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4 digital signage tips for engaging customers in the holiday season

Remi Del Mar, senior product manager, visual display solutions at Epson America, Inc., shares his expertise on leveraging projection technology to engage and deliver immersive experiences can set stores apart and captivate customers.

Photo by istock.com

December 18, 2019

By Remi Del Mar, senior product manager, Visual Display Solutions at Epson America, Inc.

With the holidays quickly approaching, retailers are heading into the busiest buying season of the year, with consumers frantically searching for the perfect gift for family and friends. The retail industry is constantly evolving and advancements in technology have changed the way consumers interact with brands and products, from the ease at which they are able to receive information to the way they digest an abundance of content. Brands and store managers must keep up with the trends and rethink how to attract customers who crave memorable and engaging experiences.

According to a Verizon study, 47% of consumers like the use of technologies to bring a product to life. With the ability to instantly change the digital dimensions of virtually any surface using a single unit, projection technology offers a solution that can create unique and engaging shopping experiences by illuminating products or brands, without impacting the physical space around them.

Engaging customers with dynamic content

In our visual age, digital signage has become key to engaging, informing and entertaining in nearly every place people congregate — including retail locations. The most successful businesses are those that understand an emotional connection means lasting customer loyalty. Offering everything from intricate mapping tools to large-scale possibilities, projection technology offers no limitations and empowers retailers to create captivating, immersive environments, reviving the excitement of going out to shop and connecting customers to new products and brands.

From powerful laser displays to unique form factors, the latest projection technology takes digital displays to another level by making it easier for store managers and owners to illuminate and project dynamic content virtually anywhere for an enhanced retail experience, and holidays are a great time for retailers to test unique ways to captivate customers.

1.    Create a winter wonderland: Today's consumers are drawn to memorable experiences rather than products and want to be part of the brand experience. Let shoppers get into the holiday spirit and enjoy a fun winter-themed shopping experience. Display dynamic images on a store wall by projecting a playlist of different winter landscapes and holiday images to immerse shoppers – from snowy alps and crackling fireplaces to dazzling light displays and festive decorations. Go a step further and connect with the community by displaying a live social feed or information about upcoming local holiday events on tabletops. Keep the kids entertained while mom and dad shop by displaying falling snowflakes, fun holiday storybook images, hopscotch, or other content on store floors.

2.    Present deals and sales to window shoppers: Entice passersby to come in and shop by displaying the latest sales on store windows. Whether hosting a flash sale or offering incredible discounts on a product, easily display your message and get as creative as you want using content management applications available on digital signage devices. Choose from different templates, effects, color filters, and customizable options to effectively and creatively display the latest deals to drive foot traffic into your store. Make finding the sales convenient for shoppers with wayfinding projected on the floors or store walls. Illuminate a path to the products or display arrows for customers to follow.

3.    Generate excitement with projection mapping technology: Catch shoppers' eyes by simultaneously illuminating and projecting information onto products on display. With shoppers rushing to buy last-minute gifts, provide added convenience by virtually displaying the different patterns and colors available of best-selling items directly on storefront displays. Today's digital signage solutions can be leveraged for mapping onto virtually any surface, fabric or material and offer flexible positioning and programming options. Stores can even use projection technology to highlight the top features of products on display to easily give customers the information they need up front.

4.    Make environmentally-friendly choices: Today's customers keep environmentally cautious brands top of mind when deliberating shopping choices. Retailers incorporating projectors into their store designs and displays eliminate unnecessary printing of seasonal decorations and signage. Projection technology can help reinvent store-level operations and experiences by offering a simpler solution for changing content to meet the current season needs. Digitally create signage, images or videos for upcoming sales or seasonal pushes and display the content through the projection technology for a more environmentally — and budget — friendly option.

Going into the holiday season is a great time for retailers to reevaluate how they attract and engage with customers. Every element of the retail experience plays a critical role in capturing and maintaining shoppers' attention. Captivating storefront displays, immersive seasonal environments and enticing digital signage helps draw the eye of shoppers and increases foot traffic into stores. Projection technology offers an easy way for retailers to create an engaging holiday shopping experience.