Digital menu board vs. traditional- which is best for your restaurant?

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It can be a challenge to determine if tech-focused upgrades are necessary for restaurants, which is why it’s important to pinpoint key differences and benefits between digital and traditional solution.

Restaurant signage serves a greater purpose than merely listing item variety; in fact, a high brightness lcd digital menu board can also define brand identity.

Upon entering eateries or fast-food establishments, posted menu boards are typically the first to capture a customer’s attention. Because of this, it’s important for businesses to capitalize on this and truly consider how and what they want to be displayed.

On average, 8 out of 10 passerbys will enter a retail space due to persuasive signage, so in order to remain competitive your visual appeal must stand apart from the rest. With debates between whether or not digital menu boards are more influential than their non-digitized counterparts, considering the right choice for your brand can prove to be a challenge.

To gain a deeper understanding, let’s explore the key differences between traditional and digital menu boards, and whether or not making the switch is right for your brand.

Digital menu boards are a collection of monitors that are run by a central computer. Many restaurants have switched to digital menu boards for their modern and sleek appearance. Digital signage displays on screens of any size, and informs through a variety of channels like video content, animation, and text.

There are several advantages that digital menu boards give business owners over traditional menu boards-

Easier for customers to read by using bright screens and larger text
Updating the menu is simple and streamlined
Saves on printing costs
Reduces labor costs
Higher customer engagement
Provides variety, as screens can automatically change menus throughout the day
Traditional Menu Boards Traditional or static menu boards are still useful to many restaurants. Static signage has two functions- to inform and to decorate.

These menu boards are easier to install and have a lower price range than digital boards. Some restaurant owners may want to maintain a certain ambiance, so in order to remain consistent with the decor, like 50’s themed diner, for example, a digital sign may not be the best fit. Benefits of traditional menu boards include-
No digital errors
No digital operating costs
Longevity
Uniqueness of design
Digital vs. Traditional Menu Boards
Digital and static menu boards are both informative; however recently, high brightness digital menu boards have created a game-changing strategy of brand recognition and customer engagement that makes it difficult for static menu boards to compete with.

Here are the key differences between both forms of signage.

1. Cost
Traditional menu boards must account for costly printing costs to create all visual materials, whereas digital boards do not. Instead of having to reprint updated menus, digitized menu changes can quickly and simply be applied to a digital sign over the computer.

Not only do digital menu boards cut down on materials costs, but it also reduces food costs and waste. Digital menu boards sync with POS, point of sale, systems, allowing employees to more accurately track inventory. This is widely beneficial when taking food expiration into account, or monitor when ingredients or menu items or running low.

With clearer insight on inventory, businesses prevent waste. This is accomplished by achieving a higher sales margin per transaction because sales opportunities are not being missed out on due to menu items running out of stock.

Digital menu boards also save money in the long term when looking at economies of scale. Economies of scale are cost reductions that happen when companies increase production. Depending on the restaurant and its seasonality, menu boards may require five to six updates or revisions annually.

2. Customer Experience
In today’s fast-paced world, customers expect quality and speed; technology makes that possible. By upgrading a menu board to a digital experience, customers are more inclined to visit. By using bright screens with clear text this allows for easier readability. Surveys show that 74 percent of customers’ top priorities is an easy to read menu.

Digital menus can also entertain consumers. While waiting in line, customers can be engaged with content on the screens, distracting from the wait time.

Digital menu boards have the ability to up-sell to customers, boosting overall sales. Upselling is when a seller influences a customer to buy more expensive items or add-ons to make a more profitable sale. Instead of an employee suggesting any up-sells, the menu board can suggest up-sells, and the customer may subconsciously up-sell themselves without any feeling of pressure from an employee.

3. Scheudling and Updating
Employers can set a digital menu board to automatically change menus at a specific time of day. The need for physically switching out lunch menus with dinner menus is eliminated.

Also, adding new menu items or changing prices can now be done remotely. Management can use smartphones, or any device with internet access to add or change information instantly. Digital menu boards can also be quickly updated to comply with new or upcoming health laws.

For example, per the Affordable Care Act, the Title IV Law states- “restaurants and similar’ retail food establishments that are part of a chain with 20 or more locations doing business under the same name’ to disclose in a clear and conspicuous manner’ a nutrition disclosure statement,’ a suggested daily calorie intake,’ and the number of calories contained in the standard menu item.’ Standard menu items do not include such things as daily specials, but they do apply to food on display’ and self-service food.'”

