The Big Switch — Successfully transition from static displays to digital signage

If you need a reason to transition from static to digital signage, here are three: Speed. Dynamism. Financial benefits. Well, there are hordes of advantages of dynamic display that have given digital an edge over static media as a marketing tool. These provide improved customer experience as you can display real time content, provoke emotional response, and meet brand aesthetics and style. So, if you haven’t made the big switch yet, here’s something to inspire you. Reports by Intel Corp and Digital Signage Future Trend, respectively, state that dynamic display receives 400% more views than traditional ads and it enhances consumer engagement by 64%. In other words, digital signage outperforms traditional display in terms of ROI since it’s a superior platform that lets you update live content.

Changing medium will, undoubtedly, be a big shift. Here’s what you can work on before successfully transitioning to dynamic display tools:

Analyse why digital signage would work best

For a big change such as this, you need to first determine why digital signage is preferable for you. It has benefits such as being easy to update through content management system, but ensure that other aspects such as maintenance, customisable shapes, location for weather elements and so on align with your ad solution. To transition from a traditional static display to dynamic display tools, it’s imperative to know what you want to achieve and if making this switch will enable that. Take the example of one of the largest malls in Gurugram that transitioned from static to digital signage and managed to offer their display space to more brands to promote among many more visitors every day and managed to create a new revenue model apart from improving their operational efficiency.

Set Goals

First and foremost, you should consider what you hope to accomplish with the new system, beyond simply showing material in a more animated manner. Set short-term and long-term objectives for yourself. A system should survive three to five years or seven to ten years as per your marketing and financial targets.

The search for the right service provider will not only simplify your goals but also bring the operations to ease along with pre and post sales consulting. Reliable partners such as Wauly who are transforming India through digital signage solution can offer the expected simplicity, innovation and efficiency to meet your requirements.

Prevent Blank Screens

While digital signage makes things come alive, ensure that the display is functional at all times and there’s power back-up. A blank screen can create a bad impression of your brand and result in loss of consumers’ interest along with business. Imagine, the menu on the digital display disappears. The customers will be annoyed, and printed menus will slow down the orders and thus the sales. Here’s another scenario to drive home the benefits of digitalization for restaurants: a customer orders a dish that you are out of Hence, having a foolproof system is imperative.

India’s largest paint company was quick on the uptake. Initially, they had kiosks where customers could choose colours but when not in use, the displays would lie idle. However, then they used a remote content management system to share branding material across 2,500 locations with screen tags targeted at regions and distributors. Thus, they managed to run relevant content specific to categories.

Here are a few important elements of planning which make digital signage an effective marketing tool:

Making it faster and easier to:

• Frequently update the prices
• Showcase new arrivals
• Remove items that are out of stock or sold
• Update social media activities to increase the connection with customers Empowering customers:
• Interactive digital signage can make sure that customers can decide what they want to buy without needing to approach a salesperson. Such innovative digital communication like product demonstration videos or displaying features can eliminate a salesperson’s requirement for repetitive one-on-one interaction with customers.
• According to a ULI survey, half of the millennial males and 70% of women perceive shopping as a form of entertainment that should be shared with family and friends. It's simple to entertain and charm clients using digital signage. On your digital screens, retail businesses may display everything from the news to movies.

Digital signage’s an effective marketing tool as compared to static ones. It can take your business on a fast track, help you with branding, and become a base to bring you direct sales. However, considering your needs, having clear goals and strategy will make the transition from static to dynamic display tools a successful marketing move.