Business owners in industries ranging from hospitality to engineering have recently begun using digital signage to a far greater extent than ever before.
This is mainly because digital signage has many potential applications. A digital sign can serve as a dynamic menu at a fast-food restaurant, a wayfinding solution for guests at large facilities, a provider of basic customer support services at a department store, and even as a presentation tool at a corporate office, just to name a few examples.
However, usage of digital signage has become even more widespread during the Covid-19 pandemic. Because digital signs often allow customers to avoid face-to-face interactions with employees, businesses and organizations have begun using them in an effort to reduce transmission of the virus.
As the pandemic begins to wind down, some may wonder if this trend will also fade with it.
That’s unlikely to be the case. There’s very good reason to believe digital signage will continue to be widely used even when the pandemic is over. If you own a business, you must consider how you can take advantage of this technology sooner rather than later. This general overview will explain why.
Digital Signage Post-Pandemic: Why it Will Remain Valuable
It’s worth noting that the argument in favor of the digital signage market’s continued growth is by no means baseless. Researchers predict the market’s worth may be as great as $38.23 billion by 2028.
The lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic will likely contribute to this growth. Many experts agree that the pandemic has permanently influenced the way businesses and organizations will prioritize public health and safety. Even when Covid-19 is no longer a major threat, we’ll still remember the lessons the pandemic taught us, taking steps to ensure any future viruses don’t spread as quickly. For example, it’s becoming increasingly common for people to indicate they may continue wearing masks in crowded and cramped spaces going forward.
This shift in attitudes will likely also apply to digital signage usage. Again, digital signage was already on its way to ubiquity in some capacities before the pandemic. Consider the example of small digital signs at chain restaurants that allow customers to place orders without interacting with an employee. A few years ago, these were novelty items. Recently, though, they’ve become commonplace at certain types of establishments.
This trend began even before business owners appreciated the way in which these solutions could limit the spread of pathogens. Now that it’s clear these solutions can boost both safety and convenience, it’s logical to assume adoption of digital signage for health and safety purposes will continue in the future.
What does this mean for your business? That depends on the nature of your products and services. Some business owners have begun using digital signage to provide employees with safety information and remind them to go home if they’re feeling sick by installing digital signs outside of their offices. You may consider using digital signage in this way if your employees also work in an office.
Similarly, digital signage can be used to provide customers with safety recommendations and information at stores, cafes, and other such establishments.
Those are just two examples. You need to consider the nature of your business when brainstorming potential digital signage applications. In general, though, it’s clear this isn’t a trend you can ignore. Your business needs to embrace digital signage innovations to stay competitive and ensure both customer and employee safety in a post-pandemic world.