Powerful Ways to Use Digital Signage in Shopping Malls

The shopping mall is much more than just a place to shop. They’ve become focal points for entertainment and socialising too. But, against this backdrop, retail businesses can find it a struggle to attract customers or to improve their turnover. 

Can digital signage for shopping centers be an answer?

In our always on digital world, digital screens still have the power to command our attention and even influence our decisions. 

And, for shopping mall managers and owners, understanding and leveraging digital signage can transform not only the aesthetic appeal of their space but also significantly enhance the shopping experience, operational efficiency, and ultimately, profitability. 

Why Use Digital Signage in Shopping Malls?

Studies show that digital signage can 40% of shoppers can be influenced by digital displays in a retail setting. And, in addition to this, 8 out of 10 shoppers have entered a store because a digital sign caught their attention.

While these might be compelling cases in and of themselves, there are many more reasons to leverage the power of digital signage in a shopping mall or retail store.

Attention-grabbing displays

Unlike static banners and posters, digital signage is more likely to capture attention of the general public, thanks to its vivid displays and motion content. Shoppers are more likely to notice and engage with dynamic or animated advertisements or information, making your messages more impactful.

Cost-effectiveness

Over time, digital signage can be more cost-effective than traditional print media. Changes can be made instantly and remotely, without the need for printing and manual distribution, drastically reducing ongoing advertising costs.

Elements such as printed banners can become tired and worn over time, and the manpower and costs associated with replacing them mean that they can outstay their welcome. By contrast, digital signage can be quickly updated. 

Dynamic content

Digital signage allows for real-time updates. This agility means malls can display timely messages, from flash sales to emergency alerts, enhancing the relevancy of communications.

This content can also be managed remotely, with no-need for technical input. Once the digital signage network has been setup, any member of the team with access to the software can easily update messaging.  

Interactive engagement

Advanced digital signage can include touch screens, QR codes, and augmented reality (AR), offering interactive experiences for shoppers. This interactivity not only entertains but also engages customers deeper, potentially influencing their purchase decisions.

In the digital age, more and more people expect this level of interactivity - especially with younger generations. And engaging the younger clientele within the mall environment is a strong focus for many of the businesses who are based there. 

Operational efficiency

From a management perspective, digital signage can streamline operations. As well as the ease of displaying and updating content, digital signage can be used to highlight parking availability, closures to routes or specific areas, safety announcements, local weather or traffic updates and much more.

This can allow the center manager to ensure that visitord are getting up to date and critical information as efficiently as possible. 

Enhanced shopping experience

Ultimately, the use of digital signage contributes to a modern, enriched shopper experience. An example of this is by using interactive wayfinding, such as touchsceen building directories, or by sharing announcements about local partners.

Whether using touchscreen kiosks, or interacting with social media video walls, this level of interactivity has been shown to improve the shopper experience. 

In fact, one study from The University of Kent found that a positive aesthetic experience in a retail setting using digital signage can significantly affect shopping habits. This can work both ways, with positive effects coming from content that evokes the feeling of fun, and negative effects from overly informational content. 

Promotional content

Perhaps the most obvious use for digital signage is to display high quality promotional content. Whether this is showcasing some of the retailers in your mall, or monetizing your screens by streaming advertisments for bigger brands.

An obvious use for this type of content is in the form of billboards, or digital out of home content (DooH). Increasingly, retailers are able to create their own promotional display networks, without relying on third party billboard partners.

But also smaller and more targeted content can be created, using elements such as digital posters or standing signage boards. 

Types of Digital Display for Shopping Malls

There are many ways that a digital signage network can be created in the mall or retail setting. These can include:

• Wall-mounted screen displays
• Freestanding kiosks
• LED boards/billboards
• Video walls
• Outdoor digital signs (DOOH or digital out of home)
• Digital menu boards
• Ticker tape style displays
• Tablets and other smaller screens
• Projection screens

Many shopping malls use a mixture of these types of screen, depending on the size of the venue, the types of retailers and the clientele.

For many shopping centers, the types of display will also depend on the goals of the center manager. In some malls, for example, it might simply be basic promotional content and some directional content or wayfinding. But in other malls, there might be a need for a central entertainment area, or various different types of screen in different zones showing a wide variety of digital signage content.

