Article

Filling the customer service apathy gap with digital signage

Digital media in stores and restaurants can transform unpleasant customer service experiences into positive ones.

February 22, 2009

When a customer steps into a service-oriented business, such as a store or restaurant, he or she wants to be treated well and provided with good service. But the recent economic downturn has had an adverse effect on the retail and foodservice industries beyond the loss of sales; as more and more people are laid off, it becomes harder for employees to feel a sense of loyalty to their jobs. They don't give 100 percent, and they don't go the extra mile for their customers.

"Every time a sullen employee grunts a sorry excuse for a thank-you as one of their customers passes through checkout, it reaffirms that customers — retailers' guests and lifeblood — aren't valued at all," Laura Davis-Taylor and Adrian Weidmann wrote in their book about in-store digital signage, "Lighting Up the Aisle."

The personalization and relevancy of digital signage can help fill this gap. In the past, customers could be made to feel welcome in a store by attentive, knowledgeable employees. Today, targeted, efficient digital signage can be used to make customers feel valued.

Proximity advertising and relevance at retail

"The proximity of digital signage to the products the store is promoting is a great asset to the customers. It allows customers to not only see the product, but to visualize themselves using the product," said Stephen Nesbit, president and chief operating officer of Reflect Systems.

After all, that is the goal of good advertising — to help people see themselves using a product and enjoying its benefits. Digital signage activates the customers' imagination at a time when they are most open to buying a particular product.

Jeff Collard, president of Omnivex, added to Nesbit's idea by pointing to a strategy employed by Six Flags amusement parks, where digital ads showed people using a product, such as drinking a Coke, in the section of the park where that particular screen was located. The purpose is to make people think about how much they'd like to have that item in that context.

Giving customers control in restaurants

Digital signage can also give customers a feeling of control that they don't have with other forms of media. Display Points recently rolled out seven-inch digital screens to a number of restaurants, pizza parlors and bars in the Austin, Texas, area; because the portable units were small, customers who did not want to use them could move the screen to the side. If people wanted to watch the screen but did not like the ad that was currently playing, they could press a button and skip to the next ad. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with 93 percent of the respondents expressing approval of the digital signage.

"They loved the ability to control the content," said Display Points CEO Greg Fitzgerald.

There are several reasons. A person dining alone may appreciate having entertaining or informative content available to pass the time. At the other end of the spectrum are diners looking for a movie playing locally that they could go see after dinner — or patrons at a sports bar who want to find out the answer to a sports-related question in order to settle a dispute.

Digital signage can meet all of those needs. While relevance is an important reason to promote products in-store, other factors make in-store digital signage a positive experience for customers.

When people are at home, they want to feel at home. They want to feel comfortable, secure and free to do whatever they want. They do not want someone aggressively trying to sell them something, whether it be through telemarketing or television advertising. People will often reject something out of hand just because they are annoyed at what they consider to be an intrusion of their personal space.

"People don't like to be sold to at home," said Greg Weaver, manager of digital signage networks at Microspace Communication. In a store environment, "you're not as averse or opposed to someone trying to sell something to you."

In general, industry observers are seeing pushback against all forms of intrusive advertising. "The days of in-your-face advertising are over," said Rob Gorrie, president of digital media agency Adcentricity. "People don't need to be shocked; they don't need you to be jumping in front of them saying ‘Look at me!'"

Strategic placement

Digital signage can also transform waiting in line, an experience that is usually unpleasant for a customer, into a more worthwhile experience. Places where customers linger provide prime opportunities for advertisements to reach consumers.

"Find a place where there's dwell time," Weaver said when asked to give advice on where to place digital signage. "If strategically placed in such a location, digital signage may keep the customer engaged and make the wait seem shorter. This in turn will make the customer happier with his overall experience at the store."

Strategically placed screens can also alert customers to promotions, sales or discounts available at the store, something that the customer might otherwise be unaware of. Again, immediacy and relevancy is the key. A person who reads about a discount in a newspaper or sees it on a television commercial while at home may forget about it by the time he heads out to do his shopping. But an ad placed in the context of the store helps the customer remember it and perhaps take advantage of it — a win-win situation for retailer and consumer alike.