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McDonald's fecal woes dominate top December 2018 digital signage stories

Digital signage readers last month probably had some gross dinner conversations after reading two stories about U.K. researchers discovering fecal and gut bacteria on touchscreen kiosks at eight McDonald's locations.

January 3, 2019 by Bradley Cooper — Editor, ATM Marketplace & Food Truck Operator

Digital signage readers last month probably had some gross dinner conversations after reading two stories about U.K. researchers discovering fecal and gut bacteria on touchscreen kiosks at eight McDonald's locations.

Other popular stories in December looked at how cannabis dispensaries could use digital signage to get a leg up on the competition and how one furniture store relied on digital signage to keep customers and employees informed during the holidays.

The most read stories for December 2018 are posted below, in reverse order.

5. How 1 furniture store delivered digital signage for the holidays

In order to maximize digital signage's effectiveness, retailers should use the technology to engage both customers and employees. Jordan's Furniture, a furniture retailer in New England, uses digital signage not just to push sales but also to offer key information to customers and employees.

"We have used the technology for institutional messaging ranging from company anniversaries and new hires to insurance open enrollment date information — and everything in between," Peter Clark, vice president of information systems, Jordan's Furniture, said in an interview. "It has reduced our reliance on paper memos and emails."

4. 5 future digital signage trends of 2018

This story topped the charts regularly for Digital Signage Today in 2018, as it analyzed key trends for last year, such as an increasing blur between physical and digital and narrative-driven digital signage.

The story also recommended that readers use digital signage in the future to streamline workflows, enhance communications, increase engagement and build community.

3. 8 digital signage uses in cannabis dispensaries

Dispensaries must juggle a rapidly changing inventory and find ways to compete with other retailers and provide a shopping experience that will close sales and create repeat customers.

Fortunately, recent applications of digital signage in marijuana dispensaries have highlighted how the merging of displays, content management software and point of sale (POS) systems can create a more customer and employee friendly environment that drives sales.

2. McDonald's fecal fiasco offers key lessons

McDonald's has been trying to convince skeptical customers that it is a high-tech restaurant by deploying kiosks, digital menu boards, gaming tables and other tools. This technology backfired on the QSR, however, when a U.K. news organization found fecal and gut bacteria on multiple kiosk touchscreens.

While McDonald's attempts to clean up this PR mess, you can learn a few things from the chain about how to avoid your own environmental challenges by using innovative self cleaning tools, having a clear cleaning plan in place and building your signage for the environment.

1. McDonald's fecal touchscreens cause outrage

Unsanitary touchscreens found at McDonald's U.K. restaurants sent shock waves across the pond recently, as numerous U.S. media outlets reported that fecal bacteria were found on touchscreens at all eight U.K. locations where the kiosks have been installed.

The bacteria, found in swipes of kiosk touchscreens at McDonald's locations around London and Birmingham, have raised what many consider to be the first public health concern associated with kiosks — at a time when McDonald's is introducing self-order kiosks.

A McDonald's spokesperson interviewed by QSRweb, a Kiosk Marketplace sister publication, said the screens are cleaned with a disinfectant. It is uncertain at this time what impact the bacteria found in the U.K. will have on the McDonald's kiosk rollout.

Image via Istock.com.

About Bradley Cooper

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Bradley Cooper is the editor of ATM Marketplace and Food Truck Operator. He was previously the editor of Digital Signage Today. His background is in information technology, advertising, and writing.

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