DIGITAL SIGNAGE TRENDS IN 2021 – OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPLEMENT NOW

2020 was one of the most turbulent and unprecedented years in recent memory. The coronavirus pandemic affected all corners of the world, with businesses suffering enormous blows due to stay at home orders. With 2021 well and truly underway and positivity restored to markets, it is a great time to look at the critical digital signage trends of 2021 and focus on how businesses can set themselves up for success in this new world.

Current State of Play for Digital Signage 
There is both good and bad news when looking at the digital signage market in 2021. Digital screens serve to communicate to customers, and therefore, the market did see some upset when consumer behaviour changed drastically in response to the pandemic. With more people staying home, digital signage had less opportunity to be seen. A benefit of digital signage is that it can be highly flexible and adaptable, so while traditional out of home saw significant reductions, digital signage could pivot to remain relevant to the customer.
It’s this versatility that has put the market on a trajectory for healthy growth, with Meticulous Research estimating that the digital signage market will grow at a CAGR of 4.3% from 2020 to 2027 to reach $19.44 Billion by 2027.

So with strong growth on the horizon, what do businesses need to know to implement an effective digital signage strategy? We’ve summed up our findings below for you.

Viddi: The top five digital signage trends you need to know
1. Going touchless
Coronavirus is likely to change forever the way that consumers engage in social and business settings. The once commonplace handshake is now taboo, along with hugs, whispering and dancing. As a result, digital signage will evolve better to serve customers’ needs in a socially-distant world.

Alternative technologies like voice, gestures and face scanning will be incorporated into more and more digital screens, allowing customers the option to interact with a business safely and on their terms.

In addition to touch-less screens, self-serve kiosks will become even more common as they allow for less human-to-human contact while also minimising labour costs for businesses. Expect to see this rolled out across most retail and restaurant settings in 2021.

2. Omnichannel Shopping Experience
With millions ordered into their homes in 2020, e-commerce soared globally. Already controlling 50% of the American e-commerce market, Amazon’s traffic has increased by as much as 20%. Demand for some services, such as home grocery delivery, soared by as much as 90%.

With a lack of traffic to bricks and mortar stores, these digital signage solutions went temporarily unused. Now, as some normalcy has returned to shopping and people make their return to bricks and mortar stores, businesses are faced with a new opportunity to leverage their eCommerce stores inside their physical stores.

A typical business problem is differing stock online to instore. Digital signage provides a solution to this, acting as a kiosk for customers to engage with the eCommerce store and browse products online while also doing the same in the physical store. If a product isn’t available instore, they can order it simply online from the same location.

It also provides an easy inventory search function for the user when it may be hard to find what they are looking for instore. Furthermore, when the kiosk is not in use, it can show marketing and promotional messaging.

3. Timely and Information Communication
With coronavirus restrictions changing rapidly, a Viddi digital screen is an affordable and flexible option to communicate new rules to customers. By utilising movement and colour, digital screens are far more engaging than traditional signage.

With restrictions set to continue well into 2021, utilising digital signage to communicate essential public health messaging will become more prevalent. Expect to see this trend rolled out across airports, train stations, workplaces, and shopping malls.

4. Personalised Real-time Content
Every day people create new opportunities to personalise marketing communications to customers. It’s now possible to tailor your marketing messages to the time of day, day of the week or even the weather. With Viddi content scheduling, you can display your coffee and breakfast content in the morning, lunch deals and specials throughout the middle of the day, switch to happy hour deals and offers at 3pm and effortlessly change your digital signage to your night time dinner menus, all scheduled weeks ahead.
With so many businesses vying for a person’s attention at any one point in time, personalised and relevant messaging can help your business stand out from the rest.

5. Outdoor Digital Signage 
People are spending more time outdoors to combat the coronavirus pandemic, as research has shown the virus spreads more easily in confined spaces. When people think of digital signage, their minds traditional go to instore menu boards and kiosks, but there are opportunities to implement this solution across your outdoor signage as well. Digital signage is visible and vibrant in both day and night. Coupled with the flexibility around what message is displayed, this can be a valuable solution to bring customers in-store to your business.

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