Affordable Digital Signage Solutions for Small Businesses in Auckland

Digital signage solutions have are beginning to have a serious impact on the small businesses of Auckland and for good reason.

Until recently, digital signage were thought to have been reserved to the large chains selling retail goods to the shopping malls, but that is no longer the case. Today, the small cafes in Kingsland, the small salons in Mount Eden, and the Independent gyms in Onehunga now have access to the same digital advertising technology. That sort of technology is easily accessible and business owners will be pleasantly surprised when they find out how easy it is to manage.

We will articulate the technology of digital signage in this guide, its importance for small business, and give them the opportunity to easily set up systems that meet their needs without paying for features they will marginally or never use.

What Are Digital Signage Solutions (and Why They Matter for Small Businesses)

Digital signage connects to a display that presents content when requested or automatically. Digital signage gets rid of static signage that requires printing a new sign for every update. You just need to upload a file, and the screen changes. Digital signage solutions are important for small businesses, and here is why.

Static signage is set as is. If you offer a lunch special one day of the week, you have to print a new sign for the other days. This is where digital signage comes in. Digital signage lets you display whatever content you want without printing anything. You can display your menu, specials, and even customer reviews.

The term digital signage has a loose definition. Some people define it as a single screen. Some define it as a network across multiple locations that is managed from a single control panel. Both definitions are correct, and this is what digital signage is. The important part is that you have a digital signage system that matches your business, not that matches a franchise system.

How Continuing to Use Static Signage Affects Small Businesses Financially

Instead of wasting time comparing options, a small business should consider the hidden costs of using static signage.

• Sign changes become time consuming and costly. Sign alterations become costly in design, printing, and time for the employee who must come to the business to change the sign.
• Customers see signs with old, inaccurate prices. Sign prices become irrelevant when the price changes, inventory sells, or business hours change.
• Higher profits are lost due to poor signage. Static signage can not incentivize the customer to purchase the more profitable item.
• Business profits are lost, because static signage is poor in design and fails to grab the customer's attention. Static signage will fail in design when placed next to an animated sign.
• Business profits are lost, because static signage is poor in design and fails to grab attention. Static signage will fail in design when placed next to an animated sign.

Animated signs improve business profits far more than static signage ever could. Animated signs easily pay for themselves. Static signage has hidden costs, fails to serve, and draws fewer customers to the business.

7 Signs That Your Auckland Business May Be Looking for Digital Signage Solutions

Does your business even need digital signage? This checklist will help you decide if the time has come.

• You update your menu, prices, or promotions more than once a month.
• You’ve noticed your foot traffic drop when compared to your neighbors who have digital screens.
• Your workers waste time by changing or replacing paper signage.
• You have specials, limited-time happy hours, and time sensitive promotions.
• You have a plethora of competition like a busy retail strip, food court, mall, etc.
• Your customers often ask for price and product information that you don't provide on your signage.
• You want a polished modern impression when your customers first walk through the store, but you do not have the time or the budget for a full renovation.

If you can relate to three or more of these, digital signage is a great solution for your business and will likely improve customer engagement right away.

Types of Digital Signage Solutions Small Businesses in Auckland Use

Not all signage screens work the same. Here we cover the best format choices for your signage needs.

Indoor Full Screen LCD Displays

These are excellent choices for retail and hospitality signage. Displays in this format work well to communicate your promotional and product messaging, or even tell your brand story with highly readable text from almost anywhere in the room. For corporate offices and businesses with showrooms and boutiques, they often serve a dual purpose as an elegant information display and decor.

Digital Menu Boards

These boards are an excellent signage investment for restaurants, cafes, and takeaways. With digital menu boards, you eliminate the need for a laborious and messy rewrite each time you want to change the menu. With the click of a button, items can be updated, images of your menu items can be made to promote your best sellers, and items that are no longer available can be made to disappear.

Digital Signage Kiosk Setups

Kiosk signage setups are designed to be more than a passive display. They tend to be self service or interactive signage displays and allow your patrons to obtain information or even check in without the assistance of a staff member. These are a great addition to retail spaces, gyms, and clinics where you tend to have a captive audience and long wait times.

