by Dan Brown - RMG Networks

Have you ever walked into a corporate lobby, retail store, hotel or any venue and thought, “Wow, that digital signage display is too large!”

Humorous, but of course not.

Most of the time, if anything, displays are commonly undersized. Why? Well, while 55” seems large in the intimate setting of your living room watching the latest best-selling blu-ray, the affect may be lost in a different environment with a different purpose.

What do you need to keep in mind when selecting screen size for your business?

A 55” display is the viewable distance from corner to corner diagonally across the screen. Assuming a 16x9 widescreen display, this equates roughly to a height of 27 inches and width of 48 inches.

There are formulae from every TV manufacturer and standards committees such as SMPTE or THX to suggest screen sizes and are mostly geared toward consumer entertainment applications.

Don’t get confused if you start researching the web for the correct formula to use. Your specific application may differ. The important thing is to use a formula (or any formula) as a starting point, not an ending point.

Here are a few examples of different formulas and applications, and their resulting viewable distance.

General at-a-glance viewing or video

    4 x 55” diagonal = 220” (or about 18 feet) viewable distance
    8 x 27” height = 216” (or 18 feet) viewable distance

Reading text or data

    6 x 27” height = 162” (or 13+ feet) viewable distance

These examples assume you are using the entire full screen to display your content. Are you? Often the display is segmented to display multiple content items.

For example, on that same 55” display, let’s say we want to include a side panel graphic. Reserving 12 inches width for this content leaves us with 36 inches of width for our main content which is effectively the same as a 42” display.

This changes our viewable distance from the previous examples.  

General at-a-glance viewing or video

    4 x 42” diagonal = 168” (or about 14 feet) viewable distance
    8 x 20” height = 160” (or 13+ feet) viewable distance

Reading text or data

    6 x 20” height = 120” (or 10 feet) viewable distance

Even though you started with a 55” display, because of the content requirements and screen real estate limits, you are effectively limiting the viewing distance of the display by several feet and shrinking the content. This may or may not be a negative; but it is definitely something that needs considering during the design phase.

Likewise, why put the current temperature nestled in the corner of screen when its “real life” size on a 55” screen is nearly the size of your thumbnail and not truly viewable beyond 6 feet from the display. Is that the intended audience range? Probably not. This is another reason to make sure all content is viewable at your target distance.

Screen size is certainly only one factor of many to consider in your digital signage deployment. It works in coordination with screen placement, lighting, other environmental factors, and of course (and most importantly) content!

So you have a formula to determine display size, but how about content? How large a font should you use to get your message across and easy to read? As a general rule of thumb, it is recommended to have 1 inch of font height for every 10 feet in desired viewing audience distance.

Now you're ready to configure your optimal signage and content size.

But, even in our high tech world, old school methods still work.

I was with a customer once who used a properly sized cardboard cutout pattern of a TV they were considering and taped it onto the rich marble wall to get an idea of what it would look like and how much space it would occupy. They used white poster board and markers to write some sample content to understand what font dimensions were required to reach the furthest intended viewer. I thought it was a brilliant idea and was glad to see so much interest and consideration into making sure not only the correct display size was chosen, but more importantly, the proper content size. Well done!

Whether, you use a high tech online calculator or poster board cutouts, you have begun a very important process of considering what is important to you and your viewers.

When budgeting for digital signage displays, it is always easier to add more displays later, rather than try to “right-size” a set of undersized displays already deployed.

It doesn’t need to be a $63M, 362' x 62' behemoth scoreboard like the Jacksonville Jaguars, but definitely give thought to the size of screen required for your application (then maybe even go up one size). As you start the process of determining the correct screen size, here are some questions to ask yourself --

•     What type and quantity of content will be displayed?
•     Will the content be displayed full screen or on segments of the screens?
•     What is the smallest content to be displayed?
•     How far is the desired viewable distance?

Once you know the answer to these questions, you know the required content size. And, required content size should be the leading factor to your screen size decision; not vice versa.

By Jason Geyer
Director of Digital Production
TPN Retail

We all remember that cool scene in Steven Spielberg’s movie Minority Report where Tom Cruise is walking through a mall and all of the ads he sees are customized for him only. Ever since its release in 2002, this futuristic scene has been the gold standard to strive toward for advertisers with an eye on where digital is taking shopper marketing.

And although technology manufacturers have taken baby steps toward this in the past, Panasonic has announced that it is partnering up with Photon Interactive to deliver a much closer representation of what the movie promised:

•     The goal is to combine Photon’s software with Panasonic displays, so that those displays will know more about the customer. That information can be used to deliver targeted offers, as well as check in, make purchases, and more.
•     For example, the company says that at a brick-and-mortar retailer, a customer might look at the digital signage, view personalized offers, bring up directions to where a product is in the store, and scan bar codes with the mobile app to make purchases. Or in a fast food restaurant, the customer could either order from a kiosk or on their phone, then pick their food and offer feedback through the kiosk.

Although the privacy implications might seem scary (how do you opt out of something that is scanning your biometrics? Can other shoppers see and hear your personalized ads?). But, once in action, it’s hard to not predict that all retailers will be jumping on board with this highly-personalized targeting. Seems like a win compared to a world of static, one-size-fits-all displays.

