Retail Digital Signage: Where to Add it for Maximum Impact
The digital signage market size is predicted to reach $29.8 billion by 2024 and one industry that is investing in it actively is Retail.
Digital place-based signage enables retailers to transform and optimize in-location spaces, through the delivery of interactive marketing messaging, product promotions and third party advertisements that are shown to customers right where they are the most susceptible to receiving them and can take action. It is through this strategic placement of screens in-store that retailers, brands, suppliers and advertisers can reap the most rewards and can reach customers when they are in the right place, right time and arguably the most important factor, the right ‘buying’ mindset.
Once the screens have been purposefully placed, it is important to be able to measure audience reach and understand the performance of each screen located in-store. By incorporating a smart technology into your digital signage such as an anonymous audience analytics software, you can obtain real-time insights about your customers and understand if your digital screens are placed in areas with; good visibility, high foot traffic and where customers seem to dwell and spend time engaging with the screens.
So where should you place digital signage in-store for maximum impact? We dive into the best locations in-store for screen placement, list a few of the signage types available for use and tell you how they can catch the eye of on-the-go consumers with the added help of AI.
Where To Place On-Premise Digital Signage
There are many different types of indoor signage that can be utilized in stores to attract customer attention and create immersive and exciting experiences. Below you will find a variation of digital display types alongside prime locations for placing them.
Connected TVs Placed at Store Entrances
Connected TVs placed at store entrances offer the first opportunity to connect with the customer using digital media. As customers enter the store, they tend to be in a fresh, buying mindset therefore it can be a great time to show them deals in-store. Additionally this can be an opportunity to welcome customers and update them on in-store policies such as face masks and occupancy, making them feel safe and think positively towards the store.
AI audience analytics
Using AI audience analytics technology integrated into signage retailers can count the number of people entering a store in real-time and also determine if they are wearing masks. This allows for the automatic delivery of messaging on whether it is safe to enter the store and if customers need to put on their face masks.
Digital Menu Boards at Delis
Digital menu boards are the digital replacement of paper menus. Using a digital menu board to display your in-store hot and cold food offerings you can showcase your menu in high quality and at a large scale for customers to read. This is a great and effective way to highlight your daily menu items, make menu changes on the fly as items become unavailable and showing the latest promotions or meal deals. Digital menu boards are usually placed directly above the hot food counter for maximum visibility and greater opportunity for up-selling and cross-selling. By having menu items displayed in HD or 4K resolution you can reduce queue waiting times and the menu listings are clear and very easy to read for customers helping them make faster food choices.
AI audience analytics
AI audience analytics used in deli signage can be a powerful tool in understanding consumer interest in food items. By anonymously measuring consumer attention times when viewing menu items, retailers can discover which items are receiving the most attention and compare this with sales data to determine what their most popular products are and if their marketing efforts are effective. This data can then be analyzed over time and used to show the most relevant products to their in-store customers.
Digital Displays at Aisle End Caps
Digital displays at aisle ends caps, are as the name suggests, placed at the end or edge of aisle shelving. This particular location in-store is a hot-spot for displaying products and for placing your digital displays. Associated with promotions and bargains, it makes sense to also advertise in-store promotional items at this location. Based on the traditional store layout, customers see aisle end cap displays before anything else when in-store and is usually an area of high foot traffic and customer dwelling.
AI audience analytics
Customers like to feel like they have bagged a bargain, therefore aisle end caps are a great way to display and shift overstocked products, new items and weekly deals. By adding audience analytics technology to your displays you can provide tailored versions of promotional ads to specific customers. This can be achieved through customer demographic analysis to determine which ad or ad variation should run in real-time. By showing targeted ads you can increase customer engagement, interest in products and increase basket sizes.
Video Walls at Store Vantage Points
Video walls are a group of high definition displays that are placed next to each other to form one large format display. Due to their large size they can be extremely eye-catching and hard to miss. They are usually placed on a wall outside of a store, used as a way to attract customers inside or they can also be found on feature walls in-store that offer high visibility. They are a popular choice for retailers who have larger venues as they require more space than other digital signage and who want to create a unique way of engaging with customers.
AI audience analytics
Video walls are a great way for brands to get their products noticed and showcase their latest offerings. By integrating audience analytics into the signage brands and advertisers can get an insight into the number of people who pass by the ad, the number of people who viewed it and for how long, and their demographic breakdowns. This data is invaluable when measuring campaign success, brand reach and also proves if the network they are showing their ad content on is valuable and worth further investment or not.
Digital Screens at The Point of Sale
Point of sale digital displays are digital screens placed at tills or close to the area where customers pay for their goods. Typical screen types used in this location are tv’s or tablets and offer that last chance for product exposure and the opportunity to up-sell.
AI audience analytics
Adding audience analytics to point of sales screens can make a significant difference to audience reach and can increase the duration of which customers view your ads. By utilizing dynamically reactive displays, customers can see products that are hyper-personalized to them and this in turn increases the likelihood of a purchase. AI makes advertising more impactful and helps retailers create a personalized experience for each and every customer.
Interactive Digital Signage Kiosks
Digital signage kiosks placed throughout various locations in-store, can enable customers to easily find products in-store and view product promotions and check product availability. This is a great way to streamline the customer experience as customers can find what they are looking for easily and discover other products that may be of interest to them.
AI audience analytics
Items shown on digital signage kiosks can be tailored to the customers using them in real-time in order to optimize the user experience and create streamlined shopping services. This can be carried out by conducting real-time demographic analysis using AI powered technology and displaying curated content based on the demographic of the individual present.
Overall, there are many optimum locations where you can place digital displays in stores to achieve high impact. However, to get that extra edge and a competitive advantage on competitors it is important to measure that impact and use the data insights gained to make optimizations. The true beauty of audience analytics technology, for this use case is that it can be easily enabled on any screen, from commercial grade displays, video walls, or interactive digital kiosks, all with a simple camera add-on that ensures you can target your customers throughout their entire path to purchase journey. Therefore, whether you retrofit your existing screens or invest in a whole new retail media network, there is no reason why you can’t make all your in-store screens smart, engaging and measurable!
