If you dabble in digital signage, you probably recognize this figure and what it stands for: $13.8 billion.
No? Doesn’t ring any bells? Shake any trees? Light up any digital signs?
That figure is what market researchers say will be spent in the digital signage industry in 2017. $13.8 billion dollars. That means digital signage is generating more and more interest in various industries across the globe, and those industries are buying in big, big ways.
What industries are stepping up?
Restaurant
Retail
Gas and Oil
Transportation
Healthcare
Corporate
Small Business Sector
There are dozens more, but no matter where digital signage is being used or how it’s being used, the trends users follow shift from year to year. This is because different indicators and developments point these industries toward the direction of digital success.
Is your business headed in the same successful direction?
Let’s find out.
Here are the Top Digital Signage Trends for 2017:
Kiosks and Tablets
More and more fast causals and QSR’s are adopting these self-service options for their customers.
We saw the trend start to really emerge in 2009.
At that time, deployment of the kiosks represented only 3 percent of the market. Today, more and more people are stepping up to the self-service option because of their convenience.
According to a recent study conducted by Software Advice, 88 percent of hungry patrons said they would use a tabletop ordering system if it was offered to them as an option.
71 percent of 18-34-year-olds said they prefer to order their meals via a tableside tablet.
The more people continue to say yes to tablets and kiosks, the more we see restaurants adopting them.
So what does this mean?
It means the trend is growing at warp speed. By 2017, the implementation of kiosks and tablets will only continue to increase.
The self-service digital machines, per various news articles, are already a threat to employees in the fast casual sector. The fact that there is speculation regarding kiosks and tablets replacing workers is a strong indication of an upward growing trend.
Interactive Media
As we drive further into the Digital Age, interactive options are growing. These options include mobile interaction as well as human interaction. The more businesses can get the public involved in their digital promotions, the more good things are bound to happen.
Brand awareness increases.
Sales increase.
And the customer experience is one that they will remember every time they see the brand that brought them such an experience.
When DigitalSignageToday.com shared their key marketing trends of 2016, customer experience made the list. This is because it was recognized that interactive touchscreens not only provided more customer interaction, but are also able to track those interactions and deliver organizations vital data that could increase their bottom line significantly.
With tracking, businesses can identify buying behaviors and trends, as well as narrow in on consumer interests. This is done by anonymously profiling customers. We’ll dig into this intelligent integration in a bit, but for now, recognize that digital marketing coupled with interactive media is a concept that is spreading like wildfire.
Why interactive media?
Because it works. It gets people involved.
When Despicable Me 2 was released, marketers created a digital campaign that not only involved human interaction, but included mobile interaction as well.
The campaign invited viewers to control the on-screen action, personalize a message, and then share the message with their friends on social media using their smartphones.
In a Global Industry Analysts study published in July of 2015, researchers said the global market for multi-touch screens was projected to reach $8 billion by 2020.
The figure is driven by an era of mobile computing and the development of smart computing devices being used in a myriad of ways. Virtually no one today is without some type of wireless mobile device.
Customer Profiling
Welcome to the digital world of customer profiling.
It sounds almost criminal, doesn’t it? Of course, it isn’t.
Customer profiling basically means stores or businesses can anonymously gather information and purchasing trends their customers offer every time they buy.
Digital signage software offers this option and various industries are taking full advantage of it.
With digital signage offering the ability to track customer trends and store other pertinent information in a handy database, there is no question that industries everywhere will soon incorporate this integration into their digital systems, if they haven’t already.
For example…
Analytics and marketing provider Walkbase, in a joint venture with Samsung, is providing in-store analytics to retailers looking to serve their customers to the highest degree.
The digital platform anonymously analyzes customer behavior through Wi-Fi signals from customer smartphones, and provides specific insights to the user.
What kind of insights?
Well, like which path a customer takes when they walk through the store, what kind of merchandise they look at, and exactly what their buying behaviors are.
The data is then used to offer in-store digital advertising to customers.
More specials show up and more merchandise flies off the shelves.
Does it really work that way?
Yes. It actually does.
On-going analytics are fed into content management systems (CMS), which allow the campaign to continually update to ensure maximum impact in the sales realm.
Retail giant Walmart uses profiling to increase sales and deliver exceptional customer service.
The big box store takes in approximately $36 million dollars from 4300 stores in the US alone – every day.
To achieve this figure, Walmart collects and analyzes customer data – every day.
They collect 2.5 petabytes of data from 1 million customers each hour. One petabyte is equivalent to 20 million filing cabinets.
Crazy, right?
Customer profiling and data integration are creating better customer experiences. When the experience is better, more customers will come.
That’s just the nature of good customer service, digitally speaking.
More Social Media
Social media grows and grows. The more it grows, the more the trend of integrating it into digital signage campaigns grows.
Consider these statistics at a glance published by socialmediatoday.com:
There are expected to be 22 million digital signage displays employed for marketing use by 2015
42% of shoppers have indicated that they would prefer to shop at a place with in-store video displays
Stores with digital signage displays experience a 31.8% average increase in upswing sales volume
In a four year period from 2004-2008, Facebook users increased from one million to 845 million
70% of local businesses use Facebook as a marketing tool, as indicated in a 2011 Merchant Confidence Index survey
In 2011, Twitter had nearly half a million new signups per day, with 460,000 new registered users
72% of the world’s population is active on at least one social network
(Statistics courtesy of: socialmediatoday.com)
Digital users would be remiss if they didn’t implement a social strategy of any kind into their digital signage campaigns.
For example, take the Star Wars #ForceFriday campaign, which was the release of dozens of new and exciting Star Wars toys. By using a global live stream and encouraging fans to watch and then participate by hashtagging #ForceFriday as they posed with their new Star Wars toy, they were able to give the world their advertising campaign to share.
Social media, no doubt, makes sure the force is always with you.
Indoor LED Screens
With the growth of LED and the new technological advancements the displays now provide, LED solutions have become more attractive and more affordable for users.
Industry insiders predicted in 2016 that more options would be made available for those looking to take advantage of the growing technology.
Because the screens have a wide variety of advantages, like being energy efficient and long lasting, organizations and businesses are migrating to the purchase of LED. Their colors are vibrant and rich, providing greater contrast for users.
While this high-quality commercial screen is generally used outdoors, the trend is also shifting indoors.
While some may struggle with whether or not they should go with LED versus LCD, LED technology is offering some attractive options that are pulling more and more digital users to it’s bright and rich disposition.
Conclusion
Experts in digital signage predict $13.8 billion dollars will be doled out in the industry by 2017.
With trends pointing in the direction of more affordable technology, useful data integration options, and kiosks allowing personal ordering, it’s easy to see how the industry will further grow, and in which sectors it will blossom.
The retail and restaurant industries are certainly proof of digital sign explosions. The examples are endless.
The possibilities are extreme.
And the technology is edgy.
Be prepared for the billion-dollar explosion. It’s sure to blow your digital mind.
What industry do you see digital signage growing in? Do you see a trend that we don’t? What is it?
