Operating a brick-and-mortar store in an Internet of Things era certainly brings frustrating competition. But it also has its advantages. Retailers are getting creative with their stores and we sure predict they are not stopping there.

Retail is all about the customer experience. And the best of all experiences are witnessed physically. Where you can feel the experience and touch it. Digital signage brings a smooth experience in out-of-home spaces and entertains the customer. Constantly updated and relevant information can be obtained right there, in the right place and time, beside the product, at the point-of-decision. Therefore, the typical customer experience is embellished. Digital signage generates a 46% increase in customer satisfaction. 

‍
Today, we shed some light on the use of digital signage and how it is bringing retailers and brands together to attract customers.

‍

‍1. Refresh the store to fit the customer
‍Digital signage allows you to think from the customers’ perspective and update your store to fit their criteria. It gives you the paramount flexibility to give customers and visitors the information they crave. Majority of solutions offer static images, but these have less impact on the customer. Visual content gets 35% more views than text-based information. Every customer has dissimilar needs and those needs could change depending on factors such as time of the day, location of the store, temperature, weather and more. Innovative digital signage infused with machine learning gives retailers and brands the opportunity to update the displayed content in relation to different triggers. The ability to quickly edit the ads displayed on the signage is a time and cost efficient venture for retailers and brands. Customers on-the-spot have a dynamic experience which drives them to have interest in your store and curiosity to visit again.‍

2. Keeping existing customers 
‍Since loyal customers are the most valuable asset, bringing existing customers back to the store is a crucial element in any industry. Loyalty is a direct correlation to the experience one has with your store. With digital signage, you help your customers make a purchase decision; eliminating any indecisiveness that they might encounter. With tons of historical purchase data, you get to understand your customers’ purchase patterns. It’s an opportunity to modify the next best action for the engagement and build a connection with your customer.‍

‍3. Acquiring new customers
A customer entering your store for the first time is a great opportunity to introduce yourself and also get to know them. Digital signage gives your store a good first impression, it eliminates your store’s clutter and provides your customer with a burnished encounter. Use your digital signage to display opt-ins that ask for the potential customer's contact information. You then have the opportunity to communicate with them and entice prompt action to return to your store. Digital signage drives about 32.8% of customers to come back to your retail store. The artificial intelligence (AI) adopted inside the digital signage helps retailers study which media or content is more effective in reaching customers and help brands plan their future campaigns. Now very effortlessly, they get to turn shoppers into loyal customers and drive higher conversions.

‍4. Understanding customers then building awareness
‍FMCG companies invest a lot of time and money in market research and many social media campaigns to build awareness for their new product. This is an area where retailers can help and guide their suppliers. With the data treasure they have access to that no market research or campaigns can anticipate, they get to understand what attracts the customer. Retailers then communicate these relevant information to brands so they plan a without-a-doubt successful in-store marketing. Digital signage has a 47.7% effectiveness on brand awareness. 

‍5. Promoting and getting insights
Digital signage plays a significant role in planning in-store product promotion. Historical data gives you great insights into how customers responded to promotions, did they make a purchase afterwards? Or did they disregard it? And then you adjust to fit your specific customer base. Choose the right areas inside your store to display your screen. Maybe areas where customers wait or stop a lot and display content that introduces products they may not know about. Make it relevant to what they are already buying. Don't bounce right to displaying promotions for products. Display content or ads that grab the customer's attention to stop and watch first and then encourage them to engage by displaying your promotions. You can display promotions depending on what is happening outside of your store, event or what season it is. For example promoting ice-cream when it’s super sunny outside or flags when there’s a Gaelic Football game. 

‍

In this time of age, digital signage is essential for the victory of the brick-and-mortar industry. It’s a game changer! Contact us to discuss our innovative and no-brainer solutions for your store and ads where you, in a blink of an eye, could grab the customers’ eyeballs. Our team at intouch.com are ready to answer your questions and guide you to the signage that works best for your business and goals. Get in touch!

‍