By using a digital menu board, inputting this information is nearly hassle-free and allows for the restaurant to stay current and compliant. This also aids in keeping consumers informed on calorie intake, promoting a health-conscious mindset.

4. Management
As a restaurant chain grows larger, it can be more difficult to maintain consistency in appearance and operational practices across multiple locations. With traditional menu boards, there is no guarantee that all locations’ menus are uniform in appearance.

Digital menu boards take away the uncertainty through the ability to collectively update all menus at once. This eliminates menu discrepancies and creates a fluid branding image and marketing strategy. Centralized control can also eliminate errors and inefficiencies. Employers can monitor screens and control content and messaging from almost anywhere, as long as there’s an internet connection.

5. Enviromental Impact
An estimated 18 million acres of forest are eliminated due to deforestation, of which is contributed to 40% of paper products. This includes catalog and glossy paper, materials often used for menus, and posted menu signage.

Digital boards cut the need for printing new messages and can be easily changed and updated. Digital menu signage eliminates the need for paper menus, which lessens a company’s environmental footprint and increases profits by getting rid of printing costs. It’s important to note that digital menu boards’ use of electricity also have environmental impacts, but it is much smaller in comparison.

LCD technology makes digital menus a more viable option that is also eco-friendly because it requires low energy consumption in comparison to other lighting sources. By requiring less power, LCD technology reduces greenhouse emissions from power plants.

6. Hours of Operation
Unlike static menu boards, digital menu boards can continue to advertise its products after store hours. By having a brightly lit screen this takes the restaurant outside and can share its brand to future customers walking past the restaurant. Employers can set an evening schedule through digital signage software to tailor messages for after hours.

7. Visuals
Digital signage catches the attention of customers and can influence their purchasing decisions by creating an intimate one-on-one interaction. Digital menu boards can also focus on deals or promotions that increase overall sales. With access to video content or automated GIFS, this adds an element of motion to a menu board and can capture a customer’s attention faster. However digital boards can deter customers by too much activity. Crowded boards with too much information or text can actually make it difficult for customers to pay attention to the main message, so it’s important to ensure all content is displayed in a strategic and thoughtful manner.

8. ROI
To compete with continuously changing markets, restaurants have to be as innovative as ever. A digital menu board will practically pay for itself and increase a business’s return on investment. ROI is the ratio between net profits and the cost of investment. By increasing sales margins and maximizing seasonal opportunities, promoting upsell purchases through the digital experience, improving the impact of a brand, and eliminating static menu printing costs this positively affects a company’s ROI.

9. Target Audiences
After seeing a static menu board several times, customers can begin to disengage with content. Digital boards not only show frequently updated content but also employers can easily tailor promotions to their target audience. For example, a restaurant near a high school may have school lunch promotions for students, and this content can be displayed during the time students are out for lunch.

10. Foot Traffic
By using interactive screens it not only increases engagement but also increases efficiency. For example, it’s a worker’s lunch break and he/she is in a hurry. By utilizing a touch screen menu, customers can quickly make selections without any human interaction, and make it back to work on time. This can also turn tables faster and allow for more customers to come in and eat.

11. Community
Gaining the loyalty of local customers can help many restaurants survive amongst the competition. Using digital menu boards, restaurants can show its appreciation by giving back and sharing community news on its screens. For example, it could display local news such as upcoming events, or promote local businesses in the area.

So, What Should You Ultimately Invest In?
Both traditional and digital menu boards have their roles in restaurants. Typically, many restaurants can utilize both in a single business, like using a digital menu board for dine-in customers, while also incorporating static menus for customers who want to take a menu to-go for future pickup orders.

Businesses should invest in digital menu boards because it can increase business efficiency, provide better service to customers, and boosts a company’s bottom line. However, it’s not enough to simply purchase the digital software, mount the displays, and watch the profits unfold. In order to maximize digital menu board benefits, it’s important for a business owner to understand the technology and by having a better understanding of it, use it to his/her advantage.

