Digital Signage Rewrites Retail Landscape

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Bud Morris
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Digital Signage Rewrites Retail Landscape

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Bud Morris
 

More retailers than ever are leaving static signage in the dust and opting for the more sophisticated digital touchscreen-enabled alternative. Indeed, so popular is this category of sign becoming that a new report predicts a compound annual growth rate of more than 15% by 2020 for the global display market for retail applications.

In a new report produced by global technology research and advisory company Technavio, analysts note that the demand for touchscreen displays — used in POS systems, kiosks and ATMs, as well as in standard retail displays — has increased globally in the retail sector and will help drive the market in the coming years.

Focused on customer behaviour, such newfangled signage fixtures have proven popular among consumers for their touchscreen interface and the enhanced functionality they facilitate. With them, end-users can interact via touch screens, body sensors and smartphone-facilitated QR codes. CBSF Blog 022516

These interactive displays are a boon to retailers, too. They help them collect and analyze customer data, from which they may then draw to offer special discounts, coupons and other incentives.

According to Technavio’s report, three factors are driving the growth in the global retail display market. They are:

• rising adoption of interactive digital signage;
• demand for user-friendly interfaces;
• growing adoption of touch-enabled display devices.

In part, say Technavio analysts, these more high-tech digital signs are a brick-and-mortar retailer’s response to the looming presence of the e-commerce sector. Their addition to the in-store environment enhances customers’ interactions, allows them to browse through stock and order products, and introduces interaction via signage that offers an utterly unprecedented level of consumer-retailer engagement.