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5 Digital Signage Trends Driving Customer Experience Innovation

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To understand the various trends at play within digital signage, it’s important to step back and understand where our market is heading. What’s becoming clear is that “digital signage” as it was narrowly defined just a few short years ago is giving way to a much more immersive experience. It’s not just about catching someone’s eye with digital signage, it’s about engaging people once you have their attention – and that includes long-tail engagement that continues subsequent to the customer leaving an establishment. Museums, brick & mortar retail, tourist attractions, tradeshows & events, educational institutions and hotels – these segments and many others are embracing the latest technology and using digital displays to entertain, inform and engage their patrons.

Digital signage content, players and screens remain the key elements of this “digital experience,” however the ecosystem is rapidly being enriched by hardware and software innovation that enables viewers to experience content in new ways. Five trends in particular are driving this next wave of innovation:

The multi-screen experience

Multi-screen experiences are on the rise. While it used to be exceptional to see and interact with a multi-display installation, now such interactivity is routine. Whether an audience is presented with a synchronized video wall, a simulated “shark tank” attraction or any combination of multiple screens building an experience, this type of on-screen presentation is becoming more and more commonplace.

Encoding and streaming over IP

Rich media is at the core of creating a dynamic digital experience. The latest hardware enables real-time encoding and streaming of content to a variety of end-point devices via IP. This opens the door to incorporate an extensive array of content, including live HD video, content from IP cameras, media streamed directly from Internet sources such as YouTube, and even audio content. Some players can even act as IP streaming servers, which securely distribute videos to a set of devices without the need to store content locally on the end-point devices.

Deployment technology

As the scale and complexity of networks continue to expand, deployment becomes a more daunting challenge. But this challenge is giving birth to a new wave of technologies that streamline the deployment process. For example, one new feature on the market allows customers to set up and deploy thousands of players all automatically, at once. Considering that conventional deployment often calls for SD cards to be duplicated and inserted in each and every player on the network, the ability to deploy a masse via the cloud is a real game-changer.

Tagging media and players

The ability to tag content and tag individual media players brings a new level of customization to digital signage, taking what would otherwise be a very complicated content management task and streamlining the process such that anyone can determine where and when desired content will appear. Individual media files and entire playlists can be tagged to display within certain areas at different times. Player tags can be created as well, adding a secondary level of content filtering for highly targeted content delivery to specified groups of players. These tagging features are especially useful for customers with expansive digital signage networks, and also for marketing firms that manage digital signage networks for many customers.

Mobile interactivity / beacons and blue tooth

Integrating Bluetooth technology into the digital signage ecosystem lets businesses engage customers like never before. The use of Bluetooth and beacons enable bi-directional communication between the digital signage and customers’ mobile devices. This increases customer engagement by enabling businesses to deliver highly relevant messaging and content. Additionally, customers can be presented the option of interacting with and controlling the signage via their mobile devices. This new ability elevates digital signage to a two-screen experience and enables highly targeted audience participation – presenting near-limitless potential to businesses interested in maximizing the impact of their digital signage networks.

Keep a watchful eye on these trends in the months ahead, as they are sure to elevate the customer experience in new and exciting ways.

video wall experience

How Can A Video Wall Processor Improve Customer Experience?

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Digital displays are everywhere these days. Lots of us walk around with HD screens in the palm of our hands. This isn’t a new trend. Even as digital signage began to boom over a decade ago, many could see the trend: if displays are everywhere, it means that individual digital displays just won’t have the impact they used to. A big flat screen display hung on a wall just isn’t going to attract attention the way it might have just a few years before.

And so those who wanted to stand out from the crowd, attract attention to their message, get noticed by the public, engage with their audience invested in video walls. Look around an airport, a mall, even a sports venue and you’ll see that video walls are everywhere. Now that most commercial video wall displays come with built-in scalers and have the ability to daisy-chain, there’s been a boom in small and simple video walls. The whole point of a video wall is to grab people’s attention, and unfortunately a 2 x 2 (or even 3 x 3) grid video walls, with resolutions of 1080p (or even 4K) are now far too commonplace to generate the kind of impact customers are looking for. Digital displays are everywhere, but so are these simple video walls.

This is where the video wall processor comes in. Every AV and digital signage professional knows customer engagement in the digital space is about attracting attention to your display, and that means standing out from the crowd.  Everyone’s using the internal daisy chain solution built into commercial video wall displays so to attract attention, to truly engage your customers, you now need to think about adding more capability, more flexibility, more options to your video wall and that means a video wall processor–an external device that renders the inputs and outputs and adds extra value over and above what the displays themselves can do.

Here are some key things to know about video wall processors. First, they allow you to go beyond the current standard video wall sizes and deploy more than 2 x 2, 3 x 3 etc. Some solutions even support up to 100 screens.

Next, a good video wall processor will allow you support aspect ratios beyond standard 16:9, or 4:3. This isn’t all video wall processors and controllers, but the good ones will.  Check and be sure before investing.