Ways to use digital signage to attract millenials

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For most businesses, the target audience of today are the Millennials who belong to the age group between 20 to 37. This is a generation which makes up to the maximum amount of population in a city like Dubai. The best part about this generation is that they are familiar with the new concepts and hence the best way to advertise your business is with the help of digital signage. Digital signage today has proven to be an effective tool of advertising and marketing your business and this effective tool can also have a very positive impact on the millennials of today.

We have listed down some of the reasons that rightly prove why lcd digital signage is the perfect tool to use especially if your target audience are the millennials of Dubai.

It Is Quite Appealing To Them

The younger audience of today is well accustomed with the digital era. This means that they have been around the technology almost all their lives and hence are well aware about the new advancements that keep happening. Besides this millennials of today can easily adapt to any new technology and not only this but they also support businesses or organizations who are adapting the same. In simpler terms millennials are able to better connect with the business or organization who is digitally active. For this reason when you lose a high brightness lcd digital signage as a medium of promotion you can easily appealed to this set of audience who have an equal passion and affection for technology. Besides this digital signage can help in making your organization look hip and modern which can easily connect with the millennials of today.

It Can Integrate With Online Marketing

You must understand that the millennials of today do not discriminate the world in terms of online or off-line. They can easily embrace both these categories and enjoy the visual experience of flipping through a paper catalogue and other same time enjoy an online order process. They prefer both a brick and mortar model and at the same time in e-commerce website when they want to look out for something with cheap prices and faster delivery. This means that you can use your digital signage to direct people to an online survey and at the same time you can combine it with push notifications and geofencing techniques in order to help them reach your store as well.

Matches Their Interest

Generally the millennials of today tend to like things that reflect their interest in some or the other way. This means that when they’re watching any video or streaming any music or even shopping they can instantly get recommendations based on their interest and previous habits. You can do a similar tactic using an algorithm like this with the help of your digital signage. This means that you can change the content all through the day based upon the traffic that is passing through the digital signage. This will help in reflecting their interest and better engagement.

Retail solutions for the edge-smart digital shelving

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Online sales are continuing to grow around the world, but the fact remains that brick-and-mortar stores are still the venue where most of the shopping takes place. In today’s distributed commerce world, it is important to catch shopper’s eyes without relying on eye-level placements and a digital shelf is how shoppers discover your products giving the brand control of the appearance of the displayed items. Product content is how you tell your brand’s story, list ingredients, convey the appearance of items. Making the items/products shine on the digital shelf ensures that consumers can find and purchase those items anywhere. “If it doesn’t look good on the digital shelf, it won’t move from the physical one”.

What is a digital shelving solution?

A digital shelving solution comprises of:

• Commercial-grade screens, with hardened protective glass on the entire face of the displays making them resistant to demanding retail environment and harsh alcohol-based
cleaning solvents.
• A Powerful Content Management System (CMS).
• 4k Media Players (drive up to 24 screens).
Any technology that Fengshi offers has been developed specifically for retail environments, with the help of our retail experts. There are no compromises or cost-cutting corners, we have invested heavily in order to provide you with the best products possible.

Key Features:

• Centralized publishing from a powerful Content Management System (CMS) – Change content on the fly, ability to get live updates and feeds so that your clients can be updated instantaneously. Enable retailers to make real-time, personalized offers to customers in-store.
• Content Scheduling – Enable retailers to update prices, offer intraday promotions, and gather data instantaneously and automatically, without error and the need for manual intervention.
• Extremely small 4K Media Players– Can drive up to 24 screens through the innovative use of daisy chain technology.
• Uniquely shaped screens– Specifically designed, developed, and approved for retail through a partnership with fixture manufacturers and technology providers. Give shoppers access to in-store product details, reviews, and alternative buying options.
• Easy to use software – CMS is used to create, edit, and publish the content that the audience is meant to see, interact with, or on which to take action.

Retail digital signage shelf display benefits:

Dynamic pricing.
• Attract shoppers from a distance with vibrant screens that integrate as headers or shelf edges, leverage high definition LCD screens providing highly engaging content.
• Engage customers by showing specific content based on gender, age, or mood by leveraging cameras and sensors combined with shopper analytics software.
• Sell to customers with product-specific campaigns and showing vivid color high-resolution videos or images with the ability to incorporate dynamic pricing and scannable barcodes or QR codes right on the screen.
• Measure the effectiveness and success of a specific campaign by analyzing shopper behavior based on traffic, dwell time, and demographics.
• Assist shoppers by guiding them around the store based on their shopping needs, call for assistance when they become frustrated or immerse them with a personalized concierge experience.
• Integrate inventory sensors to assist shop managers with always up-to-date inventory numbers, call for re-stocking or product facing when needed.
We’re here to help!

