Placing digital signage LCD screens in a retail window

A display in a window is an insight into your store for those that pass by every day. A successful digital signage solution showing eye-catching, dynamic content could be the trigger for that passerby to actually walk through your door for a significant uplift in sales. For this reason, there are many high street retailers with requirements for commercial-grade LCD digital signage solutions that are public- facing, ranging from a single small display through to a number of massive displays.

Unfortunately, not all ‘solution providers’ have the knowledge or experience to deliver a solution that will deliver the expected outcome for the client or is fit for purpose. A bad solution reflects (literally in some cases) on your brand and products and might as well not be there if it’s not visible, has poor content or shows errors and notifications from the operating system.

So why is digital signage in a high street window any different from that installed throughout the sales floor? The sun and other environmental factors, if not considered during the project consultation phase, can cause major headaches once installed. In no particular order, I’ll point out some of the more common problems you may have seen in the window of a high street store near you. I may use the words screen, display, unit, LCD and panel throughout this document; I use them interchangeably. This is not an exhaustive guide, but there are many things that can go wrong with your digital window installation.

It’s important that the screen you choose is able to respond to the different light levels from day to night throughout all the seasons. An image that is too bright during the hours of darkness can be difficult to view and can cause glare for drivers. The panel should be able to dynamically adjust the brightness to keep your message viewable at all times. Again, whilst many consumer displays have ambient light sensors, they don’t have the range of adjustment often required for a commercial requirement. When considering an outward-facing digital signage deployment, don’t gloss over conversation about the sun.
Commercial environments and cheap screens don’t mix well. If you’re looking at rolling out a digital signage solution for engaging with customers on the shop floor, back-of-house communications with staff or digital window displays, then use a company that can show examples of other successful installations in your sector and speak with those customers about their experience.