If a business is digitalizing, why not simply go online only? The fact is that many businesses still need to be offline. An easy example is a hairdresser. They can’t cut your hair online, people cannot change your tires online, people cannot try on clothes online. You can have a website, you should have a website, but your business still need to operate offline too. Digitalization has gone from meaning the removal of analogue tills, to the merging of online business and offline business.
Merging of Online and Offline Technology
Perhaps McDonalds are the best example of this merging. You can walk into many types of McDonalds, and they have free-standing or wall mounted digital signs. You can use them to choose what you want from the menu and then pay through the signs. The system itself is almost identical to what they have on their McDonalds app. In other words, you can walk into a McDonalds restaurant and use the app to get what you want. This is a great example of how the online experience has entered and taken root in the offline world.
Merging The Worlds of Smartphones and Offline Retail
A common problem that is ruining some offline businesses is that people walk in, they pick what they want, they go online to find a few reviews, they find a cheaper price and then buy online. Some businesses have digitized their shop floor to the point where people don’t need to pull out their phones. A great example of this is a jet ski store. There are standing digital signs in front of each bike. It shows you the raw stats, but also lets you scroll reviews from both buyers and from industry experts. Some of the prestige models also have their own adverts that you can run on the sign.
Transferring Adverts From Online to Offline
If you have spent a lot of money for that advert that runs on Rumble every now and again, or that runs on YouTube when you can afford it, then doesn’t it seem a shame that you cannot use it offline? You have spent the money, why not run your online adverts in your store. Have them running on your digital signs. The adverts are typically short and have high production values, so why draw even more value from the money you spent on having the advert created. In addition, if your advert is effective, you may draw more attention and more customers within your stores.
Get Further User Engagement
You can put information about your blog onto your digital signs. People can learn more about your company through your blog. You can give people the URL on your sign, and you can even give them a QR code so that they may scan your sign and get to your blog right away. The company that runs KitCast has a blog digital signage section on their website that they promote using digital signs. You can go further than blogs if you wish. You can have people sign up to your newsletter via your digital signs or maybe even download your app if you have one.
Get Social Media Attention
Just like getting people to visit your blog by using URLs and QR codes on your digital signs, you may also get people to visit your social media profiles. You may put your username for Facebook, Rumble or Gettr on your signs. If you wish, you could ask people to Google your TikTok videos, which both helps draw them to your TikTok videos, and tells Google that your content is popular (which is good for your TikTok and/or YouTube SEO – Search Engine Optimization).
