Screens are all around us. As consumers, we can’t seem to get our faces out from in front of screens no matter where we turn – whether that’s the screen you carry around in your pocket or purse, or the larger screens in our living rooms and bedrooms. We’re, for better or worse, addicted to screens, or, in all reality, the content that’s fed to us on those digital displays.
And it’s for that reason, retailers really need to consider how they’re using screens in and around their showrooms to attract, retain and influence their customers. If you’re not already utilizing digital signage, or perhaps you are but you’re not sure if you’re doing so effectively, here are a few reasons why you really need to develop (or re-tool) your digital signage strategy..
1. Drive Traffic Into Your Store
Screens to a consumer are like bright lights to a swarm of flies. They draw us in, and we can’t look away. If your retail location is in a position where you see a fair amount of pedestrian traffic walking by your doors and front display windows, using digital signage near the front is a proven way to draw customers in. In fact, data has shown that 80 percent of consumers admit to entering a store because a digital sign grabbed their interest.
Motion, graphics and flashy displays are always going to be more effective than a static setup.
2. Bridge the Digital Divide
Omnichannel shopping is that buzzword you’ve heard quite often, but maybe you aren’t quite sure what that looks like from an in-store standpoint. One way to help bring that online experience into your store is through digital signage.
The vast majority of consumers today start their shopping journey online. They watch product videos, they do their research and they come to your store armed with more information than ever before. But there’s still room for additional education and potential purchase influence. Bring those same tools – videos, demos, reviews, etc. – into your store through digital signage. Give the customer the content that they’re craving while they’re actively shopping.
Better yet, you know they’re walking around with their phones in their hands, so get creative and throw some QR codes on your displays that drive them to products on your website or videos of your team using and reviewing product. Allow them to dive even deeper into the shopping experience with your business.
3. Build Brand Equity and Loyalty
Social media is a major growing influence on the customer journey. In fact, 85 percent of Gen Z shoppers say that social media has had an impact on their decision to buy a product. The question becomes, how can you leverage social media in your digital signage strategy in order to capture some of that influence?
Aside from being a great way to repurpose your own social media content, digital signage is the perfect platform for showcasing your own customers in a highly-visible manner throughout your store. Customers will see their neighbors highlighted, people they trust. And that, in turn, creates an opportunity for you to build trust with that customer. In addition, you can challenge your customers to post on social while they’re shopping in your store – perhaps for a promotion – which creates in-the-moment engagement between your store and that customer. Seeing their content end up on screen in near-real-time provides quite the dopamine boost.
4. Boost Internal Communications and Morale
There are also plenty of ways you can leverage digital signage in your store to benefit the people who see it every day – your employees. Share news and updates, celebrate milestones, create those magical moments where an employee can physically see themselves being recognized. It can go a long way towards building a strong company culture, and all thanks to a quick callout on a screen in your store.
