Digital signage is a significant investment, but it is certainly one that will improve your audience’s overall experience. Once you decide to install digital displays, though, there are a number of things you can do to ensure that you’re setting yourself up for success. By taking the following factors into consideration, you can make sure your displays have maximum visibility, and therefore reach and impact the maximum number of people.
Location, Location, Location
This might be the single most important decision you can make in terms of maximizing the visibility of your digital displays. Be strategic when planning out where you’ll install your displays. Aim for places that get a lot of foot traffic or where people naturally congregate. This could be outside your storefront or near the line for the cash registers, the customer service desk, and fitting rooms.
It’s also a good idea to remember your purpose for installing digital signage when deciding where to put it. Displays meant for entertainment and displays meant for wayfinding, for example, should likely be placed in two different places. Entertainment is most engaging in places like waiting rooms, where people are awaiting service. Wayfinding, on the other hand, belongs at intersections or sometimes even in the middle of the aisle, where visitors are most likely to need directions.
Positioning & Height
Once you’ve decided where you’re going to put your displays, there’s a secondary dimension to that decision. What mounting height will you use? Again, this will depend on your purpose.
A store whose target market is children, for example, may think that installing displays near the floor is the most effective way to appeal to young shoppers. Well, it might. But if your purpose is to display deals, the adults who will actually be making the purchases would likely be more interested in seeing that information. In that case, you’d likely want the displays mounted at an adult’s eye level.
Glare & Brightness
While these two are connected, they are still different — so let’s look at them individually.
First up: glare. Again, this goes back to choosing the right location. Make sure your display is placed somewhere that isn’t going to constantly be fighting off the glare from the sun. Not only can sunlight harm displays over time, but glare also creates a negative user experience as people can’t see the content as easily.
Next: you’ll need to test various brightness levels. Your digital displays should be bright enough that they’re easy to see. At the same time, you don’t want your sign to be too bright, otherwise, it might be distracting or potentially unreadable by your shoppers. Be aware of changing natural light if the sun impacts the light in your store. Sometimes the brightness level needed during the day is different from that needed at night.
Plan Your Content Design
If you choose the perfect placement location but you don’t show compelling content on your digital displays, you’re not going to be happy with your results. Make sure you spend a sufficient amount of time thinking about the content and design that will be shown to your audience. Follow some common rules of thumb, like:
- Avoid too much text.
- Add enough white space.
- Don’t use too many colors. (Three is good.)
- Keep your content simple.
- Change your slides every six to 10 seconds.
With a strong content plan, optimal location, and ideal mounting height, you can maximize both the visibility and reception of your digital signage. Above all else, make sure you know your purpose for implementing these displays before you begin the planning process, as that purpose will inform many of your decisions.
If you need assistance during the planning process, don’t hesitate to reach out. Kinettix’s global partner alliance is ready to help you roll out your digital signage, maximize your displays’ visibility, and optimize customer engagement. We can source appropriately skilled technicians, conduct a site assessment, offer remote support, and more — all to ensure the success of your deployment. Contact us to schedule a consultation.
