The rapidly growing digital signage industry is expected to be worth £27.37 billion globally by the end of 2023. The retail sector accounts for 25% of digital technology in industry, with businesses using every means possible to attract shoppers.
High street shopping took a knock after the UK went into national lockdown in March 2020 due to the Covid pandemic. Consumers sitting at home all day largely relied on online shopping to fulfil their needs. All shops except those classed as “essential” were ordered to close their doors to help stop the spread of the virus.
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Now, two years later, consumers are struggling with the challenging economic climate. A high inflation rate of 9.4%, soaring utility bills, petrol prices at a record high of around £1.88 per litre and rocketing food prices means people have less to spend on the high street.
Retailers and restaurants are using digital technology to keep their premises as fresh and inviting as possible, with the aim of attracting more customers. Today’s traders are asking themselves the question, are digital window displays the future?
Benefits of using a digital window display
One of the main benefits of digital window displays is that they are much more flexible and cost-effective than they were a few years ago. The technology provides a dynamic platform that enables high street businesses to experiment with different advertising strategies.
A digital window display can be as eye-catching as you like at a relatively low cost. Consumer surveys reveal 76% of shoppers have entered a new store based solely on its signage and 68% have bought a product or service after a shop front caught their eye.
It’s widely known that first impressions count, so having a shop front that grabs the attention of passers-by is a must. Digital window displays can provide an ever-changing design that never looks stale, without having a team of window-dressers on standby to physically alter the layout several times a week. Making your own interactive display window means you can stand out against competitors. This is the challenge that retailers, department stores, restaurants and bistros have to face.
Digital window displays are making it easier for more and more companies to grab pedestrians’ attention without spending a fortune. Framed video walls, larger-sized displays and sometimes interactive window displays are the latest trends on the high street.
From a sustainability point of view, your business can save money on expensive colour printing. Digital window displays are low on power use and are less costly than leaving on full lighting in the window at all times.
Do window displays need to be interactive?
Strictly speaking, window displays don’t have to be interactive, but businesses are increasingly trying to introduce this element. In a world full of touchscreen technology, such as smartphones and tablets, it follows that this could be the future.
Touchscreens can be used to help customers find and order products, compare items in more detail and check whether they are in stock, for example. An interactive window display can mean having a wide, uncluttered window with a view of the shop’s interior and several touchscreen kiosks in the foyer.
Customers can create a more personal experience and engage with your brand, products and services using touchscreen technology that they are already familiar with on their own mobile devices.
Digital signage is revolutionising the fast food restaurant sector, thanks to digital menu boards that customers can scroll through easily before ordering. Self-service is available, thanks to touchscreens in the foyer of restaurants operated by market leaders such as McDonalds, KFC and Burger King.
Research shows customers tend to order more food if they can browse the menu properly, without the time pressure of standing at the counter with a queue forming behind them. Industry insiders predict non-interactive digital signage and window displays will increasingly combine with touchscreen technology in the future.
Where are digital window displays in use?
Digital window displays are becoming more popular among estate agents, who can use them to cut down on the amount of clutter in their windows. The displays can rotate the available properties, leaving more space in the window and creating a more attractive appearance.
Modern screens can work as well in sunlight as they can at night, so they can be left on 24/7.
In terms of major brands, Selfridges and Co is leading the way when it comes to dazzling digital window displays. Its latest New Order windows create a virtual world, merging the physical and digital aspects of the display by using screens showing 3D animated worlds.
For the first time in history, Selfridges will be enabling digitally-rendered products to be directly purchased from the windows from 22nd August. In one of the most innovative displays on the high street, the designers have chosen items of clothing that would normally be used to dress the mannequins. These were sent to the digital design team to be 3D scanned to create digitally-rendered versions of the outfits. They will be displayed in the store windows on screens.
In their most innovative move to date, Selfridges will enable consumers to see how the clothes move, instead of a static display on mannequins. Then, they can purchase directly from the window display by simply scanning the required garments’ QR code.
The future
Researchers at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, in Berlin, have been working on window displays using biometrics. This means creating automated ways of recognising humans based on their physical and behavioural traits.
Window shoppers will be able to point at garments in the retail store and see them projected onto a screen in 3D in the display window. Customers would then view the item at different angles, look through different colours and purchase items even when the store is closed.
The research is based on the fact that shop fronts are high street businesses’ biggest assets. Digital technology enables businesses to make much more of them than ever before. Their window will become a giant catalogue, so passers-by can view products in the store and purchase them at any time of the day or night.
The technology includes small infrared cameras that record the 3D positions of people’s face, eyes and hands, recognising gestures, calculating the coordinates and transforming the gestures into the appropriate inputs. This means the particular item pointed at will be displayed.
Keep ahead of the competition by making the most of your window display. Commercial Aluminium Shopfronts can provide bespoke shop fronts to enable shop owners to get creative with the latest trends.
Investing in your shop front now can pay dividends in the future by attracting and engaging more customers. Don’t get left behind: keep on-trend with the digital revolution!