Beyond Displays: Latest Trends in Digital Signage

Digital Signage has moved head-first into the interactive space to help increase efficiency, reduce overhead, and enhance the user experience.

As discussed in previous blog posts, interactivity has moved from touchscreens to QR codes and gesture interactions. We have seen it change from a luxury item to large-scale displays that engulf Times Square, Dubai, Tokyo, and Las Vegas. Knowing this, we must ask ourselves, “Where does it go from here?”  

Well, when it comes to companies hoping to bring workers back into the office, Digital Signage can play a role by adding a personal touch never seen before; one that cannot be found in the home office.   

Better personalisation  

Touchless Technology and the use of embedded QR codes are some ways we now see Digital Signage helping make experiences both at work and in shops more personalised. When looking into the topic further we see the use of APIs, Bluetooth and RF signals to help further personalise a person’s experience. Since data collection is now a daily occurrence in our lives, retail organisations are attempting to find ways to create APIs to take that data and implement into the user experience via digital signage. Imagine walking into a store and having a Digital Signage display light up with a video of a virtual attendant greeting you. They call you by name, and using information they’ve collected from past store experiences, both online and in-store, they ask if you’re there to purchase specific products. Wouldn’t that make you feel you’ve been heard and that the retail store understands your needs? That’s the incredible part of Digital Signage capabilities.  

Now, expand that consumer experience to the corporate space because it’s well understood that many technology breakthroughs start in the consumer space and then move into corporate. Corporations can utilise that same consumer experiences to help drive the workforce back into the office if needed. Imagine walking into work and being greeted by a large transparent video wall, showing advertisements for your company, or even the ever-popular lobby waterfall. You walk into the building, and scan your badge, which then sends a communication to the video wall to greet you for the day. Wouldn’t that make you feel like you were important to that organisation?  

Next steps in facial recognition 

A further extension of that personalisation is Facial Recognition. Digital Signage applications have started to incorporate facial recognition into their use case because, as discussed in the Rise of Touchless Technology, people are hesitant to use the “touch-based” interactivity. Facial Recognition works by incorporating cameras within the housing of the display. The cameras capture the person’s face and then work in tandem with applications to display information about that person on the display. 

In retail this could be showcased in a coffee shop for example, if you were stood in front of the ordering kiosk while it scans your face and then displays your name and asks if you want your favourite drink order. Add a little voice recognition where you say “yes”, and your order is placed. You just wait for someone to call your name, pick up your drink and you go about your day. It’s taking the mobile ordering app and extending it to the in-store experience.  

All this is possible and is already happening in our daily lives. Facial recognition is already used for security on mobile devices. Voice recognition is used in your home via your Smart Home speakers. If you use it at home, why not take it to your favourite store or your workplace. 

 The next time you’re at a store or a corporate centre, look around at the Digital Signage; think about what they’re doing and then think about what they can be doing with Digital Signage to make the user experience more personal and efficient.  

Digital Signage is no longer just a tool for sharing information but is now a necessary part of the user experience, and as we continue to move toward the days when the children who grew up with mobile devices, social media, and STEM education, we will continue to see innovative ways to incorporate Digital Signage into our world. 

Contact New Era today to learn more.