Authored by Shaun Holdom, Global Product Manager, at Drytac.

Bristol, UK – When it comes to capturing the attention of - and interacting with - people in today's fast-paced world, retailers, brands and other settings need to think creatively and consider how to best use their environment to their advantage.

Countertops are the point where a business will have one of its first interactions with its customers. They are prominent features in many locations including retail, restaurants, bars, gyms, medical settings, hotels, schools and more, and present an incredibly unique way of connecting with people.

Much like the walls that surround them and the floor underneath, countertops are a blank canvas and offer all sort of opportunities when it comes to placing graphics. Be it generating new sales, improving brand awareness, providing information or promoting products, countertop graphics can be an extremely valuable marketing asset.

While these graphics may be used by many brands for decoration and raising awareness, there is also the potential to add useful functionality to further boost interaction with people.

Take for example a fast-food restaurant counter; here, graphics could be installed to display a menu and highlight special offers on food, as well as instructing customers how to order their food online via a printed, scannable QR code integrated into the design.

Then there are customer service desks in settings such as shopping malls. Graphics placed on these countertops could feature a map of the shopping centre, as well as a QR code that the consumer could scan to access an online version of that same mall map.

In education, students could scan a QR code that takes them to a digital learning portal that allows them to access more materials online.

These are just a few examples, but the possibilities for countertop graphics are seemingly endless. By working with your customers, you can come up with all sorts of unique and thought-provoking ideas that could add a whole new dimension to marketing and branding strategies.

In terms of the type of material you should work with, Drytac has a host of high-quality and reliable products ideally suited for countertop graphics.

Adhesive technology featured in Drytac's products means the countertop graphics will not slide when installed. This offers a significant advantage over traditional printed mats that often slip and slide over the counter, causing issues for the consumer and brand alike.

Drytac has a range of permanent and removable options, suitable for either short-term or longer-term installations, and offers FDA-approved laminates for accidental food contact, opening up a plethora of opportunities in the food and drinks sector.

For those countertop projects in hygiene-sensitive high traffic environments such as medical facilities, Drytac's Protac AMP film with Microban® antimicrobial protection is the ideal solution. When harmful microbes meet the film, the cell walls of the microbes are disrupted and are unable to reproduce, which in turn cuts the risk of bacteria spreading.

While your customers will almost certainly be aware of the advantages of window, wall and floor graphics, they may not have thought about using their counters to interact with people. The addition of graphics to countertops offers all sorts of benefits in many environments and by working with reliable materials from Drytac, you can access these untapped and profitable opportunities.