Creating unforgettable customer experiences means putting the customer first and ensuring their experience in your premises or interactions leaves a positive, lasting impression.
Digital signage is a fantastic tool for achieving this purpose. The inherent qualities of cost savings, flexibility, endless customisation, and ability to display various media make them a must-have for all businesses.
In this article, we provide information on ways to leverage digital signage. We also share how digital signage works and the benefits of using it to improve how customers interact with your brand, products, and services.
How digital signage works
Digital signage utilises display technology to showcase content to an audience or the public. The screen can be a smart TV, a large panel screen, menu boards, interactive displays mounted in a kiosk, etc.
Publishing content that is visible to the public requires three essential components, including:
A media player
Digital signage software
Content
Infrastructure
Let’s dive into each of these components to describe their role in digital signage systems.
Media player
A media player is a compact and powerful device that pushes content from the backend to the front (screens). It’s essentially a computer.
However, modern media players eliminate the need to attach large computer systems to digital signage screens. They’re easier to hide from the public and better suited for outdoor displays. Moreover, many digital screens, including Smart TVs, come with inbuilt media players.
The media player and your digital signage or content management software work hand-in-hand to ensure your desired content is shared on your network of screens.
Digital signage software
The digital signage software is the hub where you’ll spend most of your time. It’s a tool for controlling what the public sees on the screens. These tools are either cloud-based or installed on a local server on-site.
Digital signage software solutions provide four core functions, including:
The ability to organise, potentially edit, and store content, primarily pictures and videos.
To connect with other applications, such that the signage can display many types of content, such as real-time weather or stock data, YouTube videos or streams, data visualisation, and much more.
Scheduling when content plays and the duration.
Distribute content to all the screens in your network.
Luna Screens is an easy-to-use, flexible, and affordable software designed to help you reach your customers and increase sales with digital signage. Get started with Luna Screens today!
Content
Content is what the public sees. The content may be any media type, so far it’s supported by the digital signage software that powers the system.
You can produce your content from your preferred creation tool (like Canva, PowerPoint, Adobe Photoshop, and WeVideo) and then upload it to the signage software.
One crucial aspect to consider when creating content yourself is ensuring that the resolution is high enough for the screen. For example, full high-definition screens require designs with at least 1920 x 1080 pixels. This ensures the final products are clear, crisp, and high quality when customers see them.
When creating content yourself, one crucial aspect is ensuring that the resolution is high enough for the screen. For example, full high-definition screens require designs with at least 1920 x 1080 pixels. This ensures the final output is clear and crisp when customers see them.
Alternatively, you could lean on content templates. Many digital signage software like Luna Screens feature multiple templates you can edit to your taste and infuse your branding.
The last method is connecting the digital signage software to third-party applications, typically to provide real-time live or dynamic content.
Infrastructure
The infrastructure links all the above components. This includes wireless network connections, cables, and APIs that ensure the journey from content creation to public display is efficient and complete.
For more in-depth details on how digital signage works, read: How Does Digital Signage Work? A Business Owner's Guide to Leveraging Electronic Displays.
How to enhance customer experiences with digital signage
Crafting unforgettable customer experiences is all about putting the customer first and ensuring their experience in your premises or interactions leaves a positive, lasting impression.
Here is how you can achieve that:
1. Get the basics right
All successes will flow from getting the basics right before, during, and after implementing digital signage. From our experience, excelling with the following will set you up for repeated and consistent success:
Goals and objectives
Setting SMART and clear goals is essential for an effective digital signage strategy and implementation.
Your goals and objectives affect many things, including the number and type of screens you purchase, the type and format of content you produce, and the type of technology you’ll need.
Examples of objectives may be to increase brand awareness, grow sales, boost in-store engagement, drive window shoppers into the store, etc.
Target audience
Who are you serving the digital displays? For example, lengthier videos or content may be better suited to waiting areas than shop windows.
Different audiences, different needs. Create multiple digital signage strategies if you’re serving various audiences.
