There’s a reason brick-and-mortar store owners think digital screens are the center of the retail world. It’s because they are. Digital signage screens and the entourage it comes with have the ability to target more people with more spending power, boost sales, not to mention, seamlessly run the store from absolutely anywhere. There are countless screen choices available on the market today and deciding on the ones for your store is hard, especially when you are choosing between numerous equally awesome options.
So, if you’re the sort who suffers from this cognitive process I can only describe as “overchoice” , have no fear: today we will start a new exciting chapter in your store’s life and figure out how to allocate the right screen for your retail store. We’ll look at our solutions for the outside (meaning window displays) and the inside of the store so you’ll be able to make an informed beneficial decision. The smooth sailing starts here and it starts with the thing that makes your screens come alive – the great digital signage software.
Digital signage software for retail
To turn any screen from just a piece of hardware into a lean mean attention-grabbing machine you need great digital signage software. It is important to find a company that creates soft specifically with your industry in mind, they know all of the ins-and-outs, can help you to create and integrate your visual solutions. We have been using Kitcast TV for over a year now, and we were lucky enough to find them while going through retail case studies, those we loved broth us to kitcast.tv. Great DS soft will help you to boost brand awareness, improve your store and brand popularity, easily create memorable content, and significantly boost sales, online and off. Though, there’s one thing I love the most, this software is made for those of us…well, let’s call it “tech-challenged”: every employee in the store is now a digital signage expert.
Window display screens
Digital signage window displays are used in retail for product advertising, for boosting sales and as a very effective branding tool, though the main job of a window screen, especially in a crowded shopping mall or on a busy street, is to quite literally, stop people in their tracks and bring them into the store. Now, choosing the right screen starts with the type of window display you are working with. An opened, closed, corner or an island-type of window displays won’t really limit you in any way, there’s enough space to choose and install any screen you want, a video wall or even opt for a screen art installation. But if you have an elevated window display or a shadow box one you need to know the precise measurements as well as your additional installation limitations to buy a DS screen.
Then, a step never to be skipped, asses the viewing experience. You need to know how people will experience the visuals, most of your customers will be moving past your window display, so your screen should be high or ultra-high definition, have exceptional color accuracy and the off-axis viewing angle is another significant factor. LED or OLED window screen should be high-brightness sunlight-readable, it has to be clearly seen in bright conditions. Make sure that your screen accounts for all of the surrounding factors, including the sunlight to ensure that customers can always see the content on window displays.
Lastly, the way you are going to use your screen is of the highest importance. For example, if you have an open window display with the screens also visible from the inside of your store the obvious choice would be the super slim double-sided digital signage screens. You can invest in the touchscreens to run interactive or AR content, nowadays stores use interactive window display touchscreens as 24-hour window shops or use them as highly popular AR try-on mirrors. There are awesome display solutions for unforgettable video walls with a gap between the screen panels less than 3,5 mm. It goes without saying that displays should also be durable, with resistance to dust, and a great warranty. Additionally, a good failover mechanism has to be built-in to the display, that way you won’t have to see a blank screen in your window.
The in-store screen solutions
There are countless types of screens for retail available on the market today, quite frankly, the list is exhaustive. Though, there is one piece of advice that should be applied here: when choosing the screens for your store always think of your customers. Yes, screens do communicate brand and product information, boost sales and engage people, but the way you use them says a lot about your brand and the way your business understands customers. Let’s just turn to some examples.
Now, if you are a luxurious high-end store selling designer shoes or clothing, you really don’t need a POP display or a wayfinding screen, your staff should be attending to all of your customers. What you do need is a WOW factor, something fun, whimsy and exiting. Such stores often use digital screen art installations to better customer experience, we’ve seen a lot of beautiful artsy displays over the past few years that capture the imagination. It can be something high-tech and fun, like when Channel used digital vending machines to sell their products or when YSL presented digital signage Lip ATM to make customized lipsticks.
And, if you are a buzzy retail store with tons of customers in-and-out at all times of the day than in addition to window display screens you will also need in-store navigation solutions, product info displays, screens for price comparison, POP ad displays, cross-channel shopping solutions, staff training screens, etc. These days you can easily find a great screen for all of the above mentioned, screens come in absolutely all shapes and sizes, they can be counter-top or wall display screens, touch and non-touch, portable or mounted. You can pick a narrow touchscreen kiosk for your bodega or strategically place fifty awesome standalone or mounted touchscreen LCD displays throughout your huge warehouse-like store, like Costco or Walmart. You can use screens for facial recognition, AR, sensor data, analytics, etc. There are standalone slim screen solutions to help customers quickly check-out and pay for their things without the need to stand in line.
To sum up: there are thousands of screen designs and types out there, all of them with the power to help you to see your clients, understand them and help them in real time. You need to know what’s missing from your store, understand if there’s something that aggravates or frustrates your clients and fix it with a digital signage screen. The only thing to remember, just like with everything else: find a reliable manufacturer with great customer service. Great companies offer displays with all necessary features, like higher brightness, longer operation time, security features, and a great warranty from the get-go.