We would love to understand more about your requirements. Got an idea but don’t know how to make it a reality? Let one of our experts give you a call and discuss the options available. No hard sell, just sound advice and great ideas. Please feel free to contact us.

Fengshi’s drive thru coffee menu boards

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Drive thru coffee menu boards are most commonly found in brand name outlets, like Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts who will have digital advertising boards as well as other forms of boards, like chalk boards and posters; the beauty of using a digital menu board is the convenience of being able to change and update the content at the touch of a button – via a network over the internet or an individual flash drive.

Brands are easy to identify with and customers are loyal to their favorite – often collecting loyalty points for free coffees and other offers; digital menu boards can also attract additional sales by forwarding special coupons and offers via blue-tooth to a linked smart phone. Coffee shops not only sell coffee, but add on sales like cakes, sandwiches and chilled drinks, as per the time of day and season.

Understanding Fengshi’s drive thru coffee menu boards.
These boards are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, particularly the outdoor ones can take drive thru orders, directly from customers still in their cars, which is handy for those in a rush or who want to avoid getting soaked in the wet weather! People are more inclined to use a digital menu board to make their selection, as it is clearly set out, using images or photographs and text – all of which can be changed according to stock levels and demand. Slow selling items or overstocked gods can be offered at a special price within a moments notice, reducing waste whilst even increasing profits – this does not work as well for static menu boards, like the chalk boards and paper posters. Whether coffee shops are indoor, like a mall or part of a complex, or a stand-alone facility or outdoors in an outlet village, digital signage is essential to keep up with technology.

Customers are attracted by the content of an electronic board, in some places it is still a novelty as technology catches up, which drives additional sales for the coffee shop. Bear in mind where the digital sign will be placed, as sunlight is one of the most common fails; not only does the glare obliterate the imagery on the screen, but it can cause the unit to overheat which can be an irreversible factor and invalidate any warranty.

Coffee shop chains are more likely to network their screens, so they are all showing the same content at the same time (time zone variable), however there is nothing to stop an individually owned coffee shop from joining the digital signage revolution by installing one too. In this case the content can be uploaded directly from a flash drive, which is convenient and can be altered and changed more readily than a printed poster – and chalk boards can look messy when hurriedly changed and crossed out.

Digital Menu Boards are now the preferred choice for food & retail menus and in-store marketing

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Drive customer loyalty and revenue by optimizing menus while still meeting labeling regulations, increasing order size, improving drive through engagement, reinforcing the brand and promoting community programs, enhancing the store atmosphere, creating a personalized customer experience.

Benefits of Digital menu boards

1.Capture your customer’s attention with vibrant, dynamic and moving content.
2.Increase sales by introducing promotional or marketing messages to your menus.
3.Make simultaneous changes globally or individually across all locations.
4.Eliminate costs of printing, delivery and wastage associated with traditional menus.

Switching to Digital menu boards

1.Display and related technology costs have dropped enough that converting from static printed displays makes budgeting sense – when all the costs of printing, shipping and mounting new signs multiple times each year are factored in.
2.Menu changes can be made in seconds instead of days or weeks using digital, and different menus can be shown by time of day. The age-old problem of breakfast menus appearing on signs all day has disappeared with digital.
3.Eye-grabbing videos for promotions, test products, under-performing items and high margin upsells drive sales on feature screens.

Please contact our friendly and helpful sales team for further information and advice regarding the best digital menu solution for your requirements.

The evolution of digital signage window displays

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A window display is a great canvas for Digital Signage. With a big window looking out to those passing by your shop or restaurant, you have a direct line to potential customers. However, until relatively recently the Digital Signage industry was not taking full advantage of this space. One look at our website and you can see our range of ‘High Brightness’ products is growing at a rapid pace. In this blog I’m going to look at the evolution of Digital Signage Window Displays.