Video wall processors also ensure you can have high resolution content visible from as far as possible, but looking good from as close as possible.  You want people to be able to come up close to the video wall and still be able to see the image crisp and clear. In those case you need to go beyond HD content (even beyond UHD 4K) to source resolutions of up to 6K, 8K and beyond. The only way to get this kind of resolution is with a video wall processor.

Finally, a good video wall processor will give you the power to deploy video walls with layouts other than the grid such as offset displays with unusual gaps between displays or with angled displays.

Ultimately, a video wall processor can be combined with a video wall controller and provide more advance controlling capabilities to your video wall system. For example, you can have interactivity features where the content, or layout (or both), on a video wall can be easily switched using web-enabled mobile devices, with just a single touch.

I’ve just listed out a lot of features and functionality and I can hear your skepticism: can a video wall processor do everything I just mentioned? And if so, surely it would be expensive. The truth is that there are actually cost effective options that allow you to deploy high-quality, high-performing video walls. The key thing to look for is a solution that leverages standard technology and isn’t built on proprietary hardware. There are software and PC based solutions available today that drive video walls with great power and flexibility at a surprisingly reasonable price

Digital Signage Industry Trends

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Digital Signage Market size was over USD 15 billion in 2015 with 5.2% CAGR estimation from 2016 to 2023.

 

Europe digital signage market size, by application, 2012 – 2023 (USD Million)

 

Increasing demand across commercial and public sectors is expected to propel the global digital signage market size. The high demand for digitally enabled products with enhanced content to reach wide audiences provide ample opportunities to the industry participants. Moreover, rising adoption across applications including retail, banking and transportation is anticipated to contribute to the global revenue.

 

Government initiatives and expenditures to improve public communication infrastructure are expected to fuel the digital signage market share over the forecast period. Moreover, increasing business investment in interactive displays coupled with NFC capabilities may drive industry demand.

 

Advanced software solutions offer features such as content distribution, and real time data integration. Furthermore, advent of 4K technology provides ample opportunities as it is ideal for applications with high-resolution requirement for example, video walls. Flip chip technologies reduces LED failure possibilities and superior heat dissipation that will favor the industry growth.

 

Digital Signage Market, By Technology

LCD digital signage market size is expected to cross USD 5 billion by 2023 owing to the adoption in digital signage industry. Increasing adoption of digital-out-of-home application (DOOH) across the globe is anticipated to boost the segment demand over the future. Moreover, rising penetration of the technology such as ultra-high definition (UHD) in applications such as retail and transportation is expected to propel the segment growth. Features such as energy efficient, excellent contrast, low flicker rates and immune to image burn-in may boost demand. Integration of biometric technology with digital signage may prove beneficial over the next few years.

 

LED is projected to witness significant growth in the future owing to the growing demand for high resolution and pixels. Features such as brightness adjustment, automatic temperature control and support for various sources such as offline or online operation will augment the digital signage market share in the coming years.

 

Digital Signage Market, By Application

Retail digital signage market share is expected to gain rapidly to exceed USD 10 billion by 2023. Several industry players are adopting the technology to create awareness among customers. Moreover, it ensures brand awareness and enhanced experiences, which is expected to fuel digital signage market share. Moreover, retail stores are implementing such technologies as it improves customer engagement and drives more footfall in stores. Moreover, saving in printing cost and improved operational efficiency will drive the demand in the near future.

 

The banking segment is anticipated to witness high adoption over the next few years. Increasing demand to deliver messages, customer engagement, and advertising products are the factors propelling the digital signage market growth across the segment.

 

Furthermore, the transportation segment is projected to contribute to the digital signage market share in the coming years as it attracts the traveler’s attention with rich content. Platforms such airport, bus, trains, ferry, subway, and taxi may witness increase adoption. For example, airport digital signage conveys updated flight schedules and required information to travelers and enhances their experience.

 

Digital Signage Market, By Region

U.S. digital signage market size led the global revenue in 2015 and is expected to continue dominate the industry over the forecast period owing to the increase in investments and high demand across retail and BFSI segment. Moreover, improved infrastructure and economic growth will further propel the regional growth in coming years.

 

Asia Pacific digital signage market share is anticipated to witness significant growth at over 6% CAGR. Growth in emerging economies of Asia Pacific including China and India is expected to augment the regional demand.

 

Attractive graphical interface advertisements on digital and web media are propelling the growth. Furthermore, easy content update on digital signage from internet and reduction in perceived and real wait time may augment the market growth in the coming years. In addition, enhanced consumer experience, increased awareness and cost reduction are also projected to increase the industry demand. Initial investment and uncertain return on investments may hamper digital signage market share. Moreover, lack of standards and backward compatibility are major challenges for industry participants.

 

Digital Signage Industry Background

Digital signage is increasingly witnessing adoption in enterprise segment as it offers powerful visual communication tools that engages audiences and improves efficiency and reduces operating cost. High quality digital content offer increased return on investments fueling the adoption across the vertical. Interactive signage kiosks are very engaging that significantly improve product selection, accessing vital information and purchasing in-store driving the demand across the retail industry.

