This blog is part of the Grocery Digital Signage Series. Read the series.
One of the strongest advantages of digital signage is the ability to improve experiences through interactivity with the screens themselves. This is an area where a managed signage provider can truly shine by orchestrating the flow of data from the physical to the digital world.
Many stores are beginning to embrace the use of touchscreens, allowing customers to search for products, learn the origin and benefits of certain foods, or browse suggested recipes and product combinations. By featuring touchscreen kiosks that allow shoppers to build custom meal plans based on dietary preferences or search for vegan alternatives to commons items, grocers create a more tailored and helpful experience. These seemingly small, simple interactions empower shoppers with information that leads to an increase in confidence while making purchase decisions, thus resulting in higher overall satisfaction with their store visit.
Using Interactivity to Improve Operations and Engagement
Interactive signage allows stores to collect anonymized data on customer preferences, enabling grocers to create a tailored customer experience via recommendations. Inventory decisions can also be made based on first-person customer feedback. For example, if many shoppers repeatedly search for a product that’s out of stock, stores can prioritize reordering or use signage to suggest comparable alternatives, effectively turning a potential frustration into an opportunity for service. This allows the grocer to dial in inventory levels and provide suggestions for suitable replacements when certain items are out of stock.
Interactive signage also provides an intuitive way for customers to engage with in-store promotions, wayfinding, and loyalty program information without needing to pull out their phones. Touchscreens may be placed at the entrance to guide customers directly to seasonal deals or let loyalty members check available rewards and apply coupons instantly.
Bringing the Digital Experience into the Grocery Aisle
Many grocers have committed to large investments in mobile applications, where they are starting to experiment with in-store engagements on the small screen. While these experiments have shown some benefit to the customer experience, the unique attributes of in-store shopping still speak to customers today. The physical ambiance created by the immersive atmosphere, delight of browsing, and discovery, in combination with the tactile experience of holding a product in your hand, instant gratification of making a purchase, and personalized staff interactions, are what make going to the store enjoyable.
While online shopping, delivery, and in-store pickup are efficient, they don’t create the same sense of fulfillment. To preserve the authenticity of in-person shopping, while bridging the gap between the online and physical worlds, a complete digital signage program becomes necessary.
Learn more on how to create a more engaging customer experience.
Discover more from the Grocery Digital Signage Playbook Blog Series:
- Part 1: From Chaos to Coordination
- Part 3: The Secret to Shopper Satisfaction
- Part 4: Connecting Communities Builds Brand Loyalty
- Part 5: Maximizing Your Signage ROI