Statistics from the US show installations are growing by 40 per cent annually, with about 20 per cent in healthcare and 12 per cent in corporations. However, where this technology is really making its mark is in the retail sector, accounting for about 25 per cent of sales.
With a host of advanced digital products on the market, managers and innovators in the retail sector can now integrate their marketing plan into digital advertising signage, tell their brand story and provide consumer-facing information that can engage customers in a multisensory way.
Business leaders have a very good reason to invest in digital signage and interactive displays: statistics show they work. A Nielsen study that tracked digital signage in 120 grocery stores in the US found that four out of five brands increased sales by up to 33 per cent by using digital signage over printed signs.
Furthermore, 68 per cent of customers said digital signage would “influence their decision to buy the advertised product in the future” while 44 per cent said it would “influence them to buy the advertised product instead of one they planned to buy”.
Retailers are coming up with innovative, customer-driven solutions. For example, upmarket US department store Nordstrom uses a digital display kiosk to simplify the process of buying jeans. The kiosk at select stores uses 360-degree imagery and smart filters to find the right jeans to suit a customer based on their body type and fabric preference.