Several studies, including one from Brigham Young University (BYU) showed that merchandise with a sign outsold merchandise without a sign by 20%. Additionally, statistics have shown that, on average, customers will see a business sign 50 to 60 times a month if they live within five miles of it. The decision to visit the corresponding website or storefront is largely based on the services or products it’s offering and your personal interest in them — you can lead a horse to water but can’t make it drink, right? Imagine how different things would be if the advertisement engaged with you: suddenly, the person on the ad is the same age or the same gender as you, and they speak to you. The entire experience becomes personal — and a little creepy.
You won’t have to imagine it for very long: already, moves are being made across the world to improve the business-to-consumer advertising experience. JCDecaux Singapore just revealed their brand new bus shelter ads, the largest free-standing digital screens in the city-state.
“Our digital panels will bring greater vibrancy to this scene for brands to communicate with audiences in an accountable manner, alongside new possibilities from our suite of premium innovative digital solutions,” said JCDecaux Singapore managing director Evlyn Yang.
The screens are powered by the company’s SmartContent platform and deliver contextual brand campaigns using live feeds for customized consumer experiences. Advertisers will, in the coming months, be able to “create interactions based on gender, age, colour of clothing and movement” to target consumers that are waiting for the bus.
“These will ultimately enable advertisers to communicate to the right audience at the right place and the right time.”
This customized experience is not the first of its kind; smart billboards throughout the world are using unique, personalized draws to pull customers in. An ad agency in Sweden created an anti-smoking outdoor advertising campaign that detects cigarette smoke: if someone is having a smoke near the sign, the man in the ad begins coughing and then displays an anti-smoking message and an advertisement for products designed to help with nicotine addiction. In California, a campaign for GMC Arcadia uses a digital advertisement that possesses facial recognition cameras. They’re capable of identifying gender, facial expression, age, and the composition of a passing crowd — the ad responds based on what it sees.
Personalized customer experiences are in high demand these days, and may be the reason digital ads are becoming so advanced. Forbes reports that 49% of customers made impulse purchases based on the personalized experience they had within the store; it isn’t unfathomable to see personalized ads creating having the same effect.
Considering the fact that 67% of survey respondents have stated that business sign quality can affect their decision to make a purchase, digital signage is sure to boost profits. Combine a technologically advanced display with a customized experience and you can’t lose.