To say that shopping trends have changed over the last few decades would be a gross understatement. The amount of time people spend in retail venues, and the manner in which they regard their experience while they are there, is far different today than it was thirty years ago. If you design your digital signage content based on an antiquated model of the typical shopper, you will hamper your network s effectiveness. The challenge is to identify the type of experience shoppers want while browsing, and designing content that dovetails with that desire. To be sure, accomplishing that goal is not easy.
In this article, I ll provide a conceptual framework on which to build a DOOH content strategy that creates an emotional connection with shoppers. We ll explore why this connection with your audience is critical to in store, product specific sales. I ll also describe the challenges of moving from a product oriented strategy to an organic, people based approach.
Creating The Connection
A lot of consumer products are advertised through multiple channels simultaneously. For example, you might see a high end HDTV promoted through television commercials, newspaper ads, radio spots, and online advertisements. That means a would be buyer s first impression might be generated outside a retail venue.
This is not the norm. The majority of retail products are only promoted in the venue in which they re sold. Manufacturers and store managers rely upon in store promotions to move the inventory. Unless a promotion makes a memorable first impression on shoppers, there is little chance they ll buy the product. The problem is, most POP displays, end caps, and printed signage fail to create an emotional connection with shoppers. This connection is what prompts a purchase decision.
Keep in mind that shoppers are spending more time than ever in retail venues. That means there is more opportunity to connect with them on an emotional level. And that s where your digital signage network can play a key role.
Moving From Products And Numbers To People
Advertisers have spent the last few decades focused almost entirely on metrics. For example, consider a grocery store. The floor plan has been carefully designed to increase the number of minutes an average shopper spends per trip. The end caps, POP displays, and impulse items have been carefully arranged to increase average order size. Merchandising experts have constructed robust data driven models that yield a predicted ROI based on expected foot traffic, days of the week, and even dayparting statistics. In doing so, they risk losing touch with a new breed of shopper who considers the act of shopping a pastime.
For millions of people, shopping is no longer a chore that is put on the back burner. It is a passion. It is an activity that draws people regardless of whether or not they intend to purchase something. As such, retail venues have become a home away from home for many shoppers. This is the reason is it imperative for signage network operators to take an approach geared toward creating an emotional connection with customers.
Rather than promoting brands and products with a hard edged focus devoted solely to metrics, your digital signage content should also appeal to customers on an instinctive level. Each person who watches your screens has a unique perspective. That perspective influences their experience. By establishing an emotional connection with that person, your signage content will do more than merely lift product specific sales; it will generate long term customer loyalty.
Your signage network should support the personality of the host venue. It should cater to the sensitivity of the venue s audience. And it should reinforce the credibility of the retailer. Each of these goals can be accomplished by designing content that connects on an emotional level with your signage audience.
Author Resource:
ConnectedSign is a leader in digital signage, and an excellent source for calculating return on investment of a signage system, business planning, deployment planning, hardware and software installation, content creation, and staff training. Check them out online at http://www.ConnectedSign.com
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