We're all familiar with the concept of a “sign” in the traditional sense. In marketing, it's a tool designed to help people recognize or identify a place or brand. It's an important part of any business and can be anything from wall signs to framed pavement signs.
From there, we can define “digital signage” as the version of this tool that has been developed to keep pace with our era's ever-evolving technologies, reaching entirely new dimensions as a result.
So why should brands — especially small and medium-sized businesses — keep up with these developments?
We did the research for you and put together a summary of the benefits of investing in digital screens to grow your business.
1) It boosts customer engagement
Digital signage technology is now common enough among large companies that we have plenty of data and case studies to examine and observe its advantages in marketing. Unsurprisingly, studies have proven that digital screens lead to more sales than traditional static displays.
Some even call it “the silent salesperson of the 21st century.” Capturing 400% more views than static displays, it really is a highly efficient salesperson.
You can hire as many salespeople as you like — you could even have them greet potential customers at the door and wave lit-up screens to draw them in; that strategy would certainly grab attention, but most people don't like real people directly suggesting what to buy. Otherwise, with all due respect to door-to-door sellers, that would be the surest way to make a profit.
Digital screens can do this imperceptibly yet effectively. A survey by FedEx Office shows that 76% of customers agreed to enter a store simply because digital screens caught their attention — which brings us to the next point…
2) It drives more purchases and impulse buys
The same survey showed that 68% of customers bought a product from the store they entered because of digital screens. Ads made up of dynamic communication and visuals increase the number of messages you can convey to potential customers, leading passersby to make more purchases. Most of us can admit we shop unplanned — and why not? It's possible to view this effect of digital screens negatively, but remember it's not the same as manipulating someone into buying your product. It's simply a way of showing the right product to the right customer at the right time.
3) It increases customer satisfaction
Well-placed, well-targeted digital screens can boost customer satisfaction, which reflects positively on your brand awareness. A customer who leaves your store feeling they received fast, quality service will surely open the door to others through word of mouth.
One way Octopus technology delivers this is payment integration, which makes every screen e-commerce ready. By scanning the ad's QR code and using the integrated payment system, customers can instantly buy the product they see on the digital screen, or even have it shipped home if it's not available in store.
4) It turns measurable data into profit
By collecting data on the effectiveness of targeted ads, digital signage gives you a concrete answer on whether you're spending your time and budget in the right direction.
This creates a window for you to observe what kinds of designs your audience is interested in and which products they prefer, helping you advertise more consciously and avoiding spending time and money on approaches that won't benefit your business.
5) It's cost-effective
Stepping into the digital world doesn't mean spending huge sums to grow your business. Apart from producing new content (which you can do yourself with no prior design experience using Octopus's EDITOR module), recurring costs are very low once you've made the initial investment in the necessary hardware and software.
We designed our software to be compatible with all kinds of screens, not just industrial ones, to make it easier for you to carry your business into the future. We hope we've answered some of your main questions about digital signage. Although we tried to cover all the standout points here, there are many more advantages we couldn't list. We can't wait to share them in future blog posts.
Make every screen count.
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