Retail is all about catching the eyes of potential customers.  The store windows, the fancy displays; they’re all there to entice  shoppers in through the doors. And here’s why we’re so passionate about  digital signage; it’s an automatic attention-grabber. Aside from the statistics  that show how it increases purchases by 44% and gets 80% of customers  entering a store, how often do you walk past a screen without giving it a  glance?

In this post we bring you a selection of advice to help you work your displays in the midst of a retail launch.

1. Employ a low-cost, reversible screen solution

When we say reversible we don’t mean like a reversible waterproof  coat. What we mean is, static signs are fixed. Once you’ve pasted it to  the wall there’s not much more you can do so you have to ensure  longevity. It’s no good basing the content on your campaign that’s  happening in the moment or your launch hashtag, because in two weeks  time both of those could be out of date.

But digital signage is fluid. If you use a system like ScreenCloud  you’ll also find a huge amount of flexibility. Perhaps you want to hook 10 screens up for launch night, then reduce to important ones like your digital signage window display and in-store retail wayfinding. 

With ScreenCloud,  you’re only charged for the screens you use, so any screens removed  throughout the month are deducted, pro rata, from your final bill. When  you’re only paying for what you use, you have more flexibility to employ  more screens however you want, ready for that all important launch  night.

Read more: Creative digital displays for retail

2. Adapt the digital signage content time

During your retail launch, whether for a specific product or a full  store, there’s going to be a sensory overload. Anyone who hasn’t been in  your store before is going to want to look at new products, new layouts  and any press activity that’s occurring solely for that day or night.

As we mention in our design guide  a short-term digital signage viewer such as those passing by a shop  window is likely to view the display for less than 30 seconds. During a  retail launch you may have two scenarios that affect this.

If the passer-by is simply walking past your new store, they may view  any digital screens in windows for less than 30 seconds (given the  amount of stimulus on display as mentioned above). Instead of a  30-second loop, you may wish to reduce this to 10 or 20 seconds, so that  the key message is obvious.

Inside the store, customers may spend much longer than 30 seconds.  After all, if it’s a brand new store or line launch there’s going to be  lots of look at right? In this case, you might want to extend your  playlist or schedule to as long as two minutes (mid-term viewing).

We have nearly 50 apps in the ScreenCloud App Store,  which makes experimenting with content super easy. Retail digital signage content can be anything from video showreels of new products or  lines, to rich social media dashboards, menu boards, travel information  and more.

Content can be tailored to a specific product, store or location and  experimenting throughout the launch period is easy. Simply drag and drop  new content in, remove anything that’s not working and edit the timing  of playlists as you see fit. Digital signage is never fixed and the more  you experiment and play around the more chance you have of stumbling  across your most effective playlist.

The positioning and location of your screen is going to have a big  effect on who uses it and how well the content is received. You’ll see  many retail campaigns where the adage is “bigger is better” but is that  really the case?

Some stores get a ton of coverage from a huge screen in the window,  whereas others find that big screens swamp their visitors. Some retail  stores make use of a collection of different screens whereas some get  sensory overload from any more than two.

It really does depend on what type of content you’re going to show,  where you’re going to show it and who your audience are. As long as you  consider basic digital signage design rules such as not playing two moving videos in the same zoned display screen, the rest is up to you.

You could use one screen, split into four zoned sections to share  different information or you could use four individual screens. You  could have a standard HDMI screen in your store window, then iPads and  tablets showing signage at the key point of sale.

Now that digital signage is so easy to manage and setup, there are so  many more choices available about what you can (and should) do.

Naturally, retail stores far outlive their launch campaigns.  Following a specific launch, most retailers want to build a loyal  customer base, increase brand awareness and get shoppers coming back for  more.

This can’t be achieved when you have the same launch content and ads  playing on endless loop. Don’t be that store that puts up a showreel and  leaves it playing for the next year. Change things up and ensure that  your playlists are reviewed at least once per month.

Even changing the order of your playlist, adding content that updates automatically like social media, or adding in a new element or two could make a huge difference.

We love working on exciting retail campaigns that deliver on great  experiences for stores and their customers. See how we helped Lenovo with their in-store launch campaign or get started with ScreenCloud at https://screen.cloud.  

How to create great digital signage content for retail launches using affordable digital signage, apps, flexible software and different screen types.

We share top tips on how to make noise at your next retail launch through the power of digital signs.

5 Digital Signage Ideas for Retail Launches

5 Digital Signage Ideas for Retail Launches

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