Digital signage is regarded as one of the catalysts helping to lift the retail industry out of recession, according to a recent poll carried out by LG at the recent ISE 2010 show in Amsterdam.
Some 79% of the sample of visitors polled by LG said that they believed digital display technologies will be very important or vital to revitalising the high street in the year ahead. The survey, entitled Future of the High Street, indicated support from 32% of respondents for the resurgence of town centres, with most believing it will be driven by retailers finding new ways to deliver better customer service. A smaller proportion, 17%, believed that town centres will increasingly become social hubs, driven by ‘lively and imaginative displays’ that attract good business.
Recent developments in simple, cost-effective and powerful digital display solutions packages were seen by 81% as being able to improve customer service (if used appropriately) and over 90% believe that digital signage can actually increase retail spending.
Perceived barriers for adoption included concerns over the creation of content, no clear understanding of the return on investment, and the difficulty of incorporating new systems into their existing IT infrastructure.
“These figures underscore widespread belief in the power and impact of digital signage in the high street,” said Luc Grare, director of LG Business Solutions for Europe. “They also confirm what we have thought for some time – that in a tough retail environment, digital technology that can inform, advise and entertain their customers is going to give that retailer a competitive edge.”
Grare’s Business Services division, which was behind the launch of LG’s SuperSign total digital signage solution at ISE 2010, is aiming the product at small and medium-sized retailers, which make up over a third of the European digital signage market. “These smaller retailers need the same quality, reliability and ease of use from their displays as larger organisations but at lower costs. LG’s long understanding of this market is behind the development of the simple, powerful and cost effective display tools we have introduced,” he said.
