Over the past few years, we’ve moved well and truly into the digital world, and from cryptocurrency to the Metaverse, it’s been all about embracing the latest technological innovations. While luxury fashion brands have been quick to adapt on both counts, it’s their marketing strategies that have really been transformed, and digital screens and installations have become an increasingly popular tool through which to reach and communicate with customers in store, as well as elsewhere.
While digital signage is, in essence, nothing new, there’s no doubt that it has come a long way since the initial video monitors of the 80s and 90s, when content was transmitted via VHS tapes, and today’s iterations beam multimedia content for both informational and advertising purposes in a host of different ways.
In 2022, digital signage is big business, and you likely encounter some form of it every day – whether it’s while perusing your favourite designer boutique or simply strolling down the street. From digital billboards to bus stop ads, they are almost everywhere, and as brands begin to gain a greater understanding of their full potential, we’ll likely see their different uses become ever more sophisticated.
For now, though, they are already making a dramatic impact on the way we shop, as well as on how brands can get their messages across to customers in store. Here, we take a look at the major ways in which luxury retailers, in particular, are making use of digital signage in their bricks-and-mortar stores.
Communicating from a social distance
While the peak of the global pandemic has passed in much of the world, the question of whether or not social distancing measures could one day return is still hanging in the air. Although many bricks and mortar stores were closed at points during intermittent national lockdowns, some luxury brands found digital screens to be a godsend in the interim because they allowed them to share promotions and important information with customers in store without getting physically close to them – thus ensuring they remained at ease whilst absorbing the brand’s marketing.
Digital signage was, during this time, even used to advise on social distancing itself, and it’s something that would no doubt be made use of again should the situation arise.
Eradicating non-value-added positions
Over the years, luxury fashion retailers have relied on staff members to perform all manner of tasks – some of them not particularly fulfilling. But thanks to digital signage, jobs are becoming more exciting, with digital displays doing the so-called boring bits and freeing up staff to focus on the kinds of tasks that bring value to both customers and the brand itself.
For example, digital signs can communicate whether or not changing rooms are free and signal for customers to either wait or go ahead, and touch screens can be used by customers to order in items in colours or sizes that are not currently in stock in store – while staff members have more time to listen to customers’ wants and needs and ensure they enjoy a luxurious and bespoke experience throughout their time in store.
Showcasing products and providing inspiration
Often, when shopping for clothing in designer boutiques, it can be difficult to get a feel for what a garment will look like without trying it on – and even then, not everyone has the fashion flair to compile outfits themselves. While personal shoppers are a great tool when it comes to style advice, digital screens can be used to showcase outfit ideas and show what they look like on – so if customers don’t have time to play dress-up, then they have all the inspiration they need, there and then.
Some stores even offer mobile phone apps that allow you to choose certain pieces you love and see which other garments the brand recommends to wear alongside them, and it’s a functionality that could soon be arriving via screens in stores themselves, too.
Enhancing aesthetics
Digital screens aren’t just a tool for marketing or communication, and the use of giant screens for aesthetic purposes is on the rise. From displaying breath-taking digital artworks, to projecting shape and pattern-shifting light effects that project onto the walls themselves, there’s no shortage of creative ways to make the most of digital screens, and when stores need them to use them for something more practical, they can quickly be repurposed for the job.
The best uses by high-end brands have seen digital screens used to enhance brand recognition through unique and memorable displays that get people talking and feature brand colours and slogans – but the possibilities in terms of what can be done with them are truly endless.
