The research of 1,531 consumers in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, and Germany was conducted by independent research company Censuswide in June this year and found that 29% were less likely to spend money in shops with poor storefronts.
Roland DG said the overall findings from the study suggested certain sections of the high street need a significant facelift if they are going to mount a recovery post-Covid.
75% of the consumers polled said at least one in every five shops on their local high street had a badly maintained store front, while 76% had either seen zero improvement in the problem over the last three years or felt it had worsened.
Mechanics were singled out as the worst offenders when it comes to badly maintained storefronts, with nearly 31% of shoppers agreeing they typically had the worst signage.
Hardware stores (26%), takeaways (26%), and newsagents (20%) also came in for criticism while bookstores (6%), travel agents (6%), and bakeries (6%) fared better.
72% of respondents said they believe that low quality storefronts make an area feel unsafe, while 81% agreed that it makes an area less desirable to live in.
Roland DG conducted the study as part of an overall campaign to promote the value of better storefronts to the economy and society.
Supporting the company’s initiative to engage in storefront makeovers and support independent retailers, Roland DG has provided free-of-charge exterior makeovers for a raft of businesses, including Yum Yum’s Café in Manchester, and uniform and embroidery shop Rak-Uniforms in Birmingham.
The manufacturer is planning to provide two further storefront makeovers and said it welcomes approaches from independent retailers across the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.
Its refurbishments so far have included new branding, signage, and window vinyls created and fitted by Roland DG customers, and exterior paint jobs.
Stephen Davis, EMEA marketing director at Roland DG, said: “On the one hand, it’s hardly surprising that retailers have had to neglect their storefronts while battling Covid, a cost-of-living crisis and a potential economic downturn.
“On the other, our study campaign is designed to show retailers that if they do go the extra mile, it will increase their footfall and grow their sales.”
Rak-Uniforms serves schools in the local areas. Its new storefront was installed last month, produced by fellow Birmingham business NavSigns on its Roland DG TrueVis VG2-640.
The day after its makeover – compared to the same day in 2021 – Rak-Uniforms' card payments were up by 83%, the number of sales were up by 14%, and the average sale amount was up by 54%.
Owner Rashalit-Ali Khan said: “I feel so proud of the shop now – it truly is a transformation and now I feel really confident in approaching more local schools to become a registered supplier.
“Roland DG has given the shop a new lease of life. I now have more financial freedom to invest in more stock to widen our appeal to customers, using the money I needed to spend on the exterior, to invest in growing the business in other areas. Already we are seeing more sales and more footfall due to the shop being so much more appealing and recognisable. Customers are saying it looks brilliant.”
He added: “The cost-of-living crisis has really hit us and is having a big knock-on effect for this year and next year's financial earnings, but I’m feeling really hopeful about the makeover and its impact so far.
“Figures speak – and the new signage and storefront makeover is already making a positive commercial impact. It will make a huge difference.”
Rak-Uniforms' previous storefront, which was replaced last month
