New area, new sign system in Hebei province

One year on from its introduction, a digital management system for storefront signs has been rated as saving time and money for merchants in the Xiong'an New Area in Hebei province.

In an attempt to address the drawbacks of the traditional paper filing process —lengthy waiting times ahead of store opening, repeat office visits, and substantial turnaround times and financial costs stemming from design revision —the platform, launched in June last year, provides pre-approval services for merchants and streamlines administrative review procedures.

With the input of basic information such as store name, business type, scope of operation and sign proportion, the system's intelligent design module allows merchants to finish selecting, designing and editing sign styles free of charge.

According to one member of management at Xiong'an New Area, the premium template library, which houses over 300 high-quality storefront sign designs covering 19 business categories, enables merchants to pick templates as effortlessly as if they were ordering dishes from a menu.

After confirming a design draft, users log into the intelligent review module to upload drawings. The system automatically generates review feedback and optimization recommendations in compliance with relevant laws, regulations, and positive and negative listing guidelines. This eliminates the need to hire advertising agencies and mitigates compliance risks, drastically cutting design expenses and turnaround time.

Gao Jingyu from the urban management and comprehensive law enforcement bureau of the under-construction Xiong'an Qidong District said merchants can submit documents via a mobile mini-program, after which law enforcement officers conduct compliance and risk assessments covering sign materials, styles, business licenses and other criteria. Once approved, merchants receive notifications to proceed with installation, with the entire process capped at three working days, which is hailed as a dramatic advance compared with the paper-based workflow time.

Upon completion of installation, merchants are required to upload photos to the mini-program for inspection by officers to verify that the finished article aligns with the approved designs. All relevant data is archived for official filing, facilitating ease of access when store management changes hands.