb to the checkout.

How Does Grocery Signage Improve Store Operations?

Clear category and aisle signage cuts the volume of "where is it?" questions by up to 40%, freeing staff for higher value customer interactions.

Digital menu boards in deli, bakery, butcher, and prepared foods update from a laptop, eliminating the weekly print and swap cycle in service departments. Promotional messaging pushes to screens in minutes, not the days a print run takes, letting you respond to competitor pricing and weather driven demand shifts the same day.

What Are the Long Term Benefits of Strategic Grocery Signage?

  • Stronger brand recognition that carries across every location and touchpoint.
  • The ability to update pricing, promotions, playback ads, and seasonal messaging without a print run. 
  • Labor reallocated from directional questions to service, which shows up in shopper satisfaction scores and checkout flow. 
  • A shopping experience shoppers choose to repeat, which matters more in grocvery than almost any other verticle given how thin loyalty is. 

At The Howard Company, we work closely with grocery retailers to build signage programs that address visibility, navigation, and the overall shopping experience. From exterior channel letters to digital menu boards in service departments, we help you connect the right solutions to your store's specific goals.

A Complete Signage Ecosystem See Every Branding Opportunity Inside Your Store

Full Grocery Store - Hi res Render
Where are the highest-leverage signage opportunities inside your store? Download the guide that walks through the 17 most common branding placements grocers ask us about, from branding signage to digital displays.
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Your First Impression Starts at the Curb Exterior Signage Solutions

Why do exterior signs matter so much for grocery? 

68% of customers say exterior signage influences their decision to enter a store. International Sign Association

Grocery is one of the most location-dependent retail categories there is. Channel letters, parking signs, and window graphics turn your building into a marketing asset that works around the clock.

A complete exterior signage strategy goes beyond a single sign:

  • Channel letters reinforce brand visibility day and night, ensuring the store is easily recognizable from a distance.

  • Parking stall signs guide customers efficiently once they arrive, reducing confusion and improving traffic flow.

  • Window graphics create visual interest at the storefront level, reinforcing promotions, departments, or brand messaging while turning glass into a high-impact marketing surface.

 

Nearly 60% of businesses reported a 10% or greater increase in sales after updating their on-premise signage. In one retail case study, upgrading exterior signs increased foot traffic by 23% within three months.

(Sign Research Foundation / ISA)

Digital Displays ROI & Business Case

Digital Menu Boards for Service Departments

Your deli, bakery, prepared foods, seafood, and pharmacy departments are essentially running mini restaurants inside your store. They have menus, regularly changing pricing, and regulatory requirements around nutritional and allergen information.

Digital menu boards are the most impactful upgrade for these departments. They sync pricing changes instantly across all your counters, handle compliance display requirements automatically, and cut the labor hours your team previously spent on printing, posting, and updating menus.

Multi-location operators consistently report:

  • Significant reductions in labor hours spent on menu maintenance, pricing updates, and compliance documentation
  • Instant synchronization of pricing changes across all service departments
  • Built-in compliance modules for nutritional and allergen display requirements
  • 3–5% increase in average transaction values at service counters
Buyers Guide: Department Digital Signage

Where do digital displays drive the most revenue in a grocery store?  

At the entrance, the checkout, and inside service departments. Shoppers walking your floor are already in buying mode. The right digital message in the right zone turns browsing into buying and keeps your promotions current without a print run.

Promotional signage is where grocery stores have one of their clearest opportunities to move the needle on sales. Shoppers walking your floor are already in buying mode. The right display in the right place can turn a browse into a purchase.

Grocery leads all retail categories: 28% of shoppers say in-store digital displays are most helpful in grocery environments.

Mood Media, 2024 Consumer Survey

Digital promotional displays also let you update messaging instantly across single or multi-location operations. A new product launch, a weekend sale, a sold-out special. All coordinated across departments in a few clicks.