Before we manufactured High Brightness solutions, conventional brightness Digital Signage screens like our Android Advertising Displays or Android Freestanding Digital Posters would have been used in windows. As great as these screens are, this is not really what they are designed for. When placing a screen into a window a whole host of challenges arise that a screen needs to be equipped for. The key issues were the brightness level of the screen competing with the sun, as well as the temperature regulation of the display itself. There was also the fact that these displays featured a tempered glass front meaning when they were installed into window displays there were two layers of glass, creating addition reflections. It was clear to us that a purpose built solution was needed for this market.

As the screens were for use in window displays they needed to be able to cope with the increased temperatures from prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. The screen needed a temperature control system to regulate the heat of the screen to keep the LCD panel running at the optimum temperature. Compared to other solutions on the market the High Brightness Monitors were a cost effective solution that we saw was missing from the marketplace. Customers loved having our award winning all-in-one Digital Signage software solution bundled with the new High Brightness hardware.

Not every window display is the same so just having one solution for all doesn’t make sense right? When mounted into a south facing window display the brightness of the High Brightness Professional Monitor was not sufficient to counteract the reflections and distortions the direct sunlight can bring. The ‘Ultra High Brightness Monitor‘ launched is the premium solution for this problem. With a brightness of 2,500cd/m2 the display is ten times brighter than that of a domestic television. A side-effect of an LCD panel being exposed to direct sunlight is that temporary blackening defect can occur on the panel when it overheats.

The Ultra High Brightness Monitor uses a special panel that can withstand surface temperatures up to 100°C with no blackening defects occurring. A freestanding version of this product was launched to create a true all-in-one Digital Signage window display.
The latest evolution came with the recent launch of the Hanging Double-Sided Window Displays. We saw from the market that some customers wanted to have screens facing their windows and inside at the same time. Solutions on the market would have been costly, involving buying two screens and mounting them together and often looking bulky. That is what makes the Hanging Double-Sided Window Displays even more extraordinary is that they are slimmer than even the single sided High Brightness Displays. The compromise for this is that the outer facing side has a brightness of 2500cd/m2 while the inside is 700cd/m2.

There are multiple challenges that you face when placing a Digital Signage screen inside a window display. From the brightness of the screen to how to the display regulates its temperature to how the screen is mounted; so a wide range of solutions is needed. That is why the breadth of solutions has evolved so quickly and will continue to do so. As I said before not every window display is the same so by having a range of considered solutions means we can meet the developing requirements the market needs.

Click here to learn more about window facing display.

Study reveals the importance of digital signage

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Analysts agree that the future of advertising is in the digital format. We present a study that reveals the importance of digital signage.

The new platforms and technologies are part of the daily life of our society and should not be seen as competitors, but rather as a new opportunity to increase DOOH ( Digital Out of Home ), in different services and areas of activity.

In a world where more and more information circulates, capturing a customer’s attention has become an hard task. Companies in different areas of activity are looking for solutions and new alternatives in the new technologies, since the conventional ones begin to stop to follow the new habits of the modern consumers.

There begins to be a big buzz about the advertising industry. From year to year, studies show significant increases in expenses for digital advertising. Commerce is one of the sectors where digital advertising has caused more impact. Recent studies show that digital signage is more effective in promoting products and services.
Programmatic advertising applies in this area. For those who don’t know the concept of programmatic advertising, we advise you to read this article – click here. With this managers and marketers are able to perceive and study in a more targeted way, which types of ads, which users watch the most, or which might be more attractive.

The development of technology forces citizens to become more technological. There are more and more studies demonstrating this behavior change.

Developer of Digital Point-of-Sale and Advertising Networks, recently conducted a study that points to the following facts:

Queues are the most hated part of shopping
Among the clients interviewed, 69% said they are extremely frustrated and annoyed by the long waiting lines for payment. 84% of customers said that watching content on digital panels decreases the perception of waiting time, so it looks like time goes by faster.

Digital signage in supermarkets reduces waiting time to at least 35%.

Most customers are interested in digital panels
70.2% of the clients interviewed said that they watched the contents that are on the digital panels. Another 15.7% said they were not sure, however, this means that 85.9% of buyers are potentially interested in watching.

The data can be even more encouraging, with 85% of shoppers having digital signage saying that the digital panels are fun and enjoyable to watch.

78% of them claim that the digital panels catch their attention and 70% say the content is useful.