 

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5 Future Digital Signage Trends Of 2018

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2017 was an innovative year for digital signage, and 2018 promises to have even more going on. Both organizations and the public have embraced the digitalization of…well, everything…and they want more.

Displays get cooler

Screens are going to get even wider than they are now, yet slimmer than ever before. The advance word is that technology for reflective displays —full color e-paper displays that are flexible and less than a micrometer thick that reflect light rather than emitting it, like real paper — has made some serious breakthroughs. In the interim, 2018 should see a 42-inch black and white e-paper display hit the consumer market. Refresh rates for these displays still prevent using rich video, but many organizations are taking to E Ink® screens. They’re cheap to buy, cheap to use and mobile.

LCD screens will see much higher resolutions. 2018 will be the year that UHD becomes the new standard. And there’ll be more colors as well, as the industry moves from sRGB to BT.2020, which not only has 4K and 8K resolutions of 3840 by 2160 and 7680 by 4320, but frame rates of up to 120p, and boasts a color field that is very possibly greater than what the human eye can actually perceive.

Video walls are becoming more commonplace in all sorts of configurations, with non-rectangular displays, ultra-thin bezels and more. Expect to see the number of video walls increase exponentially throughout the year.

One innovation currently being developed for screens is the use of haptics. Electrostatic fields can fool human fingers, stimulating nerve impulses that register in the brain as various physical textures – smooth, bumpy, rough etc. The haptic technologies being developed will be overlays that can fit over any existing touchscreen, and add a totally new dimension to interactive displays.

Content gets more responsive

The trend of increased personalization and interactivity we saw this year will continue in 2018. While there are still challenges in creating a truly individualized experience at the screen, there will certainly be advances made as data flows improve to influence the point of customer contact.

2018 will see a huge increase in responsive and automated content. Sensors on the actual displays, as well as data feeds from computers and the web, will adjust content according to real-world conditions. If it looks like rain, ads for umbrellas and indoor activities will be shown; if it’s sunny, maybe the displays will decide to show ads for a local water park or an outdoor music festival. The playlist will no longer be entirely in the hands of the people scheduling content – computers will make certain choices based on external data correlations.

Smart gets smarter

Smart programs and AI are entering the field, allowing an unprecedented scaling of data analysis and integration. Data feeds will become messages in their own right, without outside intervention. Just like the CAP alert system can automatically trigger localized alerts based on data coming from outside sources, digital signage systems will be able to target messages to specific displays based on the data they are receiving and analyzing.

This will allow better integrated and linked promotions. Systems will be able to act like a team member in their own right —sifting through enormous amounts of information and making suggestions as to what content should be displayed where, and when. This will allow cross-promotion on a completely new scale. Layered, integrated campaigns that combine with people’s mobile technology (smartphones and the like) will truly be possible.

Physical and digital blur

People already spend an astonishing amount of time connected to the online digital world, and this will just become more prevalent. In fact, 2018 will continue the major trend of the foreseeable future: the blurring of the lines between the digital and the physical world.

We will see much more Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality. In addition, 2018 should see more integration of digital signage and technologies into real-world events. Displays will not only show messages promoting events, they will become integral parts of the events themselves. There will also be a dramatic increase in the amount of outdoor digital signage, from huge displays to small interactive kiosks, some of which will be able to interact with a person’s smartphone or tablet.

Beacons and geofencing will finally come into their own in 2018. When people enter a designated area, they will receive prompts to download an app that will allow them to interact with the invisible but information-rich world on site —digital messages sent right to their device, turn-by-turn wayfinding directions and much more. The separation between the digital and the physical, as well as the organizational and the personal, is eroding and becoming much more of a single, multi-channel experience.

Narratives make more impact

The next year will also see a preference for campaigns and long-tail narratives over more traditional one-shot messages. Thinking long-term and creating communications that are far more than simple ads will be key to cutting through the huge amount of information flowing around people. And research shows that Millennials, the fastest growing segment of consumers and the workforce, dislike direct marketing. They prefer more indirect approaches like narratives and stories that incorporate the sales message, content marketing and influencer marketing.

Companies are now behaving in a similar fashion – they are starting to prefer comprehensive solutions rather than individual products. Digital signage providers that offer a smorgasbord of options such as cloud-based hosting, content creation or curation, interactive designs, consulting, etc., will have more success than companies that simply have a widget to sell. People are looking for relationships that last over time. Even Microsoft Office has gone the subscription route, and both individuals and organizations show they prefer this perpetual approach to one-time purchases.

More, better faster

2018 is poised to be the most exciting year yet in digital signage. Things are getting more integrated, more comprehensive, faster, smarter, and better looking.

But remember that all this technology is built around people – to streamline workflows, enhance communications, increase engagement and build community. So, make sure that 2018 is the year of the customer for you. Relate to your audience as human beings, and not just as a source of income or consumers of your product. Give them what they want, and what they want is more access to more comprehensive, more personalized communications

 

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