Making Lasting Impressions Through Technology by Connecting People, Spaces and Experiences

In the world of commercial AV, digital signage is an ever-changing and growing market. With that comes a greater need to keep on top of trends to meet the individual goals of each project as well as tackle large-scale rollouts. (Hey, would you rather have all this content in a pleasing pdf layout? Check out our latest digital signage trends eBook.)

Over the past several years, digital signage has helped alleviate labor shortages, assist safe return to office plans, and keep foot traffic moving along.

“The power of digital signage to address a wide range of challenges is what keeps things interesting,” said Michelle Montazeri, Manager of Digital Signage at Legrand | AV. “Exciting trends like personalization, interactivity, big data and improved experiences are great conversation starters on the value of digital signage with decision makers. If we can get across what’s possible to make lives easier and enhance consumer experiences with a brand, we can overcome a lot of the initial hesitations.”

Digital signage provides a touchstone between organizations and people across every aspect of life. We in the pro AV industry can strengthen those community bonds with reliable digital signage systems that unfailingly communicate consistent messaging where it’s most needed as well as engage viewers with entertaining content that inspires and delights.

Since Legrand | AV works closely with leading display and content system manufacturers, we get the advantage of a larger view toward trends in the industry. Here are the latest trends we’re hearing about.

QSR

Quick Serve Restaurants have perhaps seen the most dramatic shift into digital signage. They’ve made digital menu boards the norm. Self-service kiosks are presenting a way to order without having to interact with someone or wait in line – and you can be sure the order was entered correctly. Order status boards are a growing trend that improves the experience by giving customers the ability to the status of their order. Between in person, kiosk, and ordering ahead by smartphone, QSRs are definitely catering the experience to individual preferences.

"It's been really interesting to watch the evolution of the food and beverage industry over the past few years. As business owners identify ways to reduce the impact of staff shortages, exceed customer's expectations and gain market share, digital signage has been integral" says Montazeri.

Retail

The biggest push in retail right now i individualizing the customer journey, says Montazeri. When you walk into an environment, you want to have the choice on how to interact with digital signage. That may include speech or touch interactions, or maybe the display provides a code for the customer inspecting the physical product so they can order it from their phone for home delivery.

“The trend is toward providing equity of experience through technology that provides the type of interaction that works best for you,” Montazeri says.

Efficiency is also an important consideration with retail. Power scheduling can help businesses by giving signage a break if a space is consistently empty at certain times. Or, to maximize opportunity in a convenience store, signage can course through advertising until motion detectors tell the individual cooler to switch to a view of what’s currently available behind the door.

Corporate

Return on investment is another big trend in digital signage. Corporations are facing high real estate costs and looking to maximize return on any investments. Businesses are shifting from experiential designs to “how do I sell the space?” Digital signage can help get the most out of spaces by measuring analytics. Signage can be set up to determine who is using a space, how they are using it, and how to manage downtime effectively.

“If for whatever reason a kiosk is only being interacted with by people of a certain demographic, that tells me to try other tactics that might help reach a broader audience,” says Montazeri.

If integrators can present ways to save costs with digital signage – through energy efficiency, pointed advertising, and simply enticing people through the door – they’ll be well equipped to justify the expense for successful revenue streams. (That’s not to mention the expanded reach if your signage is eye-catching enough for visitors to share on social media.)

Transportation

Transportation is a notable industry where digital signage plays a major role in operational efficiency, Montazeri says. Wayfinding and up-to-date, easily understandable schedules are vital in getting people where they need to be. At the same time, airports are basically giant malls these days with tons of opportunity for digital signage. A simple kiosk with a QR code to order can have your purchase shipped directly to your home – no need to check any bags.

Of course, these aren’t the only applications affected by shifting digital signage trends. We’ve seen movement in uses for outdoor, education, large venue, banking, hospitality, fitness, healthcare, houses of worship, manufacturing and much more. Legrand | AV is ready to help tackle the latest challenges in each of these areas.

How Does Legrand | AV Fit Into These Trends?

Good question! We work behind the sign to fulfill the promise of exceptional audience experiences. Once you’ve got your content or display worked out, Legrand | AV is a key resource for everything else you need –– mounting, storage, connectivity, power and so much more for digital signage systems.

Being brand agnostic allows us to support displays and media players from across the digital signage industry, giving specifiers the flexibility to change direction or work with the manufacturers they trust most. Our engineers work directly with display manufacturers to determine the best way to showcase their solutions so digital signage systems can deliver stunning results.

We’re loaded with people who are constantly looking behind displays in public spaces, often accompanied by heavy sighs from the family members who put up with us. A direct result of this interest goes beyond just top-notch solutions; it’s the top-notch teams who are ready to assist you at every level of a project.

Our Free, Supreme Dream Teams

Legrand | AV’s Digital Signage team specializes in providing end-to-end support throughout the entire process – from site survey to celebration champagne for another successful rollout. Close connections with manufacturing partners and the AV design community helps avoid potential supply chain issues, not to mention a wealth of experience to identify solutions that address your objectives. Along with this free service, they may even throw in a few sassy one-liners.

For further assistance, the Solutions Engineering team is on deck to leap in with free system design, product swaps, diagrams and training. The five members of the group come from all areas of the AV industry and bring an incredible range of experience to helping customers through the more technical challenges of system design. They don’t blink twice at the idea of researching new solutions for hours.

One more team works behind the scenes, but you’ll probably never meet them. If all else fails, they are called up to tweak a product or combine existing parts from the thousands of solutions on hand to meet your specifications. It's like having your own personal digital signage system lifesaver on the case. Where there’s a will, there’s a way to mount that system or create that custom projection screen experience, and this team will find it. They’ve got will to spare.

More Resources for Digital Signage

When it comes to direct view LED digital signage, we understand the unique challenges this technology presents. For situations where you need assistance beyond what the Digital Signage team typically offers, there’s TiLED Solution Services. This team helps with personalized design consultation, securing experienced labor, and mitigating risk. You choose the level of service you need behind the sign to create stunning video wall displays that delight audiences.

Our free 3D Design Tool for Racks and LED Walls helps you design and order the right solutions to create the video wall system you envision. And yes, that same online tool configures racks for when your video wall needs that extra support. We’ve also got the Fusion multi-display configurator if you are in more of an LCD mood.

For simple setups, our MountFinder™ tool is ready to match your exact display with a mounting solution that allows you to place it virtually anywhere regardless of stud location, wall surface material, or even weather challenges. Kick it up a notch with one of our many free digital signage system diagrams to start the specifying process on second base.

We’re not done yet. AV University is our online training center, and we have a series of courses on digital signage that award free CTS RUs. Take the courses you want on your own time to brush up on video wall design and installation; display resolution, color space and refresh rates; and connections like HDBaseT and USB Type-C cables.

So yeah, we’ve got you covered with end-to-end digital signage assistance and solutions. Want to learn more or get in touch with the team? Visit our digital signage page.

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