Digital Signs Add Dimension

Shopping is often a chore and, to some people, even a bore. Many of them have opted to shop on the Internet at hours that suit them best. But the traditional shopper needs creative new incentives to make her shopping experience more exciting. Even if she loves to shop, she finds that most stores often look alike. And most customers have little loyalty to a specific store and often cross-shop, from Walmart to Bloomingdale’s.

A few stores create excitement through excellent displays; others attract customers through more frequent sales events. Often there are tables with unadvertised specials, and some stores still make announcements of special events over the loudspeakers. Of course, there are also special sales flyers at the entrances to make sure that the customer stays to shop.

In-store digital displays and signage have added a new dimension to many stores’ merchandising efforts. Some stores have been able to change the mood in the store and heighten the energy level by adding video monitors to their sales floors; they can make merchandise come alive in dramatic sequences on the screen.

Chain-wide marketing
Use of digital media glamorizes fashion merchandise by using attractive models in special settings; it also can highlight features that make a product important. Moreover, when a product is shown in a chain store, management can control – from a central point – what is displayed in every store of a chain and at what price the merchandise is offered.

I recently met with Stuart Armstrong, president of EnQii Americas, to learn about the different forms of digital displays. Most of them use high-definition video on strategically-placed flat-screen monitors to reinforce brand identity and communicate with customers.

The medium provides the capability to engage shoppers at point of purchase, Armstrong says, because the technology helps convince customers that the merchandise is timely and fashion-right. It is cinema that can be adapted to each store’s needs. The goal is to be able to align the shopper’s frame of mind with the content to trigger the action. While the digital medium entertains, it also triggers purchase by the customer.

Digital displays at POP
Of course, digital signage also has been used as a bulletin board to inform the customer of special events in the store. These screens are usually near the checkout register to ensure the customers’ favorable reaction. These same screens can also promote use of the credit card or even run a ticker from the stock market.

Still, some retailers remain resistant to this new technology, despite the fact that most young customers are likely to be favorably impressed by the medium. I believe that innovation must take place — that the introduction of new communication vehicles is important, since many stores have stagnated too long.