With social distancing measures and health protocols to stop the spread of COVID-19 still in place throughout Ottawa, businesses have had to develop creative solutions to continue serving their customers. If you run a business where people come in person, you are currently limited by your square footage as to how many people you can have in your establishment at any given time.

We have been lucky that the weather has been nice so far during the pandemic, and that many customers do not mind a short wait in a lineup outside when necessary. But with the cooler weather just around the corner, standing outside for too long in a line will become less and less appealing – and that has the potential to hurt Ottawa businesses.

So, what can you do?

One solution is to use an entrance marquee at your place of business. Entrance marquees are protrusions in front of your building’s entrance. They can help to shelter your customers when they have to line up outside your place of business.

What does an entrance marquee look like?

Entrance marques can be anything from a small awning over your front door, to a long corridor shaped shelter large enough to accommodate a lineup and protect your customers from wind and rain. They are made from durable, weather-resistant materials that won’t leak or fade in the sun.

They come in a variety of styles and colours so that you can match your entrance marquee to your company colours or even have your logo or company name printed on it. They also come in various sizes, so you’ll be sure to find one that fits your outdoor space.

Benefits of having an entrance marquee

Since pandemic measures are not likely to go away anytime soon, it is important to have a plan in place to accommodate your customers if they have to line up outside your building. If you have an entrance marquee, your customers will appreciate the extra effort you took to take care of them.

If it is rainy or windy or cold outside, you may find that with your marquee, customers who might have otherwise gone to your competition may come to you instead.

Another benefit is that you can make it very clear to your customers where you would like them to line up by using an entrance marquee. You’ve probably seen it on a number of occasions when customers lined up in two different directions because they could not tell where the end of the line was.

However, with a corridor style entrance marquee, the lineup area will be obvious, and your customers will appreciate that.

Contact Jans Awnings & Rollshutters today to learn more

Does an entrance marquee sound like something that might be of benefit to your Ottawa business? Are you looking for ways to make your customers more comfortable when they have to line up outside your building? If so, contact Jans Awnings & Rollshutters in Ottawa today to learn more about how we can help.