Doesn’t it seem like you woke up one day and retail digital signage was everywhere? Well, maybe not everywhere, but we can think of a few good examples.
If you walk into a new or renovated Dunkin’ Donuts, you’ll see gorgeous digital menu boards and HD screens featuring the latest promotions. The resolution is so high, you can virtually feel the warmth of the coffee.
When Wawa moved to Florida in 2012, the convenience store retailer introduced a store prototype with high-resolution signage, and just two weeks ago, McDonald’s announced an agreement with AT&T, LG Electronics and STRATACACHE to roll out digital menu boards in McDonald’s restaurants across the country.
Given these vast expansions, it’s no wonder why the digital signage market will be worth $14.87 billion by 2020, according to MarketsandMarkets.
The companies above showcase digital innovations inside stores. Truthfully, brands like Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonald’s and Wawa don’t need flashy signs to attract customers from the curb. They’ve built the kind of brand loyalty where customers seek them out, not to mention McDonald’s already has its iconic golden arches.
Check your appeal at the curb. You may be in a different position. Maybe your brand faces a very competitive climate. Your customers have choices, so you need to get their attention from afar. That’s when you may want to consider a digital sign that can instantly raise curb appeal.
Make Retail Signage Work for Your Brand… Not Against It!
Did you know that 76 percent of consumers have entered a store because a sign is interesting, while 68 percent have purchased a product or a service because the sign was visually appealing? (Source: Fedex Office, “What’s Your Sign?” survey)
The options for digital signage are improving each year. According to John Kunze of Watchfire Signs, faster responsiveness has become a customer expectation, and LED signs are the perfect medium for fresh content and updates.
When implementing a strategy for digital signage, keep two things in mind:
1. Update your digital signs in a moment’s notice
Do you remember when 7-Eleven recalled its Diet Coke Frost Cherry Slurpee due to an issue with product consistency? Consider a hypothetical scenario where a regional chain has instructed franchisees to use digital signs to promote a product, but the company lacks a central system for making changes. You suddenly have franchisees trying to figure out individual signs and more than likely, a host of technical problems. This would negatively impact the customer experience and could lead to a social media backlash.
2. Mind your language
Your managers will want to regularly check that digital signs are functional and accurate, not only in price promotions, but also in grammar and punctuation. This is why regularly inspecting your franchise is so important.
You don’t want to appear on social media with a misspelled sign right under your brand name, or with a message that isn’t displayed correctly. It won’t be funny when you’re the punch line!
Subscribe to our blog
You are now subscribed!
