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Staying ahead of the curve is just one of the many challenges businesses face daily. In today’s competitive business landscape, where falling behind can spell disaster for your bottom line, you can use all of the advantages you can get. For example, the latest technology in digital signage.

When it comes to engaging and entertaining customers, increasing brand visibility, or simply conveying helpful information to customers and employees alike, digital signage is the way to go. It’s a technology found almost everywhere these days, but what if your business hasn’t taken advantage of it yet? Read on to learn more about what makes it worthwhile to use, and whether it’s worth investing in for your business.

Digital Signage Defined

If you’ve been to a restaurant, shopped at a mall, or caught a matinee movie at the theater, you’ve already seen digital signage up close and personal. Likely, the bright visuals have already caught your attention at some point – which is the entire point of it. These screens come in a wide variety of sizes and often employ LCD, LED or projection technology to help inform, engage and educate viewers.

Digital signage also solves a common problem that many businesses have: how to engage customers and quickly update information in a way that isn’t time-consuming or at risk of becoming stale. Static signage has to be designed and printed well in advance, making minor updates or changes nearly impossible in many cases. Digital signage can be changed almost immediately, on the other hand, ultimately saving businesses time, effort and cost.

It comes in a wide array of varieties, but the essential components remain the same:

• The physical hardware and software that drives the display, including the screens, media players, and the internet connectivity required to upload information.
• The actual content to be displayed on the screen often consists of video and audio clips along with animations and moving graphics.
• Third-party and bonus elements are supplied by your firm’s content team, including weather and news feeds, social media updates, and private label TV channels used for marketing and information.

How Can You Use Digital Signage?

Digital signage first appeared in airports to replace clunky and outdated bulletin boards. Going digital made it easier for airport officials to change arrival and departure information in real-time quickly. Nowadays, you can count the number of places and businesses that aren’t using the technology. From subway cars to roadside billboards, digital advertising is everywhere.

How businesses use digital signage varies greatly, but the following offers a basic rundown of how they’re used in general:

• Video display screens are the most common form of it, as these generally convey a wide variety of information via high-resolution screens.
• Interactive digital signage allows viewers to do more than just see the information. Whether it’s via touch screen or another external input, viewers can actively interact with the content shown on screen.
• Digital wayfinding boards carry out the same functions as their static counterparts, but businesses can update and revise the information on the fly.
• Many restaurants rely on digital menu boards to display food items and quickly make changes without waiting for reprints.

If you want specific examples, take fast food, for instance. Many fast-food franchises are already using digital signage in place of menus and interactive versions in self-service kiosks. These displays grab customers’ attention and cut down on wait times while boosting profits.

Retailers rely on digital signage to promote sales, boost customer engagement, and increase profits. The incredible versatility of digital signs means that owners and managers can quickly update sale items. In addition, digital signage also makes it easier to create seasonal store displays.

Top Benefits of Digital Advertising

It’s hard to keep track of the multitude of benefits offered by using digital signage over static displays. Depending on your business needs, you can tap into any of the benefits listed below:

• Business owners and managers can control every digital sign in the store from a central location. Not only does this make it easier to make changes at a moment’s notice, but such changes can be done almost instantaneously. Rule-based software can even help businesses rotate through display content automatically with little to no intervention.
• Digital signage draws more attention from passersby than static displays. After all, the human eye is more likely to notice a moving image than a static poster or cardboard cut-out. Since digital signs leverage motion to grab peoples’ attention, these displays offer a much more significant impact from an advertising perspective. According to a three-month Intel study, digital signs attracted an average of over 400% more views than comparable static signage.
• Digital signage also helps keep waiting customers occupied, especially when there are lengthy checkout times. Instead of watching the line ahead or standing idly, customers can focus their attention on the various screens showcasing new products and current sales. As a result, customers have an easier time waiting in line.
• Customers are more likely to stay loyal to stores using digital signage. Not only that, but they´re more likely to remember information displayed on digital screens rather than static ads.
• Businesses can also combine digital signage with analytics software to glean more valuable information from customers. For instance, such software can help enterprises see which products are highly popular or slow-selling and make adjustments as needed. Companies can even use video cameras with tracking software to record foot traffic data and make improvements.

In short, the benefits of digital signage outweigh any potential disadvantages. Businesses can quickly update their signage to reflect their current offerings better, retain customers and attract new ones.

To learn more about the benefits of digital signage for your Houston business or to schedule a live demo of our products, contact Stargel Office Solutions today.