5 Great Ways to Use Digital Signage in Your Retail Business

A Guest Post by Lilly Miller

As retail becomes a more competitive field with each passing year, business leaders in this sector are facing new challenges at every turn. Customers nowadays demand a seamless shopping experience, but they also want to see a positive company culture and a personalized strategy the retailer uses to address their unique needs. The key, as always, to succeed in the competitive retail world is to elevate and enhance the customer’s experience in-store and online.

From personalizing your offers to taking your business into the Ecommerce realm, all the way to increasing community involvement and improving the in-store experience, there’s plenty you can do to make stellar CX a reality. Digital signage is one of the ways to take your retail business forward in 2021, and today we are going to explore some of the great ways you can use it to achieve better offline and online results.

Here’s what you need to know about this tech.

Make your promotions stand out

Digital signs can make a powerful first impression on a customer who is just walking into your store, but they can also act as subtle reminders throughout their journey through the space. The choice how you use them will always be yours, but it would be a wise investment to emphasize your promotions in these ways in your retail business.

For example, you can put up digital signs at the entrance to immediately capture their attention and notify them of a sale or a special promotion you’re running. You can then put those items close to the digital sign, or you can put it at the back end of the store so that the customer would walk past other items on their way there. When they’re just looking around, you can use strategically placed digital signs to remind them of the new offers and special deals, incentivizing them to make a purchase. 

Capitalize on the FOMO effect

Speaking of special deals and promotions, you want to use marketing psychology to encourage people to buy, and the FOMO effect works wonderfully well for online and offline sales strategies. The FOMO (fear of missing out) effect is a powerful tool that marketers are using nowadays to create that sense of urgency and inspire customers to buy, or risk missing out.

And if there is anything that the modern customer hates, it’s missing out on a great deal. There are countless ways you can incorporate the FOMO effect in your store through digital signage, from limited-quantity offers, to limited-time deals and specials, all the way to more subtle messaging.

For example, if you use a digital sign to show the stock level of a certain item, without ever mentioning a limited-time or quantity offer, you can incentivize customers to grab the item before it sells out. This way, you are gently reminding them that quantities are limited. 

Make a powerful brand statement

Branding is one of the most important elements of long-term success in the modern retail environment. With so many competitors at every corner and on every possible sales channel, only the businesses with a powerful brand are able to stand out in the eyes of the customers. Most importantly, only the powerful brands with the right values can generate loyal and devoted customers.

Without a doubt, branded digital signage in your store can help you achieve that, as it allows you to convey a powerful message and beautiful visuals that will spark interest and, if you do it right, inspire people to create an emotional connection with your brand. Don’t just use the signs to display your name and logo, instead, use it to deliver powerful messages and values that you and your customers share. That’s how you will build a loyal following of customers that will keep coming back.

Promote your digital presence

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many retailers were forced to invest heavily in Ecommerce migration in order to stay afloat, and move their internal processes online. This was only hastened by the pandemic, but was inevitably going to happen with or without it, because of the evolving digital trends and the fact that people want a seamless omni-channel experience.

Now, even though the pandemic is dying down and that people are coming back to the physical stores, you can still use digital signage to promote and boost your digital presence. You can use digital signage to succeed in the era of M-Commerce by reminding your in-store customers to check out your social media and website, to partake in your online pools and quizzes, and download your free digital products. 

Use digital signage as an interactive map

Lastly, consider using digital signage at the entrance or around the store to guide customers on their journey. If you want to improve customer satisfaction in 2021, then you need to focus on reducing customer effort, and that means making their journey through your store efficient and effective.

The customers coming in can take a quick look at the digital sign to see where the items they’re looking for are located, while the ones who are already perusing can use them to find other sections. It’s a great way to keep people engaged, and most importantly, help them feel like their time is not wasted in your store. 

Wrapping up

Digital transformation is making a big impact on the retail industry, and digital signage is a big part of that change. Consider upgrading the in-store experience for your customers with engaging digital signs, and use them to take your offline and online operation to the next level.