Digital signage is useful for increasing retail sales at any time, but it can be particularly effective at peak shopping periods.
A report by Engineering News in South Africa – a country that loves its shopping malls – noted that there is good evidence of the effectiveness of such screens at any time of the year, with a survey by Neilson finding that four out of five retailers experiences a boost of up to 33 per cent in sales through the use of digital media outside the home.
It is not just volumes of sales that are influences, but also choices, with a Cisco study showing more than 40 per cent of shoppers admitted digital displays influenced their purchasing decisions. The LED screen benefits are not in doubt.
The article noted how this can be capitalised on by retailers during busy shopping periods, such as the pre-Christmas period. Pointing to a study showing that 79 per cent of South African shoppers leave their festive purchases until the last couple of weeks before December 25th, it highlighted the capacity of digital signage to offer special deals and discounts for those seeking bargains.
In the UK, shoppers do tend to start a bit sooner, with research by Statista showing 54 per cent planned to start 2022 Christmas spending before December. But with only five per cent not buying Christmas gifts at all, that still would leave many Britons not even starting until late, while many more would still leave some shopping until the final days.
Of course, now the Christmas season and the subsequent sales have gone, this particular peak time for sales has passed. But there may be some niche periods when certain products are likely to perform well. For example, anything related to Valentine’s Day will be in demand in February, while spring will be a boom time for Easter products and summer sports and leisure equipment.