[Editorial] How Digital Signage is Set to Transform the Future of Communication and Brand Engagement

Hyesung Ha, Senior Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics

The current global climate is prompting behavioral shifts across the world, requiring both consumers and businesses to adapt to new ways of life. One result of this has been a renewed appreciation for the importance of digital communications, with the digital OOH market poised to grow by 8.72 billion USD between 2020 and 2023.

Below, I explore some industries and businesses that have a unique opportunity to adapt to these changing times by utilizing digital displays to provide customers with full access to the information they need, when they need it.

Consumers on the Move

These days, consumer-brand interactions are defined by reduced facetime and increased communication through screens and digital displays. These shifting habits have presented an opportunity for retail and quick service restaurant (QSR) businesses to make use of eye-catching visual solutions that deliver information, improve engagement and build brand affinity.

One example of this is drive-through restaurants, which in March of this year generated $8.3 billion in the U.S., up from $8 billion over the same period in 2019 (reported by the New York Times, citing data from NPD Group). Companies with drive-through capabilities have gained a strong competitive edge, leading QSR providers to commit more resources to expanding drive-through capabilities and digital aspects of the consumer experience.

In South Korea, Samsung has been commissioned to supply SMART Outdoor Signage for the Starbucks Uiwang Cheonggye drive-through store, in addition to all future Starbucks drive-thru locations – which account for 40% of the approximately 120 new stores that open in Korea every year. SMART outdoor signage is set to play a pivotal role in how consumers engage with brands going forward, and with IP56-rated water and dust resistance, as well as excellent visibility – even under direct sunlight – Samsung solutions are ready to answer the call.

Increased Collaboration

In these times, video conferencing has quickly become an important platform for communicating with friends, family, customers and businesses, resulting in a record 62 million video conferencing app downloads in the week of March 14-21 alone according to App Annie. Technologies like these that facilitate broader collaboration have been praised as the future of work, but they are now facing their greatest test to date. While some solutions have thrived, others have not adapted as well, demonstrating the importance of establishing intelligent, reliable, seamless and visually impactful solutions.

For many, the concept of the ‘workplace’ has recently shifted from the office to the home, making the ability to reliably share content and information electronically more important than ever before.

Samsung’s Webex on Flip solution provides an effective and secure combination of video conferencing and visual display technology. The whiteboarding features of the Flip enable pen-to-paper like writing and editing, while also facilitating quick and convenient document access and wireless screensharing for better collaboration. Paired with Cisco’s leading video conferencing technology and protected by proprietary security features, Webex on Flip allows people working from multiple different locations to come together and collaborate without limitations.

Leading the Way

As the role digital signage plays in our lives becomes better understood, so too does the potential that signage technology can have moving forward. Visual displays are evolving in a range of ways – from featuring higher resolutions to incorporating intelligent cloud-based, AI-powered management software. These innovations and more will prove essential if industries are to keep providing the powerful tools needed to maintain communication and improve collaboration amid the new landscape in which we find ourselves.

Having led the digital signage industry for the past 11 consecutive years, Samsung has a well-rounded understanding of the demands of businesses and their customers, and is able to develop tailored solutions to meet their diverse needs. What started out as simple outdoor displays to replace unreliable analog signage, has become the powerful visual platform that is at the heart of communication for facilities like airports, shopping malls, city squares and sports stadiums. Samsung is excited about the future, and will continue to play a leading role in shaping and improving the ways we communicate.