Retailers Need to Get Innovative With Interactive Digital Content

Today’s retailers are taking advantage of the increasingly affordable touchscreen technology that was popularized by smartphones to provide in-store, interactive digital screens that engage their customers in new and exciting ways. According to some estimates, as many as 94 percent of all retailers deploy interactive digital signs in some capacity, which both speaks to the possibility inherent in this technology, but also to the challenge of gaining audience attention when so much content looks exactly the same.

Simply put, retailers need to get innovative with interactive digital content.

Notably, today’s consumers don’t just need more information. While product reviews, feature demonstrations, and tecnnical product specs can round out a content set, most shoppers already know this information before entering the store. It’s estimated that nearly 90 percent of consumers conduct online research before they ever leave the house, and more of the same won’t create a new shopping experience that heightens brand engagement and boosts sales.

Instead, retailers need to focus on harnessing interactive digital screens to create a compelling, personalized shopping experience that delights customers. For example, this technology can be used to facilitate individualized product consultations that expose more of your store's product catalog while also providing a unique value-add that can entice shoppers to actually enter your store. When paired with emerging augmented reality/virtual reality capabilities, the possibilities continue to expand, as the limitations of your store become the limitations of the content team that's creating exciting engagement opportunities for customers.

At the same time, retailers can visually inspire consumers by adding an entertainment element to their store through video and photography displayed on high-resolution digital screens. This content can both market products while also helping set the tone for the shopping experience.

Of course, at the end of the day, creating unique content can be expensive, especially if retailers are building the digital screen content from the ground up. Rather than missing the opportunity afforded by this unmistakable technological disruption of the retail space, rely on ready-made app ecosystems that are both ready to deploy and fully customizable.

In the same way that thousands of retailers create unique websites using ready-made templates from providers, they need to follow this format with their in-store digital signage. It’s an easy way to ensure that content stays nimble without exhausting the marketing budget on a single initiative.

As retailers roll out interactive digital screens to engage their customers, they'll need to further differentiate themselves at the content level. When equipped with compelling, engaging content, this technology provides a new way for retailers to provide a personalized experience that engages shoppers when they enter the store.

Matthias Woggon is the CEO and co-founder of eyefactive and creator of its AppSuite Touchscreen CMS.