Digital Signage – Reasons to go Outdoors

While digital signage has grown exponentially over the last decade, with screens now visible in all sorts of public locations from shopping malls and airports to gas stations and retail stores, one area in the digital signage industry that has particularly exploded, is the use of screens outside.

Digital Signage is now used for one in eight outdoor adverts

While nowhere near as popular as indoor digital signage, outdoor digital signage is growing fast with one in eight outdoor advertisements in some locations now digital, and many industry analysts suggest the sector will continue to expands, providing plenty of opportunities to AV installers, advertisers and businesses.

While there are more challenges to using outdoor screens compared to indoor digital signage, with waterproof screens and technologies such as LCD enclosures, nearly any location can now easily have an outdoor screen displaying advertising information or promotional content. And there are many benefits for digital signage users to look to outdoor environments:

Audience

Perhaps the biggest draw for using outdoor digital signage is the sheer number of people that get to see the screen. While screens in shopping malls may receive thousands of views each day from the people coming into the building, a screen outside will not only gain views from the same people, but also those that walk past and don’t come in.

The potential audience for outdoor digital signage is huge, and with the right sized screen, in the right position, it’s not just passersby that get to see it. Commuters on public transport and in vehicles may also view the content.

Attracting New Customers

Unlike a screen inside a store that provides promotion to existing customers, a screen outside can help draw in trade. By providing attractive, appealing promotional content, people not intending to visit the store may be drawn through the doors, increasing custom and profits.

Less Digital Competition

With so many digital signage screens around shopping malls, airports and other indoor environments, it’s getting increasingly harder for digital signage advertisers to get noticed. This is less of a problem for outdoor digital signage screens as there are fewer displays around, making it far easier for a digital display to get noticed by the passing audience.

24 Hour Advertising

While shopping malls and retail stores close, many towns and cities remain busy throughout the night. An outdoor digital signage screen can appeal to a night time audience too, with theater goers, bar drinker and people visiting restaurants all able to see the screen and take in the advertising or branding messages.