Digital Signage

Digital signage is a form of electronic display that shows information, advertising and other messages. Digital signs such as:

LCD
LED
Plasma
Projection Systems

These can be found in public and private environments, such as retail stores and corporate buildings.

Advertising using digital signage is a form of out-of-home advertising in which content and messages are displayed on digital signs with a common goal of delivering targeted messages to specific locations at specific times. This is often called "digital out of home" or abbreviated as DOOH.

The benefits of digital signage over static signs, in situations where changing signs are preferred over static signs, are that the content can be exchanged more easily, animations can be shown, and the signs can adapt to the context and audience, even interactively. Digital signage can offer superior return on investment compared to temporary and/or promotional signs made from other substrates.

Market and applications

While the term "digital signage" has taken hold throughout most of the world, some companies and organizations prefer to use the terms "narrowcasting", "screen media", "place-based media", "digital merchandising", "digital media networks", "digital out-of-home" or "captive audience networks".

Digital signage is used for many different purposes and there is no definitive list. However, below are some of the most common applications of digital signage:

Public information – news, weather and local (location specific) information, such as fire exits and traveler information.

Internal information - corporate messages, health & safety, news, etc.
Advertising – either related to the location the signage is in or just using the audience reach of the screens for general advertising.

Brand building – in-store digital signage to promote the brand and build a brand identity.
Influencing customer behavior – directing customers to different areas, increasing the dwell time on the store premises.

Enhancing customer experience – applications include the reduction of perceived wait time in restaurant waiting areas, bank queues, etc., as well as recipe demonstrations in food stores.

Enhancing the environment – with interactive screens (in the floor for example) or with dynamic wayfinding.