There are more than a million retail establishments in the United States, and all of them could benefit from digital signs. Brick and mortar retail stores often operate on very tight margins, meaning they need to bring customers in and maximize their visits. Signs can help.
The best digital signs are tightly integrated with music. Sights and sounds combine to reinforce brand messaging and prompt consumers to act while inside retail establishments. With companies like Pandora CloudCover, blending like this is easier than ever before.
Why Retailers Are Turning to Digital Signage
About 60% of people
won’t enter a facility that lacks appropriate signage
Digital signage provides benefits that other forms of messaging can’t match. With them, companies can provide a better experience for customers, who might be inclined to spend more as a result.
Benefits That Pair With In-Store Music
Digital signage can complement music played inside retail environments. Signs can draw attention, and music can help to reinforce that messaging.
A combination like that can provide an entertaining, brand-centered experience that reduces perceived wait time. Sales could also increase, as customers feel more relaxed and motivated to spend.
Pandora CloudCover provides an integrated product that delivers brand-appropriate music and digital signage. See how we can help you.
Business & Operational Benefits
Digital signs are centrally controlled, making them easy to update. Retail outlet owners can display real-time updates about their promotions and sales rather than leaning on static, printed signs.
Tailoring digital signs and tying them closely to the music played helps the brand provide a consistent experience to every customer. It’s something they’ll never forget.
How Digital Signage Fits Within a Music & Visual Atmosphere
67% of customers
made purchases based on a sign they saw
There are several ways retail shop owners can use digital signs and music to optimize the experience they share with their customers. These are a few ideas you could access right now.
Aligning Visual Content With Audio Branding
It’s critical for retail shop owners to ensure their signs and music reflect the same brand tone and mood. For example:
- Play holiday music to accompany your holiday sales signs.
- Share kid-friendly music in portions of the shop that promote children’s products.
- Play brand-approved music in all of the areas of your shop that have brand signs.
Placement & Timing: Getting the Senses Working Together
Your signs should be placed in high-impact areas of your retail shop, ensuring that you get the most benefit from the promotions you’ve created.
For example, 76% of Americans entered stores they’ve never visited before based solely on the signs they read. Putting a sign or a screen next to the door is a smart strategy.
These are other good locations:
- Entrances to attract customers into the store
- Checkouts to reduce perceived wait times
- Product aisles to promote sales
Sync your content and your music, changing songs when your visuals shift. And ensure you always have a match between the songs people hear and what your signs are telling them to do.
Choosing the Right Digital Signage Solution for Your Retail Store
Since signage comes with so many potential benefits in retail, it’s critical for companies to pick the right signs and partners. Here’s how to do it.
Hardware & Software Basics
77% of people
struggle to locate businesses without appropriate signs
Most retail environments benefit from several different sizes of screens, including these:
- Small (10–22 inches) for shelves or checkouts
- Medium (43–55 inches) for end caps and fitting rooms
- Large (68–98 inches) for entrances and store windows
Your software solution should offer content scheduling (also known as dayparting), remote updates, and analytics. A tool like this allows you to change your content from any connected device and track how well it works.
Pandora CloudCover’s CloudBox is a full-service software solution for retail outlets with all of the capabilities we’ve listed here.
Content Strategy
Retail outlets should change their digital signs regularly. Ideally, your schedule will be tied to your promotional calendar. If you swap sales weekly, your signs should change that often. If the sales shift monthly, use that schedule instead.
Your digital signs should match your brand tone and voice, and they should include photos of your products. Videos often work well to capture attention, as does animated text.
Companies like Pandora CloudCover can help you optimize your content and ensure it’s fresh. That service includes audio messaging that can reinforce the ideas you’re sharing visually.
Budget Considerations
Retail owners should know that digital signs come with moderate upfront costs. You must invest in the screens and hardware to get started. However, know that your investment can deliver long-term gains in terms of increased sales.
Best Practices for Implementing Digital Signage in Retail Businesses
While every retail environment is different, most benefit from following a few best practices. These are good things to consider:
Create Engaging, Contextual Content
Sharing the right content in the right place is critical for success in retail. When you have the right mix, you’ll positively influence mood and buyer behavior. Close to 70% of consumers have purchased a product or service because of the signs they saw. The right content really matters.
For example, if your shop is bright, colorful, and filled with fun clothing, your digital signs should also be bright and colorful. The signs enhance the feeling you’re already providing in the shop.
Seamless Integration With Music & Store Environment
Your visuals and music should complement one another. For example, if you share goth music and bright visuals, you’ll create a clashing experience for your customers. Pandora CloudCover can ensure that you’re always in sync.
Other ways to integrate seamlessly include the following:
- Placing signs where they can be seen, but not where they block traffic
- Keeping signs brighter than ambient light, so they can be read
- Angling signs for readability, so they can’t be ignored
Monitor & Optimize Performance
Evaluating your performance — and changing your approach when needed — can help you make the most of your signage investment. Track what you’re promoting and ensure it boosts sales. If it isn’t working, change the music, the visual, or both.