Read more: How much does digital signage cost?

When it comes to digital signage content, there are many different strategies and methods to drive more foot traffic and sales, and even offer a more personalized retail experience.

Best Content Ideas for Retail Center Digital Signage

There are some obvious solutions that every shopping center manager should incorporate into their space. But, the joy of digital signage is that you can factor in different forms of content or widgets into your signage displays. 

And using digital signage software like ScreenCloud also means you can easily create a wide variety of content, even if you don't necessarily have a professional content team.

These are some of the most common signage content ideas, and some less obvious ones too…

Promotions and deals

Highlighting current promotions, offers, and discounts in your local retailers can drive sales and direct foot traffic to specific stores. Remember though that your retailers will have their own ways of displaying content.

But working to highlight specific store promotions can be a strong play when it comes to helping your smaller retailers thrive.

Read More: How to Make Black Friday Sales with Digital Signage

Event announcements

Shopping malls are more than just places to shop til you drop. Increasingly they're places for entertainment and socialising, with regular events happening. So, use digital signs to announce and remind shoppers of upcoming events, live music or community experiences.

This is also one of the exciting ways that retail centers can have a positive impact on their local community.

Interactive maps and directories

In larger malls, a directory and map is an essential addition. But, even in smaller retail centers, maps and directories can be an effective way to help people get the most out of their visit. Digital directories with touch capability can make navigation much easier. And allowing people to find specific services, facilities or other features means a better experience for all your visitors.

Social media feeds

Love it or hate it, social media is a big part of modern life, especially in the retail sector. Harnessing the power of social media on digital signage content is a great way to both appeal to the younger generations, but also to promote specific brands or even your own social channels.

Integrate social media feeds on your digital signs or video walls, and get people interacting with you online as well as in the real world.

Entertainment content

Balancing promotional content with entertainment, like trivia, interesting facts, videos or local news, can keep shoppers engaged longer. Add in streaming footage from live sports games, videos of local events, or even interactive content such as quizzes to get more customers engaged.

Safety and emergency messaging

One of the most important steps in emergency response is taking action, and that starts with letting people know what's happening, as soon as possible.

A major benefit of digital signage is the ease of displaying reactive emergency content. Whether this is a warning about weather disruption, or a diversion in place due to traffic or some other issue, it's easy to create a live emergency update.

Digital signs can also be a useful way to display helpful safety reminders in specific locations, for example highlighting accessibility options or a reminder not to leave bags unattended.

How to set up shopping mall digital signage

A digital signage network is easier than ever to setup, thanks to the ease of using consumer grade hardware together with digital signage software such as ScreenCloud.

Like any other project of it's type, setting up multiple screens for a signage network will take some careful planning.

Step one: Identify the best locations for your screens

Signage screens will need to be placed in visible locations, at eye level, or in such a way that they are visible from a wide area. Central areas, entranceways, stairwells and walkways are great locations for signage screens.

Run an audit of the foot traffic in your mall, where people spend the most time, and where people tend to congregate or wait. These will be some of the main hotspots for your signage displays.

Step two: Hardware and software

What kind of screens do you need for your digital signage network? While larger malls might need high quality LED screens and interactive kiosks, some smaller retail centers might prefer to have a selection of large TV screens or poser sized displays for content.

Once you have your hardware chosen, it's a simple case of connecting your screens with content management software. ScreenCloud is the best retail digital signage software, featuring best in class connectivity and security, industry leading content creation tools and unrivalled customer support.

Step three: Content creation and management

Creating regular quality content is part of the process when it comes to digital signage. With ScreenCloud, you get access to content templates and apps which allow you to effortlessly create great looking content. But what sets us apart from other digital signage companies is our tools such as Quick Post.

Quick Post lets you create perfectly formatted and structured content in seconds, with zero design skills required.

Check out how effective our content creation tools are with our content generator. Check it out.

Ready to get started?

Whether you're using one screen, or setting up a multi-screen digital signage network, ScreenCloud is the perfect partner. With some of the biggest names in retail trusting us with their content, you can be assured you're in good company.

Sign up for your free trial, or book a demo.