Digital transformation is revolutionizing the modern business world, and is making waves in every industry across the globe. In retail in particular, digital transformation has the power and potential to engage customers and lead them on the path to conversion and lifelong brand loyalty. From omni-channel experiences to hyper-personalization online and in store, all the way to augmented reality and IoT-enabled tech that reduces customer effort, digital transformation is the driving force behind long-term success in retail.
And a big part of that is digital signage. This technology can make a big impact on your customers, and it can help you achieve numerous short-term and long-term goals. The applications of digital signage are many, so let’s take a look at some of the top uses of digital signs and digital kiosks in your retail store. Here’s what you need to know and how to use this tech to its full potential.
Lead customers through the space
Wayfinding can be an issue many a time, regardless of the type of retail business you run. People need and want a seamless shopping experience, and they need to be able to find their way around the moment they set foot in the store. However, on those high traffic days, your employees might not always be around to assist them on a moment’s notice.
This is one of the ways digital signage can alleviate the stress of your staff and at the same time improve the in-store experience of your customers. By simply walking up to an interactive digital map, your customers can instantly get all the information they need and find the items they’re looking for quickly. This is about reducing customer effort as much as possible, because people don’t want to waste their time at your store – they want to feel like their time is well spent during their shopping journey.
Engage customers with games and quizzes
Digital signs come in many various forms, and some are used to deliver powerful messaging while others are used to engage customers through games and quizzes. The latter is also known as a digital kiosk, which is an interactive digital sign that can give out digital or physical prizes. When a customer completes a survey, a short video game, or wins on a quiz, the digital kiosk can then give them a voucher for the store, a special discount, or anything else you want.
This is not only a great way to engage your customers and inspire them to buy something, it’s also a great way to collect valuable customer information without ever approaching them with a survey. By interacting with the screen, the customer can leave their email address, or answer any question you ask in exchange for a small prize. You can then use the data you collect to drive your marketing and sales strategies forward.
Communicate your brand values to customers
In the overly competitive retail sector, only the businesses that manage to build a powerful brand are able to stand out and develop long-lasting relationships with their customers. After all, the modern customer has so many choices at their disposal, so why should they come back to your store? It’s not because of your prices or your quality goods, because there’s always someone out there with a better offer. No, it’s because they believe in and trust your brand.
This is a huge trend nowadays in competitive markets like Australia, where retail companies are using branded digital signage in Sydney to convey powerful messages to their in-store customers, capture their attention, and create a lasting first impression. You can use a digital sign in your own store to include your brand visuals and communicate your values to your customers, but you have to make sure that they share these values with your brand as well.
Provide useful information in real time
Of course, you can also use digital signage to convey useful business information to your customers in real time, but in a fun and engaging way. Instead of hanging signs on the door and creating makeshift announcements on a piece of paper, you can use a sleek digital display with beautiful visuals to capture their attention and convey all that information effectively.
This will further engage your customers but it will also create that up-scale, premium vibe they’ll love. Because after all, people want to see that you’re investing in your store and digital transformation in general.
Create a sense of urgency
Last but not least, another great way to use digital signage is to create a sense of urgency and capitalize on the FOMO effect. The fear of missing out is a psychological phenomenon that marketers and sales experts use nowadays to incentivize people to make a purchase, or risk losing out on a great deal.
Given the fact that people hate missing out, this is your opportunity to create the FOMO effect in your store by displaying the limited time offers or the very limited and quickly diminishing quantities of certain products. That way, people will rush to get them before they sell out, and that’s without ever being approached by an annoying sales representative.
Over to you
Digital transformation allows retail businesses to stay afloat during trying times, and digital signage is a big part of that. Be sure to introduce digital signs in your store to take your business forward in 2021 and accommodate the needs of a tech-savvy generation.
