You’ve probably considered replacing digital signage in your dining locations. After all, we eat with our eyes, because our brains often make decisions based on visuals. And you feel like those screens could be doing more for you!
Digital signage can help reinforce your brand and promotions, bring your menus to life, and boost sales. But, whether your dining facility is for a higher education institution, a healthcare facility, or a restaurant, you may find yourself asking, “Is it worth the investment?”
Quantifying the value of digital signage can be tricky, especially because the return on investment (ROI) varies depending on your organization’s specific requirements. However, there are some ways to think through your needs and the potential payback of an investment in digital signage.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
List your goals.
Think through what you want to accomplish, and write down your goals. Are you aiming to bring your dining facility into the 21st century — providing a more modern and convenient on-site customer experience?
Do you need to reinforce your brand and special promotions through visually-appealing on-site images and messages to increase sales? Are you looking for an easier and more accurate way to present your customers with nutrition information (especially to ensure compliance with FDA regulations around displaying calorie and nutrition information for your foods)?
Think about your needs.
Think about the features you’ll need in a digital signage solution to help reach your goals. For example, if information accuracy is a top goal, you’ll likely want a solution that allows you to make updates to your menu software and automatically push the information out to signage in multiple locations versus relying on employees at each location to keep information updated.
If you want flexibility in how your digital signage appears, look for a solution with flexible templates that allow you to customize your signage versus one that requires you to work within rigid templates.
Consider your budget.
Typically, there are three components to digital signage solutions:
- hardware (screens and displays)
- software (how you get information and images onto the screens)
- installation (someone ensuring the screens go in the right places, are set up correctly, and are integrated with the software)
Once you’ve found a solution with the features that meet your needs, take a look at the costs of each component and think about your budget. You may need to adjust your budget to get all of the features you require; or, you may decide to modify your list of requirements to meet your budget.
Alternatively, you may consider a phased approach to adding digital signage to your dining locations: For example, install 20 screens in 10 locations in year one, and then another 20 screens in another 10 locations in year two. This approach can help you meet your goals while staying within budget.
Don’t forget to factor in the operational costs associated with signage! How much will be required of your team’s time to update and adjust every time you need to make a change, and how much will it cost (time or money) for you to update your signage?
Weigh the value.
Ultimately, the answer to the question “is digital signage worth the investment” comes down to value. An investment in digital signage will be worth it if you’re able to reach your goals within your budget in a reasonable amount of time and with little hassle.
When you consider that digital signage can help you create a modern and visually appealing look and feel in your dining locations, reinforce your brand, present accurate nutrition information, promote special offers, and ultimately increase sales, your answer likely will be, “Yes, it’s absolutely worth it!”