How innovations in digital signage can empower your business

Electronic signage is an area of advertising which has existed for a very long time. Way before terms such as SEO, PPC, Social Media, Programmatic, and A/B testing were part of the marketing lexicon, digital signage was responsible for sharing taglines and business information and illuminating dark cities in a bright neon glow.The first illuminated advertising board at Piccadilly Circus was installed in 1908 by the beverage company, Perrier. Fast forward 111 years and the area has become one of the most iconic in London as the biggest businesses on the planet utilise 780m2 screens to advertise themselves.This highlights the continuing impact that digital signage has after a century of advertising. So what can technology do for your business and how are innovations within the sector driving change?

Stopping people in their tracks

In a world where ad blindness is common and grabbing attention is harder than ever, it can be tough to make an impact. However, when it comes to digital and electronic signage, there is no other format of advertising which can really provide a comparable ‘wow factor’ and stop people in their tracks.Just look at Times Square and Piccadilly Circus, which we mentioned above. These are areas that people choose to visit as attractions because of the grandeur and scale of the digital signage on show. The exciting thing is that technology continues to improve, which means people consistently return to see how the new screens look. For example, the ones installed in Piccadilly Circus, operate with a resolution higher than 4K, meaning they are amongst the best outdoor screens in Europe.So, if you’re considering the use of electronic signage, why not think about the kind of message you could use to stop people in their tracks. Check out the three-story digital signage project launched by Flannels in the summer of 2019 on Oxford Street.

Updating content instantly

Thanks to high-speed internet and the development of the 5G network, it will soon be possible to update digital signage instantly. This means that signage will be able to react and change on a day to day basis, based upon the news of the day, the weather, or company updates.If you decide to run a campaign in the future, you may be able to deliver messages and content to people which is hyper customised to the weather conditions outside.For example, if there is a massive rainstorm on the way but it is sunny in central London and people are out enjoying themselves, imagine being able to change the content on an advertising screen to warn people that rain is on the way and your business is selling umbrellas close by.This is the kind of targeting that no other form of advertising can generate.

Digitising individual products

Puma recently opened a new flagship store in New York and included features that it hopes will drive significant increases in sales, as almost all of its products can now be displayed and customised using in-store digital signage.Using a QR code, the screens identify the item and then offer consumers the option to change the colour of the product, as well as the size and shape. This means that space can be used effectively instead of hundreds of shoes having to be present in-store. This is yet another example of innovative signage solutions to help enhance the in-store experience.