Nearly half of customers are more likely to buy in stores with digital signage
40% of customers said in this study that they would be more likely to shop in places with digital signage.

In this study it was possible to extract other very important information such as:

What content do customers prefer to see on these digital panels?

76% What’s on sale
75% Time
69% Upcoming events / specials at the store
65% New in-store services
64% Local community events
63% Revenue Ideas
What can we conclude from this study ?

This study was carried out in outlets such as grocery stores and supermarkets. And it is amazing to realize the amount of useful information we can collect.

The perception that digital signage is very important is one of the main ones. The advantages we see are incredible:

Reduces the perception of wait times,adaptation to the context and audience,decreased complaints，attractive contents,dynamic advertising,more enjoyable consumption experience,collection of statistical data
Digital signage attracts consumers’ attention and allows for much more effective interaction and experience!
In addition, we can realize that this study can be applied not only in grocery stores and supermarkets, but also for other points of sale such as clothing stores, electronics stores, etc.

Opting for digital signage means not only creating new interactive experiences but also engaging the target audience in a more flexible and cost-effective way to communicate.
Fengshi LCD is the leader in the manufacture and development of multimedia kiosks and digital billboards, offers a wide range of technological solutions. The benefits and modes of use are multiple, regardless of the area of ​​activity. Fengshi LCD digital signage solution is flexible, comprehensive and designed to meet different objectives.
This is a new way to communicate with customers or potential customers and at the same time create.

Creating content rich digital signage

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Does your digital signage effectively deliver content that keeps the attention of your viewers? In today’s digital world simply playing static slideshow messaging gets ignored. You have less than 10 seconds to keep a viewers attention…so how does your content keep them continuously engaged. This is where a “Content Rich” display can make the impact you need. Content rich does not mean just lots of content, it actually refers to the idea that your software and apps power your signage itself with ever changing content that targets your audience, feels fresh and is relevant to trends happening. Ignoring the need for a content rich display software will only limit the effectiveness of your digital signage lcd display investment.

So it is important to understand what content apps and widgets are available for you to create and automate content within your digital signage software. There is a large range of digital signage software applications that offer different levels of content creation flexibility.

Basic slideshow functions – no app integration or individual sections
Enterprise development – custom developed and costly updates
Zoned content – specific content in specific spaces with no flexibility
If a content rich display is your goal then you will want to choose a signage software that offers built in widgets and apps to give you flexibility and keeps your display current while minimizing the daily demands on your time.

Fengshi LCD digital signage offers many widgets and apps ready to handle content by linking to many web based feeds available.
Flexibility is Key for Engaging Digital Signage Content
With so many content widgets available it is also important to be able to manage, plan and organize your content as you want it to display. A flexible high brightness digital signage software like fengshilcd allows you to customize any layout with the content you need to support your digital goals. if you want a special widget, Fengshi lcd developers are available to discuss options. Having templates or free form pages that allow for customization is a must have feature. Being locked into limiting layouts will limit how effectively you can display rich content. One tip is not to overload your page with too many elements displayed at once. This will only turn away viewers with confusion because of the lack of focus. Instead, an effective design is one with a multi page feature that allows you to transition between content widgets so that each page stands out and speaks to your viewers. Fengshi digital signage lcd display lets you manage pages with rich content that you can plan and schedule to play while rotating through widgets with timing and automated feeds for digital success.

How digital signage helps businesses adapt to the “New Normal”

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There is no question that businesses are feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the last few months, brands and consumers have had to adapt to change quicker than at any time in recent history. The way we do business is changing, and with no clear end in sight, companies must get creative and move fast as they prepare for the future.

From empty stadiums to curbside pickup, companies have had no choice but to go along for the ride. As states begin to lift restrictions, businesses must be strategic as they implement experiences that will give consumers the confidence to resume in-person commerce.

How lcd digital signage can help calm the storm
The implementation of traditional static signage has been vital in educating consumers about social distancing and good hygiene practices. The presence of these reminders has helped calm the many fears as consumers begin to move forward, resuming their normal activities. As health experts learn more about the virus, news and recommendations continue to change. Because of this, static signage is not a long term or cost-effective solution.