To hone in on the right target audience, you’ll need to dive into your customer demographics or the entire demographics of the location you serve.
Assigning a champion
Whether it’s a small mom-and-pop store, a restaurant, or a chain of retail stores, assign someone to run your digital signage system.
The champion’s role would include executing your digital signage strategy, creating (you may outsource this part) and scheduling content, and ensuring the system is always up and running.
2. Choose the right digital signage technology
You need the right software and hardware to translate your objectives into action and results.
It’s hard to gain momentum if your screens always require maintenance or your cloud-based digital signage software is consistently offline.
Moreover, you need a digital signage tool with specific features and pricing matching your needs and budget.
Some of the factors to consider when choosing technology include:
Your goals and objective
Reliability
Flexibility
Pricing
Features like content templates and powerful scheduling
Availability of human support
Security
Scalability
3. Provide relevant welcome information
Have you ever walked into a bank or any office for the first time and wondered where to go next?
Digital signage provides an effective way to help customers without them asking. In the bank example, imagine a customer walking in and being welcomed by a digital screen that tells them to turn left or right or go straight ahead if they need a mortgage or other banking product.
The same principles apply in the retail industry: a store can direct customers to where they can check out clothing for different age groups.
Similarly, a ski resort can provide a detailed video showcasing safety tips and precautions while at the destination, including where to go in case of an emergency or numbers to call for medical needs. This can be in addition to safety booklets or emails already provided to the customers.
4. Share your products and services
Left to some of us, we’ll only go to our favourite stores or restaurants for the usual. And most of your customers are likely the same, especially if they’re unfamiliar with your other offerings.
However, you can share your products, services, and other packages via digital screens. Rather than merely reading it as a menu option, they can see how the meal looks, which can whet their appetite and nudge them to give something else a try.
Now imagine if they enjoyed the products and services, in this case, a meal they had never tried. They’re likely to feel more satisfaction and are likely to tell others about their experience.
Other sectors can do likewise. For example, a government agency can have digital signage showing citizens all their functions and the departments handling them.
A hotel can install digital screens in their lobbies and common areas to inform guests about available amenities, upcoming events, ongoing promotions, and offers.
For example, sharing via digital screens is the way to go if there’s a promotion for customers to upgrade their room, further enhancing the customer experience.
5. Share product information
While this is similar to the above, there are subtle differences. This idea talks about customers seeking more information about a product, like how it was made, how eco-friendly it is, and the materials used in its production.
Walmart is an example of a company that does this. The company spent over $500 million upgrading stores in 30 states, with digital touchpoints for customers to access more information about its products and services.
This allows customers to buy only products that align with their values and ethos.
6. Encourage customers to engage with you on other channels
There’s great potential in engaging customers across both traditional and digital touchpoints.
It’s even more important to onboard customers into the channels you own due to platform risks. Risks include outright bans and constantly changing policies and terms of use.
Crave and encourage customer engagement on your social media channels, websites, newsletters, and other channels unique to your business.
For instance, you can encourage customers to share their in-store experience with pictures and videos on social media. You can also create a specific hashtag for such needs.
The cherry on top would be to share updates to the hashtag in real-time and for customers to see their posts on the in-store digital signage.
One of the easier ways to funnel customers to other channels is using QR codes. QR codes can direct customers to your ongoing offers, surveys, website, newsletter, causes, and social media channels or for them to register for an event.
Multiple customer interactions breed loyal and engaged customers. According to Qualtrics, “Highly engaged customers buy more, promote more, and demonstrate more loyalty.”
7. Engage customers during wait times
Per an article published in the Journal of Retailing, customers tolerate waiting as long as it’s lower or slightly over the advertised waiting time. However, the longer they wait, the poorer the customer satisfaction.
Reducing the actual wait times to a lower perceived wait time is half the battle. Engaging customers while waiting is one of the ways to reduce perceived wait times.
So, what type of content should you share while customers wait for service? This is an opportunity to cross-sell and upsell new products, offering an additional item for a fraction of its original price.
