While on one hand technology is consistently advancing, electronic retailers are controlling LED displays and other such tools to create a stronger bond with consumers.
Look at digital devices such as smart phones and portable music players for example. These have become an essential part of our daily lives. Adding to this trend since of late is the introduction of wearable devices such as smart watches, virtual reality headsets and augmented reality devices. Retailers that deal with such devices should make use of LED displays to market their products to consumers. Today, shoppers are expecting to see digital displays in a marketplace because these are now replacing static posters in almost every shopping center.
LED screens and large video walls have always attracted customers and managed to hold on to their attention. Along with saving on printing costs, these LED displays can be updated within seconds from the corporate office and content can be changed easily in response to real time data such as time of day. In fact since of late, retailers are using these digital signs to provide personalized shopping experiences to their customers.
How technology is currently streamlining communication between retailers and consumers
Encourage ‘stickiness’ at a store
The idea here is that retailers should provide a unique shopping experience that customers cannot find online, thereby convincing them to visit retail stores for their shopping needs. Also, with digital signage tactics, retailers are engaging the customers for a longer period. The longer the customers hang around at a store, the more likely they are to make a purchase.
Queue management
The saying ‘content is king’ is true only when the correct medium is used for displaying the content. Take mobile phone stores for example – very often, during busy periods, a sales associate stands at the entrance with a tablet in hand and notes down the name of customers along with their reason for visiting. These details are entered into the queue which is managed on a bigger wall mounted LED screen. Not only is the customer greeted by his/her name at this store, he also has an idea of how long he will have to wait to be served. He can then wander around the store and look at new products while he waits.
Kiosk-based services
By making good use of additional features on interactive LED displays from providers such as LED Craft Inc, retailers allow footprints to be extended beyond the store itself. Kiosk based services at a mobile phone store for example lets customers browse through and order phone cases and other such accessories not displayed in the store and have those items delivered to their doorstep.
Up and coming digital tools
- Retailers are making use of video analytics to identify demographic information of their target audience so they can deliver more relevant content based on demographic factors.
- Digital displays in complicated retail environments are teaching consumers how the products are used and also training sales associates how to sell complicated products.
- Radio frequency ID technology is being used to deliver personalized information to customers. When a customer picks up a product from a shelf, the RFID tag triggers a nearby LED screen to show more detailed information about that particular product. The shopper can also lift an alternative product and the display will show a detailed comparison of the two products, helping the shopper to make a choice.
- RFID tags can help retailers with analytical information such as which product is being picked up more frequently, which products do not interest customers at all, and which products requires call for assistance more often. With this information, retailers can understand their target market better.
- Beacon technology is also used to influence the smartphones in the pockets of consumers. If the store’s app is on a customer’s phone and the Bluetooth is turned on, the digital display can sense the app and play relevant content on the smartphone.
- High resolution, 4K and OLED screens are becoming a part of a store’s interior design, adding to the ‘wow’ factor brought by technology and providing multichannel experiences to customers.
