Picture the scene: it’s a Sunday morning, and (perhaps a little worse for wear) you decide to take a trip to your favourite cafe for breakfast. Full of excitement for your full English, you turn up, and—shock horror—they’re not open! Unbeknownst to you, they close at 1pm on Sunday, and in an instant, your most beloved cafe has become your most hated!
Hence the importance of bold, detailed, accurate business opening hours signs. For a local business in a 24/7 world, providing detailed information on when you operate is a vital part of the customer experience. Don’t let your customers assume you will be open; instead, use your signage effectively to let them know when you will.
At JMF Group, we understand the importance of effective business signage. Our expert in-house design team have the experience and expertise to help you create opening hours signs that are informative, noticeable, and consistent with your brand. What’s more, our state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities allow us to offer the widest selection of material and finishing options, all of which are quality-checked and guaranteed.
To speak to us about our unbeatable range of business hours sign options, give our customer services team a call today! Alternatively, keep reading for our comprehensive guide.
Things to Consider When Looking for an Opening Hours Sign
Whether you run a shop, a restaurant, a pub, a cafe, or an office, there are some universal considerations for choosing the ideal opening hours sign:
The Where
Firstly, where is your opening hours sign destined to go?
Commonly, opening times are displayed on doors and windows; these exterior-facing locations are an obvious choice, as they allow customers easy access to opening information, whether your business is open or not.
Less common—but arguably just as important—are interior-facing opening hours signs. These signs account for customers who pay little attention to your signs as they enter, and can be used to display information throughout the customer’s journey.
The What
There is a wide range of material options available for your opening hours signs (more on that shortly…), but it’s important to consider which is likely to work best for your building and decor.
If you’re opting for an exterior sign, it’s important to choose a material that can withstand the elements. Likewise, an interior sign might need to be wipe-clean if it’s likely to come into contact with spillages and food.
Keep these factors in mind before making a decision.
The When
An obvious one here: an opening times sign isn’t much use if it doesn’t display your opening times!
It’s important to be as accurate as possible here. To provide the best experience, you want to let your customer know exactly when they can access your premises, especially if you operate seasonally or unpredictably. Most shoppers are understanding of unusual opening times, but if they feel uninformed this can lead to a poor experience (and negative reviews).
The Who
Whilst opening hours signs are functional in nature, that doesn’t mean they can’t be used to display who you are and what is your brand identity.
Your signage should be consistent with everything else about your business: the colours, the font, and even the overall tone. This way, customers will begin to associate your signage with your brand and gain an increased appreciation for the effort you put into cultivating it.
The How
It’s not only important to consider where your new sign will go, but also how it will be mounted.
If you choose a door and window for your sign, you might be limited to the application methods you can use—hammering nails into a window is never a good idea!
What’s more, you want to make sure your sign can be fixed permanently and safely. With a range of adhesive options available, our JMF signage team can advise on this.
Business Hours Sign Material Options
There are a variety of material options available when it comes to creating your opening hours sign. The best option for you will depend on the location and position of your sign, as well as the particulars of your premises.
Take a look below for some of the most common materials used for opening hours signs:
Vinyl (Wall and Window Stickers)
Vinyl is an ever-popular option for displaying shop, restaurant, and office opening times.
Our low-cost high-grade vinyl is laser-cut to your preferences and design specifications, with a huge range of colour and finishing options available.
Vinyl can be mounted on walls and windows, and its adhesive backing allows for super-easy installation.
Vinyl prints are also known for their supreme durability, so you can be confident your items will go up and stay up!
Acrylic Perspex
A common sight in office reception areas and hotel foyers, wall-mounted acrylic perspex panels offer a sleek and professional way to provide details of your opening times.
Fabricated from premium sheets of UV-protected acrylic plastic, these signs are the ideal choice for exterior installation.
All signs are supplied with stainless steel mounting fixings, making it easy to fix them to your walls; alternatively, you can arrange a visit from our professional installation crew, ensuring your signs go up quickly and safely.
Chalkboard
For a more traditional take on opening hours signs, chalkboards are a great way to display your information in an attractive and timeless manner.
Ideal for rustic brands or those businesses whose hours change frequently, chalkboard signs let you amend or adjust your opening hours whenever you please.
They can be used both inside and outside your premises, depending on the sign’s construction; our team can create chalkboard signs from wood, metal, acrylic, and a whole lot more.
Designing an Effective Business Hours Sign
At JMF Group, we believe in offering an all-in-one service. You shouldn’t have to search around for individual suppliers, manufacturers, designers, and installation crews—you should be able to find it all in one place!
For this reason, we have an on-site creative design team who will work with you to personalise your signs to your exact specifications. Take a look below for more information on our design service:
Size
Size is a key consideration when it comes to creating an effective opening hours sign.
Your sign needs to be big enough that it can be seen and read from a distance, but not so big that it looks out of place or overpowering.
Our team can help you decide upon the perfect size for your sign, and develop a design which is optimised for both legibility and impact.
Colour
The colours you choose for your sign will also play a role in its efficacy.
You want to make sure the colours you choose are eye-catching and attractive, but not so garish that they are off-putting.
Similarly, the colours you choose should complement the overall aesthetic of your brand and premises.
Our design team can help you to select the perfect colours for your sign, ensuring it makes the right impression on your customers.
Branding
If you already have a logo and brand guidelines, great! Our team can work with you to ensure your sign fits in with the rest of your current signage and brand materials.
If you don’t have a logo or brand guidelines, no problem! Our team can create a sign which is optimised for the business itself, helping you take the first steps to develop a cohesive and professional image.
Approval
At JMF, we believe that your business is your business. We will never push you to agree on a design, and will never proceed with manufacture without your explicit consent.
Our team will send you regular proof-of-concept mockups, and will only go ahead with the production of your signs when you’ve approved the design.
JMF Group: For All Your Business Hours Signage Needs
Your search for new opening times signs is over—JMF Group is here!
An order with us is never just a purchase of signs; we provide a full range of signage services, from conception and design, to manufacture and installation. We aim to save you time and money, with a free consultation and in-person visit, as well as the largest stock of low-price items to suit businesses of all sizes. Our team of signage experts will work with you at every stage of the process:
- Consultation to assess your needs.
- Free site visit to account for building features.
- Content design for maximum impact.
- Installation to ensure safe application.
- Maintainance to address faulty fixings.
Interested? Click here to visit our contact page—we can’t wait to get to work!