A retail store can also share videos of their products in action. For example, a store selling skateboarding or GoPro cameras can show different user-generated videos.
You can share company history or keep customers informed about your current climate-change initiatives. Whatever you show should depend on customer behaviour and preferences and how you’re trying to position your brand.
You may also like: 15 Effective Ways to Reduce Perceived Wait Times (Explained!).
8. Allow customers to create personalised content or experience
Clothing retail stores can create interactive screens for customers to mix and match clothes to see how they fit on images of actual models.
McDonalds does this well with the "create your own taste" kiosk. Customers can create personalised burgers with little to no restrictions on the size and options.
Customer preferences include what they want inside the burger (sauce, type of bun and cheese variants, vegetables, and more) and preferred payment method.
The customers can do all these without interfacing with McDonald's employees till the burger is ready.
9. Test and refine with data analytics
Enhancing customer experience is an ongoing process. Data analytics helps you to track all media and initiatives you publish and deploy.
You can learn which types of content resonate with your audience, boost sales, and achieve your desired results. For example, a graphic may push customers to upgrade their purchase more than others.
Sometimes, you may have to rely on the eye test to assess what works or not. For example, you may observe that some videos keep waiting customers more engrossed than others.
Benefits of using digital signage to enhance customer experiences
Leveraging digital signage to improve customer experiences has become increasingly necessary due to its many benefits. These benefits include:
Higher recall and brand awareness
According to a report published by Intel, “digital signage has a recall rate of 83 percent, far higher than for other media channels.” This means digital signage is more memorable than traditional methods, like print billboards and fliers.
Additionally, 63% of customers note that digital displays capture their attention. This makes digital signage a potent method for reaching customers.
Helps you communicate with customers in real time
Whether you’re a for-profit organisation or otherwise, digital signage helps you communicate faster and better. You can share real-time information with those in the store.
This can include price changes, new product availability, and weather advisories. These are all details that can help improve your customers’ overall experience.
Boosts foot traffic
We shared data on how digital displays capture customer attention. By publishing highly attractive and eye-catching content about your product, you can draw in both old and new customers.
People passing by suddenly remember they need to get your product or develop an appetite for it. The key is in the content piquing their interest and curiosity.
So, it is very prudent to test different content types and formats to see which ones bring in more customers.
Makes the customer journey more fun with interactive and engaging experiences
We shared an example of McDonald's' kiosk where customers can create their own burgers. This adds an extra layer of fun and engagement to the buying journey.
Such customers are also likely to tell their friends about their shopping experience and the technology they played with. "Oh, I ordered the biggest burger ever and added five different sauces."
More cost-effective than traditional display ads
Although the upfront cost may be higher than traditional banners, digital signage makes up for this cost disparity in other areas.
For starters, they are easier to maintain because anytime you need to change the content of the display, you only need to push the new design or content from the digital signage software.
On the other hand, traditional methods like fliers and print billboards require a lot of logistics, time, and production costs.
You may also like: How Much Does Digital Signage Cost and Why It Matters.
Works with various content types
From videos to infographics to weather data and customer testimonials, there’s no limit to what you can show on digital screens. This makes digital signage a very flexible option that can meet multiple needs.
Increases sales and yields results
At the end of the day, digital signage yields results when executed properly. This can be in the form of increased sales or more signups for your event or app.
Takeaway: Boost sales and increase customer engagement with digital signage
Digital signage offers dynamic capabilities and possibilities that can increase revenue and elevate customer engagement. You can readily and in real-time tailor content to your audience's needs and preferences.
From showcasing products and promotions to providing real-time information and interactive experiences, digital signages captivate and engage customers and drive foot traffic.
With their ability to grab attention and convey messages effectively, digital signages boost brand awareness and increase sales opportunities. Adopt digital signage today to harness these benefits.
Are you ready to start using digital signage to enhance customer experiences in your business? Get on board with Luna Screens, the most flexible and easy-to-use digital signage software.