ROI Investment:

Digital menu boards deliver a consistent 3–5% lift in sales across the foodservice industry, with 82% of operators reporting increased sales after switching to digital displays. Most businesses achieve full payback within 12–18 months. 

Digital menu board systems are available in a range of configurations with content management software, network connectivity, and database integration for automated pricing. Every store’s needs are different, and our team will work with you to find the right fit for your layout, volume, and goals.

Digital Display Products See my ROI

Give Shoppers More Control at the Counter Kiosk Solutions Built for Grocery Environments

Why are self-service kiosks moving into grocery?

Because shoppers prefer them, ticket sizes go up when customers order through them, and they free your staff to focus on food prep and service instead of the counter. Grocery kiosks also handle ordering, recipe browsing, and product comparison without adding labor.

Grocery stores are using kiosks for:

  • Recipe databases with ingredient location maps

  • Nutritional information and product comparison tools

  • Deli and bakery ordering with queue management

  • Purchasing products

Our kiosks reduce wait times, boost average order value, and free up your staff to focus on service. Fully customizable to your brand and seamlessly integrated with your existing POS and inventory systems.

78% of customers prefer self-service kiosks over cashiers when ordering.

And the revenue impact is real: self-service kiosks typically generate a 10–30% increase in average order value.

(Harris Poll, 2022).

Our Kiosks Get my ROI on a Kiosk

Signage That Works With Your Whole Store Software and Integrations

Whether your store is building its technology foundation for the first time or already running an established software stack, The Howard Company can meet you where you are.

Starting from scratch? We help you select and implement the right platforms from the ground up. Content management, pricing display, loyalty program integration, in-store audio, and guest Wi-Fi capture can all be built into your signage program from day one so you are not retrofitting solutions later as your store grows.

We have solutions that offer:

  • Real-time pricing accuracy across every customer-facing screen, updated automatically when changes are made at the source.

  • Content management can be handled by The Howard Company team or by your in-house staff
  • Ad playback

  • Promotional and content scheduling so your messaging stays current

  • Loyalty program connection for personalized offers delivered in the right place at the right time.

  • In-store audio with licensed music and the ability to schedule promotional messaging when you want it.

  • Guest Wi-Fi with a branded portal that captures customer contact information to support your marketing programs.

Already have systems in place? We work with what you have. Our team connects digital signage and display solutions to a wide range of point-of-sale platforms, inventory management systems, and loyalty programs. If your current setup works for you, we will make sure your signage works with it too.

Inside the Store: Merchandising & Interior Branding

GROCERY STORE ANATOMY -_REFRIGERATOR WITH GRAPHICS
GROCERY STORE ANATOMY -_AISLE SIGNS
GROCERY STORE ANATOMY -_POP SIGN
GROCERY STORE ANATOMY -_EDGE LIT SIGN
GROCERY STORE ANATOMY -_GIFT CARD HOLDER
GROCERY STORE ANATOMY -_CHANNEL LETTERS
Realistic Grocery Storefront with Produce Window Graphics-2
GROCERY STORE ANATOMY -_SIDEWALK BOARD

What turns a clean store into a memorable one?

The signs your shoppers see between the entrance and the checkout. Wall graphics, endcap displays, refrigerated case graphics, and POP merchandising all add up to a visit that feels intentional and worth repeating.

Each element by itself is small. Together they create an environment that feels intentional, welcoming, and worth coming back to.

Point-of-purchase displays consistently rank among the highest-ROI investments in grocery retail environments.

POPAI Research

The Howard Company offers a full range of interior branding and merchandising options available for grocery environments. Some are permanent features that anchor your store's identity. Others are designed to change as often as your promotions do.

Ready to Build a Better Grocery Store Experience?

Whether you're refreshing one location or planning a rollout across multiple stores, our team builds a plan around your space, your goals, and your budget. Talk to a Howard Company specialist or download our free Anatomy of a Grocery Store Interior Branding guide to see where to start.

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Frequently Asked Question's

What types of signage does The Howard Company provide for grocery stores?

