Digital Signs and the Weary Mall Shopper By Bruce Orr At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Digital signs are a perfect fit for the local shopping mall. Not only do they go a long way toward improving the shopping experience, they can also generate revenue for the mall’s owner.

Enhancing the Mall Experience

Anyone who has spent time shopping in a mall knows the food court experience well. People arrive there, tired from a day of shopping, laden with bags and perhaps with hungry children in tow. They are met with crowds, noise, and an array of harsh colored lights from the neon signs above each restaurant. The choices, sights and sounds are overwhelming.

How can digital signs make these people feel better? For starters, they can highlight menu specials or specific restaurants. Using short video clips of food either already prepared or cooking on the grill, they can focus shoppers’ attention on a meal selection and make it easier for them to choose between the many restaurants.

Digital signs can also distract and entertain people during their visit to the food court. Entertainment news, sports headlines and funny video clips can amuse and relax even the most harried shopper.

The food court isn’t the only place in a mall where a diversion may be needed. Many shopping centers have added comfortable seating throughout the mall for shoppers or their exhausted family members to sit and rest. Digital signs in these areas can keep people occupied while they take a break or wait for the busy shopper they have accompanied to the mall.

What else can digital signs do? How about assisting with wayfinding? While nothing will likely replace the standard directory found in every mall, strategically located digital signs can augment the mall map by pointing out important features like washrooms and by directing people to large anchor stores that often act as signposts for locating smaller stores nearby.

Earning Money

How do these signs generate revenue? Every installation of a digital sign is a potential advertising space. Consider how the examples above can be used for advertising:

• In the food court, the mall owner can charge participating restaurants to advertise on the signs.

• In the rest areas, the mall can feature new stores or sales at existing stores and again charge retailers. The signs could also feature third-party ads for products available at specific retailers in the mall.

• Wayfinding signs can include logos or “brought to you by” spots that highlight stores, again paid for by the retailer.

In addition to earning money, digital signs can save money on printing costs for static posters.

Because they are typically controlled from a single location, digital signage content can be easily updated to ensure that it is fresh and relevant, making the mall appear more current and “high-tech” than its competitors. This image of innovation improves the mall’s brand and helps encourage shoppers to return.

With all of the benefits to be realized from digital signs, it is no wonder that they are increasingly being seen at major shopping centers across North America.

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