Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

By James Daniels

It’s true that the internet has changed the way people shop. Far more is done online than ever before. The key driver is often convenience – being able to compare prices from a range of suppliers, place orders from home, and free returns if the customer changes their mind.

However, despite all the convenience and speed of internet shopping, one huge drawback has remained. In the physical store, there’s no comparison to actually holding the product before you decide on a purchase.

The problem with static product displays

The key problem with static product displays is that they cannot update over time to reflect changes in product features, new colors or styles, or even just price. That leaves customers with very limited information.

The solution – interactive digital display technology

Digital signage is improving daily and provides retailers with several ways to improve the signage in their stores. By doing so, the shopping experience can be enhanced, which will improve sales and bring shoppers back to their store.

How to improve your signage

The following tips will help you identify ways to improve your business signage:

1) If a customer is walking by your store and finds something interesting, they are more likely to stop and look. A digital sign can display product information or change to reflect current promotions.

2) Although digital signage is often used in retail sales areas, it can also be used in areas such as pharmacies as a wall display of medication instructions and other health information or as a way to track inventory in the front of the store.

3) With the growing prevalence of smartphones in society, retailers have an opportunity to enhance their signage through mobile applications from third-party developers.

4) Many retailers use signs in the form of posters or boards. These have a limited lifespan, and with the growing prevalence of smartphones, it is more important than ever to replace them regularly.

5) In many cases, interactive digital signage is part of a big-picture solution, with other technologies in place such as point-of-sale systems and RFID-based inventory management software. Combined, they can all work together to improve the shopping experience for your customers.

6) In addition to directing customers, digital signage can be used to inform customers of new products. This also helps direct people towards specific areas that are being heavily promoted.

7) One of the most common features is the ability to display live video streams. This can be anything from showing a live weather forecast to displaying a live video stream of your company’s CEO making announcements or speaking at an event.

8) There are many benefits of using social media in your business. When you combine digital signage with social media, this makes it even easier for customers to interact with your business and communicate with other patrons in real-time.

9) By connecting your digital signage to your customer loyalty program and customer reviews, you can present a more comprehensive view of your products and services to customers.

One of the most important things to remember when developing a digital signage solution is that you are not creating a static display but are instead creating something dynamic and constantly adapting to real-time shopping trends.

Today, digital signage is becoming more and more sophisticated. This includes both the software features behind it as well as how the final display is implemented in stores.

For example, you can vary your background colors dynamically by sending out SMS messages or emails. You can also use mobile apps for remote management of content and full collaboration with social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter.

The speed of changing consumer demands means retailers need to be adaptive in their approach to digital signage solutions.

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James Daniels is a freelance writer, business enthusiast, a bit of a tech buff, and an overall geek. He is also an avid reader, who can while away hours reading and knowing about the latest gadgets and tech, whilst offering views and opinions on these topics.