If your commercial integration firm isn’t a player in the digital signage game yet, what are you waiting for? With retailers looking for new ways to reach their existing customers and attract new ones, now is the time to figure out how your company can capitalize on the 1.5 million retail establishments across the country just itching to hawk their wares.

Specialty retail stores may present “the biggest growth opportunity” in the retail digital signage market, said Rich Ventura, North American sales manager for vertical solutions at NEC Display Solutions, but it’s certainly not the only one.

Other retail targets for digital signage, he said, include big-box retailers, convenience stores, gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants and fast-food joints, malls and vendor-provided displays.

You Need to be Involved
Among the trends influencing retail stores, said Ventura, are that the majority of mobile phone use is data-driven rather than voice-centric. Also playing key roles, he said, are the increase in social media driving purchasing decisions and the use of cross-channel promotions to better cater to customer needs and wants.

Retailers are migrating toward digital signage solutions, Ventura said, for myriad reasons, not the least of which is it gives them an edge over competitors. The technology also provides an outlet to market goods, services, and partnerships as well as increase revenues while keeping costs under control. It improves the customer experience, Ventura said, and may even heighten their perception of the brand or its quality.

A digital signage solution at retail outlets allows shop owners to provide adaptable content that easily integrates into their existing landscape, he said, and offers a reliable future-proofed answer to the question of how to get the word out about what’s new and newsworthy at the store.

Once the retailer determines where the digital signage will go and the types of content to use, they can establish a monetization plan and form a sales strategy. From there, said Ventura, it’s on the integrator to make the experience everything the retailer expects.

Video walls, he said, offer “a huge opportunity” because they cost less than larger displays and often get the message across much more effectively. But that’s just one way retailers can join the digital signage revolution.

Ways to Get Involved
Grocery store signage, Ventura said, is broadcast to “a very captive audience,” and can serve up limited-time offers and even point customers to items they weren’t considering buying when they walked through the door. Digital menu boards, meanwhile, offer the opportunity to cross-promote other items and market the brand as a whole.

With in-store digital advertising, integrators must consider the size, mounting needs, content and whether it will be interactive. In-store merchandise displays, meanwhile, can often replace end caps on aisles, but sometimes work better as projection or LED displays, Ventura said.

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D. Craig MacCormack

Craig MacCormack is a veteran journalist with more than 15 years experience covering local and national news and sports as well as architecture and engineering. He joined Commercial Integrator in January 2011. Follow him on Twitter: @CraigMacCormack.

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