Modern digital signage has changed how we communicate with the masses. The evolution of both hardware and cloud-based CMS technologies has led to the development of new digital applications. These applications are helping businesses solve many of the current challenges that doing business in a worldwide pandemic creates.

LCD Digital signage helps businesses simplify tasks.
As businesses reopen, public health officials have asked companies to limit the number of customers allowed in their stores. To manage this, many have assigned dedicated employees to count customers as they come and go.

Access control widgets to help businesses simplify how they track and communicate to waiting customers are now being produced. With any mobile device, employees can easily +/- visitors as they come and go. Live numbers can then show on a nearby digital signage display to keep waiting customers informed. Once at maximum occupancy, on-screen messaging can instantly be triggered to show custom content to those waiting to enter. To further simplify, the ability to count customers and trigger content without the need of an employee is possible with minimal add ons to these kinds of developing solutions.

High Brightness Digital signage helps keep the curve flat

Offering personal protective equipment for customers is a great way to rebuild consumer confidence. Many digital signage providers now offer wellness kiosks that consolidate everything needed to both educate and protect customers.

With these kiosks, customers are encouraged to step up and receive a hands-free temperature reading. The results are then instantly visible on a built-in HD display.

Gloves, masks, and hand sanitizer are available directly within the kiosk to offer customers the tools and supplies they need to feel safe and protected.

Digital signage helps educate, remind, and inform.

We all know that practicing good hygiene is critical, but changing bad habits takes time and requires constant reminders.

With millions of highly visible displays around the world, digital signage continues to be the perfect channel to remind and educate the general public about the importance of social distancing and good hygiene.

Because many of these displays run on cloud-based content management systems, it’s easy to push updated and relevant content from anywhere.
There are many free COVID-19 digital signage templates available online that anyone can download to help educate and spread awareness.
Until a vaccine is readily available, the world must learn to adapt to this “new normal.” As we move forward, digital signage technology will continue to evolve into practical applications that give consumers the tools and confidence they need to enter back into the world.

How does digital signage work?

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You see screens everywhere these days. In all kinds of public spaces, from shopping centers to corporate hubs, there are digital signage displays showing information that people find interesting and useful. They could be static digital signs, they could be interactive touchscreens, or there could be a big video wall. Or there could be a combination of all of these.

At its most basic level, digital signage is a screen of some sort (probably an LCD screen), some kind of visual messaging presented in a digital format, and a way for the screen to show the messages.

The basics
Technically speaking, if someone wanted to put a few PowerPoint slides on a thumb drive and play them in rotation on a flatscreen TV, that is digital signage. That’s about as basic as it can get. But the digital signage industry, which gets bigger every year, is clearly offering more than just that.

How do digital signage systems work? Here are the basic things you need:

Content — a way to design and create messages, as well as how the overall screen layout will look; could be special software programs or the design tools from another program (like PowerPoint); this can also include data feeds and subscriptions.
Management — a content management system (CMS) that organizes, schedules and delivers your messages to media players or playback devices; this software can be housed on a native content server on site or cloud based.
Playback — a media player is a PC or appliance that pushes the content to the display; the player software handles visual rendering of the messages and feeds in a content playlist, and distributes it to one or more screens.
Display — screens of some sort (usually flatscreen TVs, LCDs) that are wall-mounted or contained within a kiosk; could be interactive touchscreens for things like wayfinding and menu boards; can also be several screens networked into a video wall.
Infrastructure — this is all of the mounts, cabling, network connections, etc. that enable the messages to go from the content server to the media players to the displays; could include internet connection to show live web pages, social media feeds, real time data feeds and more.
Most companies who offer high brightness digital signage software cover the first three items on the list. Usually, an audiovisual integrator or IT reseller can help with the screens and infrastructure, as well as identifying the best software solution for your environment. Although some software vendors don’t provide the playback hardware themselves (frequent with cheaper cloud-based systems), you’ll still need to have some sort of media player to get content to your screens.

When companies talk about enterprise digital signage solutions, they usually offer all five components (either in-house or through AV/IT partnerships), as well as professional services and support. Oftentimes, these digital signage providers will offer content feeds, design services, training and consulting for content and engagements strategies.

At its most basic level, a digital signage network needs:

a way to make messages.
a way to organize and schedule those messages.
something to push those messages to displays.
the displays and other hardware needed to get your messages in front of your audience.
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