Sometime in 2010 we’ve conducted a small survey on the perceived benefits and obstacles of implementing a digital signage system and we thought of sharing the results with you, as they reinforce the current discussions within the industry.
The respondents that took part in our survey were users, creatives and suppliers of digital signage (manufacturers, distributors, integrators, IT and VAR resellers)- players on the digital signage market, able to evaluate the system.
The main perceived benefits of digital signage were, as indicated:
1. Faster message reach to target audience (51%);
2. Instant message change (48%);
3. Improved audience experience (38%);
4. Revenue generation- through advertising- (37%);
When it came to the biggest technical obstacle of implementing a digital signage project, the respondents mentioned:
1. Systems interoperability (30%);
2. Implementation (25%);
The issues identified as the biggest commercial obstacles were as follows:
1. Confidence in reaching Return on Investment/Return on Objectives (43%);
2. Initial installation and ongoing costs (38%);
3. Lack of internal ownership (23%);
Survey participants also considered building a business plan and/or justifying the investment as a matter they were struggling with and pointed out that the sourcing of relevant content continued to be one of their biggest issues.
The above results highlight the following facts:
1. standardisation is a highly important issue (see the technical obstacle question). As Dirk Hülsermann once stated collaboration between the various digital signage market players for delivering a turn- key solution is the future of the industry.
2. from an end-user perspective, proof of result is a more important decision- making aspect than we might think. Our survey’s results show that return on investment is perceived as a parameter difficult to evaluate, hence projects such as Ayuda’s (”pay-per-look”), City Gateway’s and Screenreach (read more here) and any other efforts in providing end-users with reporting tools are more than welcomed. This is somehow convergent with what was discussed at the Digital Signage Roundtable at Screenmedia Expo, the panelists concluding that a transparent reporting system is what would help digital signage sell better.
After reading these answers the next step for us as an industry and individual companies is make an active effort in minimizing (or eliminating) the perceived obstacles of implementing digital signage and teach users to leverage its benefits.
P.S. As an incentive for completing the survey, Dynamax offered the respondents the chance to win an iPad. The winner was Ross Burling, Sales manager Digital Signage, Sports & OHM Media & Entertainment Division – BARCO.