Digital Signage Use Cases in Retail
This table can help you understand how different retail outlets can benefit from signs:
| Type of Retail Store | Digital Signage Use & What to Play | Why It’s Effective |
|---|---|---|
| Convenience Stores | Digital signage shows rotating promotions: limited-time drink deals, two-for-one snack bundles, or “meal-deal” combos | Digital signage helps them see what’s available immediately. For ready-to-go food, this can shorten decision time versus scanning shelves or static menu boards. |
| Grocery Stores & Supermarkets | Weekly specials, flash deals, recipe inspiration, meal solutions, way-finding, and alerts | Captures attention mid-shop, encourages add-ons, and makes the store feel more dynamic |
| Clothing & Apparel Stores | New arrivals, styling tips, fashion look-books, interactive kiosks or video walls in fitting rooms, and window displays | Builds brand experience, increases dwell time, and aligns visuals and music to mood |
| Big-Box & Warehouse Store | Large format video walls to promote category deals, way-finding, navigation inside large floor spaces, cross-sell messages, and bundle promotions | Visuals to help guide and influence when music sets the ambient tone in large spaces |
| Fuel & Automotive | Displays at pump or entrance with in-store promos as well as quick, friendly visuals on inside store screens to promote loyalty programs and service upsells | Captures drivers or guests with minimal time to complement audio mood and drive impulse purchases |
Convenience Stores
Convenience store customers prize speed and efficiency. They don’t plan to linger, so shop owners must make the most of every second. Your digital signs can highlight specials and promotions, ensuring customers get the value they’re looking for. And your upbeat music showcases your understanding of their time.
Grocery Stores & Supermarkets
Shoppers visit grocery stores with detailed lists, but your digital signs could encourage them to add one more item to the cart. Use your signs to highlight weekly specials, fresh produce, and meal solutions. If you’re showcasing something exotic, use your signs to share recipe ideas.
Place your screens in high-traffic zones, such as these:
- End caps
- Deli cases
- Checkout
- Produce aisles
Integrate your screens with music. The right playlist sets the overall tone and mood for your store while your signs visually reinforce freshness, deals, and your brand identity.
Clothing Stores
Digital signs are critical for clothing stores. Use signs by the door to entice people to come inside, and reinforce the messaging inside the shop with different content. Good in-store locations for signs include near fitting rooms or high-traffic aisles as well as next to windows.
Your content can show the following:
- Models in motion
- Styling tips
- New arrivals
Choose music that fits with the content on your signs. For example, if you’re showing an upbeat fashion video, play upbeat music as well.
Big-Box & Warehouse Stores
Customers visit big-box stores to stock up on necessities. They’re prepared for a long stay, but they can feel overwhelmed by all the space inside. Signs can help.
Use large-format digital signs for wayfinding, ensuring that customers know just where to go to pick up the items they need. Use other signs to promote deals, point-of-sale bundles, and other easy-to-miss promotions.
Reinforce your messages with music that sets a relaxing tone for your store. If your store is especially large, use different zones of music to further guide customers through the space.
Fuel & Automotive Retail
Gas stations, automotive stores, and car dealerships use digital signs to enhance the shopping experience. For example:
- Fuel stations use digital signs near the pump to entice customers to come inside.
- Convenience stores near gas stations use signs to promote sales and loyalty programs.
- Automotive shops use signs to explain how products work and entice sales.
Combine music with bold signage to further convert short visits into store purchases and set the tone for the experience.
Getting Started Checklist for Retail Business Owners
It’s easy to develop a signage plan and deploy it within your business. These steps can get you started:
- Choose two main goals for your signs.
- Determine where your signs should be placed to help you meet those goals.
- Choose your hardware.
- Select a software partner.
- Develop your content.
- Audit your performance and adjust.
Pandora CloudCover is an ideal software partner. With one contract, you get brand-specific background music and digital signage support. With best-in-class customer service and a low cost, this is a deal you can’t afford to miss.
Why Choose Pandora CloudCover for Your Audio+Visual Retail Experience
Pandora CloudCover is a leader in retail store background music. Our same business expertise and low price could help you develop and maintain a perfect digital signage plan for your brand.
Using the same partner for signage and music makes it easy to ensure cohesion and makes day-to-day operations simple. You can dedicate the time you save to serving customers.
Explore what Pandora CloudCover can do for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What screen size should I get for my store?
A: Your screens should be large enough for customers to read without squinting, but they shouldn’t be so large that they block aisles or make shopping awkward.
Q: How often do I need to update content?
A: Your content should rotate with your promotional calendar. Each time you have something new to share, your signs should change.
Q: Can digital signage work if I have multiple locations?
A: Yes. A partner like Pandora CloudCover will provide a dashboard you can use to update the content shared in all of your locations.
Q: Does signage need to sync with music? Do they have to be on the same system?
A: Your signage and music should be closely connected for the best experience. While the two don’t have to remain on the same system (depending on your hardware), it’s easier to manage them when they are.
Q: How quickly can I see ROI from implementing digital signage in my retail business?
A: You should see an immediate boost in sales through savvy product promotions on your signs. If you don’t, adjust your strategy accordingly.
References
Number of Retail Stores in The U.S. Retail Dogma.
How Signage Influences Customer Behavior and Foot Traffic. Commercial Construction and Renovation Magazine.
FedEx Office Survey: Standout Signs Contribute to Sales. (May 2012). FedEx.
Legal Disclaimer:The materials on this website are provided for general informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Any descriptions or references to products, services, or technologies represent opinion only and should not be construed as statements of fact. The information is provided “as is,” without any representation or warranty as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or fitness for a particular purpose. We disclaim all liability for actions taken or not taken based on this content or any linked materials. Links to third-party websites are provided for convenience only, and we do not endorse or assume any responsibility or risk for their content, products, services, or potential damages arising from their use.