In virtually every facet of our lives, and seemingly everywhere we go, there is a screen seeking to capture our attention.
Whether it’s on the phone in our hands, on a waiting area TV at the mechanic, at a self-service kiosk at the airport or a digital menu board at a restaurant, screens are everywhere. Are they effective? Extensive current use, as well as any number of studies, says yes. But for those exploring a digital signage solution or those looking to improve their strategy, where does one start? What are the top benefits of digital signage in retail or and how do we go about justifying the return on investment? In the next two posts, I’ll present some of the top benefits of digital signage, and I would welcome your feedback.
Whether the message is focused on a limited-time offer or focused on showcasing product features and benefits or providing accompanying product information, your audience will at least “see” it, but how a business measures incremental sales can vary from business to business.
Benefit No. 1: Digital Signage Grabs Your Attention
If your digital signage solution is done right, it should do exactly that. Meaning, enterprise digital signage is one of the most dynamic, customizable forms of marketing, and it is almost a guarantee that the message will be seen by the intended audience.
Benefit No. 2: Digital Signage Reduces Operating Costs
In a day where shoppers expect information virtually on-demand, many retail and service outlets are learning that static, printed signage simply doesn’t cut it anymore.
Additionally, static printed signage can be quite costly to print, costly to hang, and for large organizations, it can be hard to guarantee that the printed sign was displayed correctly, let alone displayed at all. Add to this the potential danger and time it takes for store employees to climb up a ladder and change out printed placards, printed advertising continues to approach the sunset. Conversely, when a digital sign is deployed, it is only deployed once.
From there, an individual sitting in a central office or company HQ can work with store operations and marketing teams to deploy, quickly and easily, near real-time messages across any number of digital signs. (That's the beauty of enterprise digital signage. Far reach. Single point of control.) Additionally, with a strong content management system in place, that same individual can access viewership reports and see what is playing currently or in the past without ever going to the store. Should a screen experience an issue, a store can work with that same individual to repair the issue quickly with a full view of digital signage player, program, schedule, and network status.
Should the error be network-related, digital signage can continue to display content by accessing the content locally versus streaming it. Finally, with digital signage infrastructure continually simplifying, companies can run a world-class signage network using nothing more than a SmartTV and an Internet connection, thus reducing costs and complexity for businesses.