In-person shopping bounced back in a big way in 2022, growing faster than e-commerce for the first time in decades. Shoppers returned to stores with new expectations though: According to research from Deloitte, 90% of people now want a “digitally enhanced shopping journey,” with brick-and-mortar stores supplemented by web-based, app-based and/or in-store mobile experiences. But electronics retailers need to double down on their visual communications strategy to keep up because even as in-person retail in general grows, consumer electronics spending continues to shift online.
22Miles is committed to helping retailers build strong customer relationships no matter how shopping behavior evolves. Our newly updated Content Manager V7 allows them to build and deploy content for digital signage, mobile, and the web from a unified back end, supporting the “digitally enhanced shopping journey” today’s consumers expect. The customer engagement potential of a unified content management system (CMS) like this is limitless, but there are five key applications that most retailers can implement and benefit from immediately.
- Advertising and promotions – Digital signs, especially those with dynamic or interactive content, are more eye-catching and effective than traditional ads. They can be changed at will and customized by location, and a good CMS makes creating new ad content easy by automatically skinning templates with your store’s brand, logos, colors and fonts.
- Interactive experiences – A large-scale interactive video wall or projection feature can increase dwell time in your store, earn free exposure through social media, and help close high-end sales.
- Wayfinding – For larger stores, shopping malls, or mixed-use destinations, digital wayfinding and directories are essential to close the “convenience gap” between in-store and online shopping. Today’s wayfinding systems can send personalized, turn-by-turn directions directly to shoppers’ phones. They can also sync with inventory databases, helping shoppers verify if an item is in stock and where it’s located – or, if it’s sold out, order it for in-store pick-up.
- Analytics – Every click on a digital sign is a data point you can record and analyze to better understand shopping behavior. What are people looking for? Which promotions are the most engaging? What are your busiest times and locations? This intel can help you tweak your content designs, plan activations, optimize store layout and more
- Back-of-house – Sales associates are brick-and-mortar retail’s biggest asset, so keeping them informed and motivated should be a top priority. A CMS can drive critical employee communications to back-of-house digital signage, kiosks, or employee mobile apps. Teams can monitor sales KPIs, schedule meetings and reserve rooms to close high-touch sales, and access product inventory, specs, and pricing.
In 2023, we expect to see high-tech tools like interactive digital signage and immersive experiences further penetrate the retail market. The most sophisticated retailers will use these tools not just to improve customer experience, but to evaluate their customers’ behavior and sales and marketing tactics to grow their business and remain competitive with e-commerce.
About the Author
Tomer Mann is the CRO of 22Miles. As a veteran in the digital signage industry for more than 14 years, Tomer strives to enhance visual communication consulting services to higher education, hospitality, retail, transportation, government, corporate, venues, healthcare, and other large organizations.
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