Nearly two thirds of shoppers question the credibility of a retailer that uses handwritten marketing material and 68 per cent feel that this form of communication should be left to market stalls, the report found.
The spelling and grammar of DIY signage is also paramount. Of those surveyed, 91 per cent said poor spelling and grammar is “annoying” and more than 50 per cent revealed they would consider shopping elsewhere if a retailer demonstrated this tendency.
Oxford Institute of Retail Management director Dr Jonathan Reynolds said: “Informal handwritten signage may work in certain circumstances – communicating the ‘just arrived’ nature of a special offer, or a temporary price reduction – but its use still needs to be limited and controlled.”
In a random snapshot of 30 high street stores in Leeds by Gecko, including Debenhams, Boots, HMV, House of Fraser and Topshop, 40 per cent were using handwritten signage.
More than 1,000 UK shoppers were polled for the research.
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