The more you read about digital signage in the foodservice industry, the more you may be wondering: do I even need it? Why don’t I just stick to what I’ve always used, like menu chalkboards or magnetic signage solutions? They’ve worked for me so far!
As we saw last week, the problem is these manual options won’t keep working for you. As consumers continue to embrace everything digital, your static forms of signage -- yes, even those PDF menus you have displayed on a digital screen -- will just bring you more headaches than you might realize.
But what will work for you long-term is powerful digital signage software that gives your operation everything it needs to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction. In fact, digital signage may be the best solution on the market today for your operation to not just survive, but thrive!
Here are four reasons why:
1. Digital signage helps you embrace the future and stay ahead of competition.
More and more customers expect a digital, immersive experience from the companies they choose to dine with. For example, we learned this summer that 87% of college students would like to order food online through a web or mobile app.
This also means digital signage is fast becoming the norm in modern foodservice to help you provide the fresh, engaging, and immersive experiences that modern consumers demand. About 38% of businesses reported that staying up-to-date with the latest technology was one of the top three reasons they wanted to increase their use of digital signage.
Maybe you’ve looked at some of these digital screens from commercial restaurants or retail stores, and marveled at how their beautiful branding contributes to a memorable digital yet in-person experience. Maybe you’ve thought, “I wish I could create the same thing for my customers.”
Fortunately, with the right digital menu board technology, you can embrace this future for your operation and help it stay ahead of your competitors, many of whom are already adopting digital signage. The right solution should help you adapt, stay flexible, and even grow your operation with marketing and enterprise-class features like menu cycling and scheduling, permission-based roles, organization-wide content updates, and more.
2. Dynamic displays engage customers and enhance their experience with your brand.
One of the key ways digital signage benefits your operation is that it helps you engage customers more easily, while enhancing their experience with your brand.
In fact, 63% of people reported that digital signage catches their attention, while 58% of businesses believe digital screens improve the customer experience. Digital screens can also reduce perceived wait times by 35%, which has a direct impact on how customers perceive their dining experience with you.
Digital displays spark interest in your menu offerings with eye-catching visuals and animations. If you provide real-time, relevant menu and nutrition data to your customers, you build trust that your operation always shares accurate information. Likewise, you can communicate relevant information or marketing to customers, such as weather updates or upcoming events (even better if you can target this information based on the customer base, time of day, etc.).
All these benefits (and more!) aid in boosting customer satisfaction and building trust and loyalty with your operation. Essentially, dynamic displays are a cornerstone of the customer experience.
3. Digital signage solutions reduce operational headaches.
As noted above, using the right digital signage solution means your operators will have to deal with fewer headaches than if they were manually managing your screens on a daily basis. This is because you can communicate with customers more effectively, and with less effort.
Operators can save both time and resources -- all while improving the delivery and validity of menu information and marketing -- by integrating menu data and automating content management from a centralized, remote system. Unlike manual methods, you can apply updates instantly across all screen locations, as well as automate your displays with schedules, dynamic content, and even cycling menus.
An added bonus of digital screens is they reduce waste and eliminate the need for printed materials. Finally, no more time wasted on creating and distributing paper menus! Overall, digital signage gives you the ability to create consumer-friendly screens with less operational effort.
4. Digital screens increase your bottom line.
Finally, with everything that digital signage has to offer, it only makes sense that it can also boost your sales and increase your operation’s bottom line. This is because you can influence your customers throughout the entire food-buying journey, from the start of the line to the point of sale.
In fact, in 2010, Nielsen conducted a study that found four out of five grocery store brands saw an increase of up to 33% in additional sales (compared to print advertising) thanks to digital signage. And in 2016, UK-based restaurant Prime Burger increased like-for-like sales 50% when it installed digital menu boards across a few of its locations.
Customers also remember information better -- and are more likely to act on it/buy from you -- when it’s displayed on screens. Statistics across the digital signage industry show these screens can potentially double information retention rates, while 83% of customers can remember what they saw on a digital display.
The benefits of digital signage don’t necessarily stop here, but these four points clearly illustrate why you need a dynamic digital signage solution that can help you implement it effectively. Digital signage and software will give your operation the edge you need to stay ahead of competitors, impact the customer experience in a positive way, reduce operational headaches, and boost your overall bottom line.
We think we’re pretty good at helping our customers do just that! Want to see how? Sign up for a free demo below!