What to Expect From the Future of Digital Signage?

We have all witnessed how the textbooks in our hands have been replaced by laptops, newspapers with tablets, and novels by kindle. In this race to digitization, even billboards and company signages are rapidly adopting digital screens. Enter a mall, and you see umpteen digital screens displaying advertisements and digital signages for multiple brands and businesses.

As per a?study by Intel, well-designed digital signage captures 400% more views than signage on static displays. These signages work in multiple settings – retail stores, corporate spaces, academic buildings, and public spaces for sharing essential product information, marketing, targeted messaging, and enhancing brand recognition.

6 game-changing trends to shape the future of digital signage

With rapid technological advancements and the rising needs of businesses, the future of digital signage seems promising. And according to a study by?study by Grand View Research, the global digital signage Industry is expected to be worth $45.3 billion by 2030, witnessing a CAGR (Compounded annual growth rate) of 7.7% over the forecast period.

Let’s dive in and see what we can expect from digital signage in the coming years.

1.Increase in audience interactivity

Digital signage has been seeing and continues to witness advancements in customer interaction. It offers multiple features, including tabletop ordering, built-in games, interactive maps, and personalized catalog displays. These features are expected to grow in the coming times.

Additionally, non-touch interactive solutions using gestures and voice control measures will gain traction compared to touchscreen platforms, given the need to comply with social separation and containment measures post the Covid-19 pandemic.

Take a look at this incredible voice-activated wayfinding system:

2.Growing functions like facial analytics

One of the key benefits of display solutions that is yet to be fully explored is the?use of digital signage for analytics. However, businesses are catching up on this; one of the functionalities gaining popularity is facial recognition. These days, screens with facial recognition tech provide access to restricted or private places.

Beside sensors, these screens use AI to track the footfall in a store and analyze the number of repeat customers, enabling retailers to identify loyal customers eligible for reward programs.

Retail outlets can also use digital screens for sentiment analysis to determine how browsing customers react to various products. Screens placed near product aisles can also track customer actions, gender, age, and other demographics. These analytics are then used to display personalized advertisements and promotions to reduce the customer churn.

Another common commercial application is the ability to self-check in. The hospitality industry can use facial analytics in digital signage to recognize people who have booked rooms or reserved tables and then direct them to the correct location or provide the information they need to carry on with the check-in process.

3.Mobile-driven OOH marketing

We already have the technology to connect digital signage and mobile phones: QR codes. Businesses can accomplish a lot using QR codes: redirect customers to a restaurant’s food menu or a company’s information brochure.QR codes can also be used for gamified discounts to add to?retailtainment.

Besides QR codes, multiple technologies can combine innovatively to give results, like the Amazon Go model, where the modern convenience stores will be staff-less and queue-less; here, shopping will be guided entirely by sensors, computer vision, AI, etc.

The bringing together of the physical and digital worlds will create more?phygital?business models like Amazon Go. Currently, the US has more than 25 Amazon Go stores, and the retail giant plans to launch more in the future.

4.System-integrated digital signage

From being a simple passive display of company advertisements and information, digital signage technology has become a primary asset for operational efficiency You can show live dashboards, appointments, vehicle information and so much more. This is possible because modern?signage software?can be integrated through API bindings with third-party systems.

These third-party systems can be a company’s existing business tools like CRMs, ERPs, employee experience, and Businesses Intelligence platforms. Digital signage software applications can also be connected to backend servers like Flight Information, Bus Information, and POS systems.

Integrations allow pulling data in real-time and using that data either by displaying it directly on the screens or by creating parameters that enable showing different information on different screens.

Here are two real-life case studies of Pickcel clients that show how system-integrated digital signage might help businesses:

1. Case Study of NEC, India: Building a passenger information system
2. Case Study of My Salon Suite, USA: Designing a digital service directory and promotion platform

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