Every year the digital signage expo leaves us wanting more. This year, as is true every year, the event at the Las Vegas Convention Center lived up to the hype. To put it simply, the event never disappoints. Literally every aspect of the digital world intersects at this event and creates relevancy for brands, retailers, and vendors alike. It doesn’t matter if you’re new to the space or an industry veteran like Bluewater, the Digital Signage expo has something for everyone.
We thought we would take moment and share with you 3 key lessons that everyone should know about digital signage no matter your experience level. These three keys to success were discussed at length and woven throughout the content of the expo. At Bluewater, we know they are instrumental to successful digital signage projects.
Lesson 1: Analytics are your friend
How do you measure the value of a Digital Signage installation? Well, if your selling ad space the answer is simple, but what about the rest of us? The availability of meaningful analytics in the Digital Signage space has long been an unfilled hole. However, its importance cannot be understated, particularly in the retail environment. Measurement is king and the importance of generating positive ROI is an ever-growing focus for most organizations. This year’s DSE saw a fresh face in the room from the likes of NEC as well as continued development of the Samsung Nexshop retail analytics platform. With the ability to automatically recognize viewer demographics and even traffic patterns, these platforms can provide critical decision making insight, not to mention the attribution capabilities as it pertains to the customer journey. Be sure to keep an eye on these platforms as they develop and never underestimate their worth. The data and analytics boom has jumped to the forefront of most industries and it’s certainly here to stay and continually evolving when it comes to digital signage.
Lesson 2: Choose Your Weapon Wisely
A few years back, a visit to the digital signage expo could feel like a visit to your local Ikea. There were so many things to see and so little time to actually engage. While display manufacturers where out in force, CMS providers represented a somewhat limited showing. Of particular interest is the new Verizon Digital Signage platform. Utilizing the Verizon backbone, this offering means Digital Signage can be used anywhere you can get a cell signal. This undeniably makes the product particularly valuable to areas such as public transportation, traveling exhibits, and other areas where a traditional network is infeasible. This creates new geographical footprints for businesses to implement digital signage that never could before.
As the industry continues to consolidate, we find a handful of key CMS players settling into their respective niches. Each offering features sets that look scarily similar. This can make choosing the right provider for your installation seem somewhat overwhelming and difficult. Fear Not, young padawan! Bluewater’s team is on standby to help you choose just the right tools. Plus, we will build it, configure it, install it, train you on it, support it, and even build content that will stun your audience.
Lesson 3: No Two Displays are Created Equal
As we learned in lesson two, DSE 2019 included no shortage of display manufacturers. From giants like Samsung and LG to smaller shops from the asian peninsulas, the variety of display offerings was quite diverse. LCD Displays are quickly climbing out of the standard 16:9 ratio into other unique formats such as ultra wide bar type and window front. While primarily focused on retail, these non-traditional displays offer an intriguing flexibility when it comes to architectural installations. Combine this with new direct view LED, transparent displays, and player integrated / System on Chip LCDs and the result is a wide range of options when outfitting your digital signage installation.
For more information regarding the Digital Signage Expo 2019 check out the brief video below:
