Commercial awnings help a business in four practical ways: they make the storefront easier to notice, they shelter customers and staff from the weather, they protect merchandise and furnishings from sun damage, and they cut down the heat coming through large windows. Your exterior is the first thing customers see, and a well-designed awning sets the right tone before anyone walks in.
Whether you are upgrading one location or outfitting commercial building awnings across several sites, here is what to expect from the investment.
How Commercial Awnings Bring Customers to Your Door
On a busy street lined with other businesses, a storefront awning helps people find you. It also catches the eye of people who were not looking for you at all. Some companies get a large share of their business from people walking or driving by, and an awning gives those people a reason to stop.
An awning works as a built-in advertisement that is on display around the clock. It can carry your company name, logo and brand colors, along with your phone number and website address, so someone who cannot stop in today can still look you up later. Aladdin designs and installs commercial awnings for Connecticut businesses, including custom awnings for business branding.
The style matters as much as the lettering. The right awning makes an immediate impression. At an upscale restaurant, for example, it can tell patrons they chose well before they set foot inside. For ideas, see these examples of commercial awnings that grab attention.
Keep Customers and Employees Comfortable
Weather is unpredictable, but your entrance does not have to be. Business awnings provide cover from sun, rain and snow, which makes the doorway and any outdoor area more inviting.
If customers arrive during a rainstorm, they have a dry place to close their umbrellas before coming in and a place to get ready before heading back out. If there is a line to get in, people can wait under cover. Keeping rain and snow off the entrance also means fewer puddles and slippery spots at the door.
Outdoor seating for restaurants and cafes
For a restaurant or cafe, an awning turns a sidewalk or patio into usable seating on more days of the year. Patrons can enjoy a meal or a drink in comfort, shaded from the sun and sheltered from a passing shower. Read more about the benefits of a commercial awning for a Connecticut restaurant. For larger seating areas, aluminum and fabric patio covers are another option.
Protect Merchandise and Furnishings
Many stores display products outside to draw in passersby. An awning shields those items from rain, snow and harsh sunlight, so you worry less about damaged inventory.
It protects what is inside as well. The sun’s UV rays can damage flooring, furniture, artwork and some types of merchandise. By reducing the amount of direct sunlight coming through the glass, an awning helps the contents of your space last longer and cuts glare for the people working there.
Lower Cooling Costs in Summer
Intense summer sun streaming through large display windows heats up a building quickly. The air conditioner has to work harder and the utility bill climbs. Shading those windows with an awning reduces the heat that gets inside and helps keep cooling costs in check.
Choosing the Right Awning for Your Business
Start with what you need most. A retail shop on a crowded block may care most about visibility and lettering. A cafe may care most about covered seating. An office or salon may simply want a sheltered, professional-looking entrance, where a smaller door canopy or window awning may be enough.
Then think about color and style. Choose colors that match your brand and stand out from the buildings around you, and pick a shape that suits the architecture of your storefront.
Plan a Commercial Awning for Your Storefront
Aladdin Inc. has served Connecticut since 1949. If you would like to talk through sizes, styles and graphics for your building, call (203) 776-9996 or request a commercial awning consultation.