By Richard Ventura
Director of Sales – Vertical Solutions for NEC Display Solutions

 

While digital screens have been deployed in a variety of retail applications such as menu boards in restaurants, digital end caps in electronics stores, directory boards in malls and digital mannequins in clothing stores, the true power of digital has yet to be fully tapped.  You may ask, what is that true power?  It is the power of full engagement via interactive digital signage.

Traditionally, retailers have used digital signage as a way to run advertising of products and goods with very little integration into store systems.  Those that have integrated focus mainly on inventory databases and their point of sales (POS) systems to capture customer data that can be mined to better align with customer preferences.  Further, many retailers utilize traditional kiosk systems to allow for online ordering, guest registry access and even for hiring future employees. 

What many are missing, though, is how to utilize their systems and capture customer interactions in order to create a full engagement between the brand and the consumer. When looking at interaction and engagement, there are three types:  passive, active, and mobile.

In the restaurant space, many brands have deployed customer-facing kiosks where people can place their orders and learn about specials without any human interaction.  This is an active way for the brand to interact with the consumer, and increase sales and efficiencies.  Following more of a passive way to interact with the consumers, others have deployed “order-ready boards,” where patrons are informed when their meals are complete.  While guests wait for their food, they have become a captive audience, a fact not lost on these businesses, which are cross-marketing and up selling various services and goods to them.

Interactive wayfinding kiosks in malls, hotels, airports and other retail businesses let consumers print maps and coupons, make dinner reservations, and purchase goods and services.  This creates an engaging experience, even if for only a few seconds, that allows the consumer to fully experience the brand(s).

Forward-thinking businesses also are letting consumers use their smart phones and tablets to interact with digital screens, kiosks, store end caps and video walls.  Many top restaurant brands have created iPhone and iPad apps for ordering food selections and counting calories – and through Near Field Communication (NFC), enabling interaction with digital screens themselves for scanning QR codes, downloading coupons and making purchases.  Also, many retailers are utilizing these applications to create a virtual store-within-a-store concept.  A consumer can pull up reviews, check inventories, place orders, and in some cases, test-drive a product all via their smart phones and tablets.

Research firm DisplaySearch says the market for public displays across industries is showing strong growth, set to push near 12 million units sold in 2018, an increase from just under 3 million in 2011.  DisplaySearch’s Jennifer Colegrove asserts, “Touchscreen penetration is rapidly increasing. Over the next several years, touchscreens will undergo strong growth in large-size applications.”

Through these devices and technologies, retailers gain opportunities to engage customers and build relationships.  But as the phenomenon of interactivity grows, the question about customer service looms large.  Is customer interaction with machines better for brands than dealing with company employees?

From my perspective, the answer has more to do with customers and supplying them more options than to say that human interaction is always better.  Interactive digital screens can empower customers to bond with a brand in ways that they choose and in ways that enhance their retail experiences.

As we’ve seen more and more, some people would rather shop online than walk into a brick-and-mortar store.  When these types of people do step into stores, they prefer to shop on their own, peruse in-store kiosks for more information, make their purchases and leave as soon as possible.  Salespeople won’t impact what they want to buy or have the opportunity to upsell additional items.

But there are others who want that personal attention.  The upshot is that the retailer can match the demands of a variety of consumers where and how they want to interact with the brand.  These options give retailers a better chance to capture more of an audience.  Interactive technologies introduce a new dynamic to selling.

Some stores are availing themselves of this new dynamic.

Best Buy, for example, has introduced interactive kiosks in airports to sell iPods, headphones, game cubes and other technologies.  It’s the “big box” retailer’s way of meeting the needs of the marketplace by giving people options on how and where to buy.  At the same time, it continues to offer its bricks-and- mortar department stores and the Best Buy Mobile stores.

Apple has done a phenomenal job of making sure that before a buyer can close out a sale online, in a store, or through its IOS application, that options for cables and extended warranties appear and are part of the sales equation.  That breeds additional sales.
While these are some of the best practices, the retail industry still has to make progress, according to a recent study.  SapientNitro’s Insight 2013 Report indicates that most retailers are failing when it comes to deploying digital signage and interactive technologies.  Just 22% were rated as truly interactive with a value-add beyond just merchandizing or a display.

Here’s how to make the interactive experience relevant:

• Deliver the right content and messaging  
• Design a technologically sound kiosk that people will be drawn to
• Deliver a meaningful experience. 

If the interaction with a kiosk or digital screen is “bumpy,” or if consumers have to scroll through too many products to place an order, they will walk away.  There needs to be a way to guide them through the process with a series of questions and interactions, and their time must be respected

An interactive system built on good design, tied to other sales channels and offering a solid customer experience will increase sales.

Here are the questions retailers need to ask themselves before deploying interactive digital signage:

•     What are our goals and strategies?
•     How will we execute the plan?
•     How will we measure results?
•     Who will support our interactive system?
•     How will we expand the deployment?
•     What types of technologies will be used?
•     Who will manage the content?
•     How do we keep the content fresh and impactful?

The question is not whether to deploy interactive technologies, but when, and to have the plan in place to do so.

Watching young children interact with technology is a particularly noteworthy barometer.  Whenever they encounter a computer screen, their expectations are that it is interactive.  A touch mentality is so ingrained in this generation that it should give retailers pause.  These little patrons are the formation of a digital interactive society.

This article was originally published in Retail Merchandiser magazine.