Signage for Outdoors

Displays that use a high level of contrast can be used for advertising even in direct sunlight. This can be great for markets, exhibitions, pop-up stores and even storefronts. Draw potential customers right to your location. For businesses that travel to many different events, or that want to advertise in high visibility locations before getting a permanent location, our signage is perfect for you.

What Separates the Best Digital Signage from the Rest

Different solutions for digital signage come with different capabilities, and it’s important to know what to look for. Here’s what we’ve found to best separate digital signage solutions.

• Bright and easy to see. If the screen is perfect for the room but fades and is no longer visible in bright sunlight, is pretty much useless to a store.
• Easy to update. If you have to call a tech to update a menu or promotion, that system is going to be useless fast.
• Durability. A signage solution built to last the rigors of an industrial workspace all day every day is going to be a world of difference from a television built for consumer use.
• Post installation support. A display is going to fail and a software update is going to be needed. Having a team close that you can call is going to matter more than you think, even if you’ve not needed it yet.

Choosing a digital signage solution is going to matter here too. Half of the solution is the hardware, but the company that installs the screen and vanishes is leaving you to deal with a bunch of really annoying technical issues, which is what digital signage is supposed to alleviate.

An easy to follow guide on how to choose an effective digital signage solution.

Set the goals then the signs.
Before you invest in digital signage, consider what goal you’re trying to accomplish. Are you trying to engage customers with new digital promotions? Are you trying to streamline your process? Do you want an aesthetic improvement to your store? Both the goals and the digital signage solution you choose are critical to the success of your store.

Consider the mounting, visibility, and lighting needs of signage in different areas of your store.
Different areas of your store will require signage with different needs. For example, the requirements of signage in your showroom will not be the same as your menu board signage.

How easy (or hard) will it be to update the signage?
Consider who on your team will be responsible for updating the signage, how frequently they will do it, and how easy the digital signage solution really is for a non-technical team.

How easy is it to install and configure?
Consider the level of support that is offered with the solution. If day one results of your digital signage solution are poor, support is critical for the success of the solution.

Request support and start with one screen.
Digital signage makes the most sense for multi-location businesses. Request support and install the solution for one screen to start. Justifying a larger multi-location digital signage solution is easier after showing the value of one screen.

Big Mistakes Small Businesses Make with Digital Signage

Some common problems for small businesses are issues that seem to come from good intentions.

• Having Too Much Information on the Screen- Too Much Information on screens looks like cluttered advertising posters to potential customers.
• Having Lights or Sunlight Competing with your Display- Placement of your display is as important as the information presented.
• Failing to Update Digital Displays- A digital display that is stuck showing the same image for several months is as good as having a sign on the side of the road advertising a lost cat.
• Choosing the Cheapest Display- Digital Displays that are too cheap tend to break easier since they were not made for long term intense use.
• Neglecting Customer Support- The need for maintenance and customer support is more important after a purchase to service a business need.

Real-World Examples of Auckland Industries

Retail isn't the only industry to benefit from digital signage. Many small businesses in Auckland have found unique ways to use the technology.

Cafes and restaurants often use digital signage for the menus to show updated specials and even manage stock in real time. Gyms use digital signage to show schedules and even display motivational content on the gym floor. Hair salons and beauty studios use digital signage to show promotions and even before-and-after transformations. Pharmacies have digital signs to show health information and even seasonal promotions. Educational providers use displays in reception and hallways to show schedules, announcements, and other updates.

All of these use cases have one thing in common. A digital screen that updates in real time as compared to an unchanging sign, makes the information more pertinent and useful.

Conclusion

Digital signage is no longer reserved for retailers and other large corporations. Digital signage has been made accessible for small businesses throughout Auckland. Technologies for digital signage have made great improvements and are effective for a wide variety of businesses including neighborhood cafes, gyms, and salons.

Choosing the best digital signage screen is not the priority. Selecting the most appropriate screen for your space and audience, and the content, is what is most important. It is also important that you have a robust support system for leveraging the technology and not just someone who mounts the screen and walks away.

If your small business in Auckland is interested in trying out digital signage technology, Dynamic Displays has the knowledge to help you find the most appropriate technology. You can call +64 21 281 5009 and a technology specialist will describe the possibilities for your business and provide an appropriate solution and recommendation with no obligation.