We do everything possible not to be forgotten. Especially in the retail industry, everything is about one main goal: customer engagement. The idea is always to reinvent the wheel, to create new impulses, to be different than the competition – online and offline. And we do all of this in an attempt to engage the customer.
Stopping advertising to save money is like stopping your watch to save time. | Henry Ford
Customer Engagement through Digitalization
Digitalization can’t be stopped anymore. It’s being fueled by customers’ desire to consume everything at any given time. But is it really the prognosticated end of the retail industry because it is being replaced by e-commerce?
If you believe the recent studies, every tenth retail store will be closed by 2020. But change often offers possibilities, especially to those who are open-minded. Digital Signage is a great example of a platform that can help tighten customer engagement to classic retail business. Thanks to the technological progress there are many opportunities to improve your retail store with strategically placed screens to create a unique shopping experience. In addition, the use of modern media at the POS allows you to grow your customer base and improve customer engagement.
The increased flood of information and advertising creates barriers for customers that will have to be overcome. Combining retail and Digital Signage is a good way to do that. So it comes to no surprise that the classic way of presenting products is now being supported by modern flat screen displays in many stores.
But how do you get the attention of those, who are constantly staring at their smartphones? By presenting them with ever-changing content: a picture says more than a thousand words, especially when it is moving.
Digital Signage is a great example for a platform that can help tighten customer engagement to classic retail business.
It’s All in the Mix
The decision to buy something is usually made by customers intuitively and within a millisecond. 70% of the time right at the POS. This is a huge opportunity and should be used to your advantage. The shopping experience is an essential element! Customers don’t want to think for too long, so the easier it is to find and digest information, the more likely they are to accept it. Content is the main aspect here. If you combine advertisement with product information, you create added benefits and therefore customer engagement: Entertainment meets Infotainment, content is still king.
Omnichannel Solution Thanks to Digital
Trust and service create customer engagement. These are factors that the retail business can provide in a fantastic way: Digital! Digital is the combination of analog and digital processes. Using an integrated Digital Signage solution turns your POS into an interactive place where online and offline advantages meet. The customer can physically touch and feel the quality of your products, while they use the transparency of the online world to select other colors or models in your online shop. This way your business your business will be recognized as being modern and innovative.
The technical process is being sped up by the Internet of Things (IoT). In the near future, we will not only be using digital screens but other sensors and actuators that will be able to run reactions to specific, individual customer actions. This creates a showroom atmosphere that invites people to purchase because the boring shop floor has suddenly become an exciting environment that makes shopping an adventure and stays in customers’ minds. A new way to build customer loyalty.
Attention Through Interaction
If your Digital Signage installation is also a touchpad, it can be used as an interactive medium, where customers can scroll through your content. Your brand experience is enhanced through this interaction because as a 360 concept, it stimulates all the senses. The emotional images in your Digital Signage solution activate the limbic system in your customer’s brain, which is the headquarter of all purchasing decisions. If you can create a lasting impression, you will be very successful when it comes to customer engagement and loyalty.
Millennials and Baby Boomers – Two Target Groups, One Medium
One group is young, tech-savvy and dynamic, the other is, too: Millennials, Gen Y, Digital Natives are all words that are used to describe the same younger generations. They grew up with the Internet, are used to digital social communication and being able to get almost any product in real time. Digital Signage can build a bridge by combining the digital and the real world and allow you to capture the attention of Millennials to push your brand.
Baby Boomers, on the other hand, are the target group with the largest purchasing power. They can also be targeted with the right content in a Digital Signage installation. Thanks to its flexibility, the displayed information can be designed in a way, that is interesting to both young and old. Technological add-ons, like face recognition, allow you to selectively show content that is individually targeted.
Create Transparency
Long-term customer engagement often fails because of cognitive dissonance that is created when the expectations are very different from the actual product features. This can result in customers becoming disillusioned and not returning to your store. But it doesn’t have to be this way: Digital Signage can be a positive add on to your store. By including social media channels or platforms like TripAdvisor you give customers the chance to profit from comments previous buyers have made, and also allow them to write their own reviews on the spot. This creates transparency and builds trust.
Cross Media Marketing
There are a lot of opportunities for the retail industry to stay successful by improving customer loyalty. For one, online shops can’t replace a competent consultation on an emotional and social level. If you are ready to try something new and look at the digital age as an opportunity, there are some amazing possibilities out there. You can use Digital Signage solutions successfully in many different areas. Combine it with the right Digital Signage Software, and you can create varied, interesting content in no time. This way you offer a new experience to your customers. Storytelling, Infotainment or Entertainment: if you create the right content strategy for your target audience, you can see for yourself how digital tools can successfully help you to engage your customers. At the same time, you will be able to recognize an increase in customer loyalty. This will have a positive effect on your business and your brand.
Now it is time for you to start your own Digital Signage project to increase your sales! Our Digital Signage software viewneo is the easy way for you to do so.