The Howard Company provides a full range of grocery store signage and branding solutions, including exterior channel letters and scrolling LED displays, interior wayfinding and aisle markers, digital menu boards for deli and prepared foods departments, self-service kiosks, floor decals, wall art and interior decor, vinyl graphics, POP merchandising displays, and more. Our team works with grocery retailers to design and install complete programs tailored to each store's layout and goals.

Can The Howard Company work with independent grocery stores as well as larger chains?

Yes. We work with grocery retailers of all sizes, from single-location independent stores to regional chains and multi-location operators. Our team tailors programs to fit the scope, budget, and goals of each project.

How does the digital menu board process work for a grocery store deli or prepared foods department?

Our team handles the process from start to finish, including system recommendation, content design, installation, and training. Once installed, content can be updated remotely through our easy-to-use content management software, so your team can make changes to pricing, specials, or offerings without any outside help. We also offer ongoing design support if you prefer to have us handle content updates for you.

Do you handle installation, or is that something we manage on our side?

The Howard Company handles installation. We have an experienced installation team and manage the full project from planning through completion, including site surveys, permitting guidance, and rollout coordination for multi-location projects.

What is the best way to get started if we are not sure what we need?

The easiest first step is to download our free Anatomy of a Grocery Store Interior Branding guide. It walks through 17 proven solutions across every zone of a grocery store and is designed to help you start thinking about where your biggest opportunities are. From there, our team is available to talk through your specific situation and help you build a plan.

Can signage and branding solutions be customized to match our existing brand identity?

Yes. All of our solutions are customizable to your brand standards, including colors, fonts, logos, and finishes. Our design team works with your brand guidelines to make sure everything we produce is consistent with your existing identity across every touchpoint in the store.

How much does grocery store signage cost?

Grocery signage programs vary widely depending on store size, the mix of exterior, digital, and interior signage, and whether installation and ongoing content management are included. A single-store interior refresh might start in the low thousands, while a multi-location digital menu board rollout for service departments can run into six figures. Our team builds a budget around your goals during the initial consultation.

How long does it take to install signage in a grocery store?

Most single-store interior signage projects move from approval to install in 4 to 8 weeks. Exterior signs that require permits add 2 to 6 weeks depending on the municipality. Multi-location rollouts are scheduled in waves so each store goes through design, fabrication, and install on a coordinated timeline.

What permits are required for exterior grocery store signs?

Permit requirements vary by city, county, and state, and often by the property's specific zoning. Channel letters, monument signs, and illuminated signage almost always require permits. Our team handles permit research and submission as part of every exterior signage project.

How do you manage signage rollouts across multiple grocery locations?

We assign a dedicated project manager to multi-store rollouts, run site surveys at each location, manage fabrication and shipping logistics, and coordinate installation crews. Most multi-store grocery rollouts move in waves of 5 to 25 stores depending on your timeline and store geography.

What is the difference between a channel letter and a wall sign?

A channel letter is a three-dimensional, individually-fabricated letter or shape, typically illuminated, mounted directly to a building. Wall signs include flat panel signs, dimensional signs, and wall-mounted graphics. Channel letters are most common for the primary exterior brand identity. Wall signs cover everything from secondary brand placements to interior department graphics.

Can your digital menu boards integrate with my point-of-sale system?

Yes. We work with most major POS providers and inventory management platforms to keep pricing automatically synced across deli, bakery, prepared foods, butcher, seafood, and pharmacy departments. If you have a system in place, our team confirms compatibility during the discovery phase.

Do you work with both independent grocery stores and large chains?

Yes. We work with grocery retailers of every size, from single-location independent stores to regional chains and multi-location operators. Our team scales programs to fit your budget and footprint.

What is the best way to start a grocery signage project?

Two ways. Download our free Anatomy of a Grocery Store Interior Branding guide to see the 17 most common signage placements and where they belong. Or schedule a call with a Howard Company specialist who will walk through your specific store, goals, and budget.