Modern retailers can more easily create and control custom messaging to provide the best possible shopping experience. This article will explain the steps retailers take to implement digital signage and the potential benefits for their stores and customers.
July 12, 2024
Modern-day retail is as much about the quality of a product as it is about capturing consumers’ attention with a unique and memorable shopping experience. Competition now extends far beyond brick-and-mortar stores to include online, e-commerce, and quick-commerce retailers. Digital signage is an incredibly effective way to create personalized in-store moments that can transform a shopping experience from mundane to memorable. Read on to learn how smart and interactive displays are using data and analytics to help elevate consumer expectations and experiences to the next level.
Digital signage is a dynamic, multi-purpose display that works with an easy-to-operate Content Management Software (CMS). It comes in many form factors, allowing for flexible customized deployments. The cloud-based CMS and intuitive dashboard give retailers the ability to more quickly and easily manage their content across all their screens from anywhere.
Digital signage can help Enterprise Businesses attract customers throughout the sales funnel. Digital signage can engage and interact with passers by, influencing them to enter stores. From there, signage can display personalized recommendations and product details to help influence purchase behavior while simultaneously updating stock availability. Finally, it can provide an interactive check-out experience, complete with managing reward programs, all while providing critical data and analytics that help support the businesses’ long-term growth.
Given its flexibility, ease of use, and scalability, there are many advantages of using smart digital signage in your retail business:
Digital displays enable you to share the story of your brand through dynamic visuals and videos. Unlike traditional static banners and posters, you can use digital screens to build compelling narratives about your brand’s history, unique value proposition, and personality, helping to deepen your relationship with your customers while impacting purchase intent.
Interactive displays can be a powerful sales tool that showcase relevant recommendations alongside the products already being considered. This more custom in-store experience can closely mirror an online shopping experience. Similarly, businesses can showcase similar but more expensive items for direct comparison. This strategic use of digital signage encourages customers to discover upgrades or complementary items, which can drive larger purchases.
Interactive signage and kiosks can provide additional support by reducing customer wait times at checkout. Transform a product directory into a billing kiosk that assists with purchases, creating a faster, more seamless experience during check-out.
Digital signage is a powerful tool for retail businesses to integrate data analytics and on-the-go content management. Retail owners can help improve their business through personalization and targeted promotions, as well as content scheduling and remote management. This allows for real-time content adjustments based on consumer behavior, enhancing customer experiences and marketing effectiveness.
Dynamic digital screens allow you to run multiple promotions simultaneously, optimizing space compared to traditional posters and banners. Digital screens also allow for time-targeted promotions at different times or on specific days, customizing offers to consumers more easily which can help drive sales during slower periods with richer offers.
With the help of a Content Management Software (CMS) platform, connected digital signage solutions allow you to manage your content from anywhere. Schedule specific campaigns to only run during particular times of the day and easily update on-the-go through an intuitive mobile app. This ability to respond quickly alleviates the pressure of having to plan and produce content for your signage weeks and months in advance, allowing you to be more flexible without printing and shipping costs.
Digital signage can offer businesses many benefits, but it’s important to focus on your core objectives first to determine the strategy to help achieve those goals. Examples of objectives can include:
Help define the value of your company the products you offer.
Send in-store customers to your website via link or code, and create additional consumer touchpoints and deeper customer relationships.
Design content around up- and cross-selling.
Promote your social media channels and encourage consumers to engage digitally to increase brand engagement.
Focus content on loyalty programs and tailored promotions to keep customers coming back.
Run limited-time promotional campaigns to help move specific inventory items.
Digital signage can be simple to implement once you understand its components and your content strategy. The front and back-end variables that most significantly impact your setup are the hardware and software that run your digital signage.
Hardware: Screens and the connected media player display your programmed content. Potential hardware form factors include televisions, digital menu boards, and other media players.
Software: The programs and platforms that enable you to have a seamless experience operating your screens. There are many Content Management Software (CMS) options, so we recommend selecting a CMS that can handle multiple content formats (PowerPoint, text, images, playlists) and can work with multiple display units to provide you with maximum flexibility.
Storage refers to the capacity to hold data, either on local servers or in the cloud. As your operations scale, you may need to adopt cloud storage solutions to manage the increased complexity. For less complex operations, the choice between local and cloud storage can be left to the discretion of the CMS manager.
Local Storage: Keeping data on premises in physical servers or devices. It provides quick access and greater control over your data but requires more maintenance and physical space. With the right infrastructure and software, it can also be managed remotely.
Cloud-based Storage: Storing data on remote servers managed by third-party providers. It requires internet connectivity and is easily scalable, remotely accessible, and helps reduce physical maintenance costs.
The use of a storage solution offers several benefits that enhance data management and support strategic decision-making for your business. These benefits include:
Access past data effortlessly for long-term trend analysis and campaign performance evaluation.
Maintain data integrity and protect against loss or corruption.
Expand storage capacity as your business grows, particularly with cloud solutions.
Access data from anywhere, enabling remote work and collaboration.
Use integrated tools for automated backups, version control, and data indexing to enhance efficiency.
Implementing high-quality content is at the core of any successful digital signage strategy. Employing or partnering with a solid creative team that can design engaging and meaningful content is critical to success. Here are a few tips for creating content that works:
Avoid clutter and stick to the basics. Less is more on limited digital screen space. Customers may only have a moment to engage with your signage.
A mix of easy-to-read text and high-quality images can help convey your message without over-stimulating your audience.
Your brand’s design, voice, and values should come through. Modern consumers not only care about the product but also its perception and what it represents.
Directing consumers toward a decision is core to any digital strategy. Always have a thoughtfully placed CTA in your content to help convert consumer engagement into business.
No matter how much work has gone into your content strategy, there will always be learnings and improvements. Digital signage enables quick content updates, allowing users to swiftly optimize creative to help improve business.
If you would like to find out more about how Comcast Smart Solutions can work with your retail business, get in touch today. We’ll work with you to deliver Smart Digital Signage solutions that are tailored to your needs and give you the ability to operate at your best.
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