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What we really need are solutions

A rep from a $10 billion company said this: "All I want is a screen. I don't want a network. I just want it to work with mobile." It's time to think about giving him solutions, not technology.

July 15, 2014 by Paul Flanigan — Founder, The Preset Group

We need to get this together

Recently I had the opportunity to speak in Seattle at the Future Stores conference. It was an event focused around understanding the consumer through an analytic microscope. I spoke about the connected consumer, bringing the worlds of mobile and digital signage together to create better experiences. (I’ll be hosting a webinar in September about this. You can learn more here.)

I was also given the opportunity to host a roundtable discussion about digital signage. Four brands sat with me, all of them national brands. We talked about the in-store experience. I started by asking two questions. Following the questions are the answers.

Question: What does digital signage mean to you?

• "Users, content that supports products and brands; helping the customer in the journey."
• "An environment of the right place at the right time; you know what you're in for."
• "Enabling the sales associate, and promoting products."

Question: What is the biggest challenge you have with building a digital signage network?

• "The seamless offline to online journey."
• "Resources and IT."
• "The customer. How do we put worth to our network?"
• "Customer value."

Two things struck me about their answers: 1) Each answer was, in effect, a challenge to the industry to help them solve a problem; 2) not once was technology mentioned as a challenge.

And there's the problem. The conference was really insightful. I learned way more than I shared. But we are still talking about products. We are still talking about what products do.

We're not talking about solutions, about putting the entire thing together for a client who doesn't see products but sees a need for results that can only come from a solution.

One of the brands at my table, a $10 billion company, said this to me: "All I want is a screen. I don't want a network. I just want it to work with mobile."

I know. Easier said than done. But he presents the perfect opportunity: Instead of thinking about what products he needs for a network, think about what he needs for his customer. Then work back from there. Screen? That's easy. Wi-Fi connection? No problem.

Those do not constitute a solution. The customer experience is the solution.

(Photo courtesy of Scott Swigart)

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