JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – 22 January 2021 – The retail environment is highly competitive, with retailers constantly looking for better and efficient ways to catch the eyes of potential customers. Amid this climate, the benefits of digital displays are well-established, with their impact seen across retail providers from shopping malls to quick-service restaurants (QSRs). In the restaurant sphere, in particular, digital displays have been found to deliver improved visibility and an elevated overall brand experience compared to analogue displays.

But digital signage is good for more than just the consumer. The technology has also been shown to reduce costs for businesses. Below, we explore the wide-reaching benefits of going digital.

Putting the Benefits Into Numbers

When we compare using analogue and digital menu boards in restaurants, it becomes clear that utilising Samsung SMART Signage provides a significant advantage over the use of static lightbox menus. While installing digital signage causes businesses to initially incur slightly higher upfront costs, it has been shown that those businesses receive a higher return on investment within two years of installation.

In Samsung’s whitepaper, it is shown that if a QSR brand with 250 stores nationwide were to utilise static signage, it would require a total of six light box-style analogue menu boards at each location, in addition to six printed menu boards. These boards typically need to be replaced every two months, while the fluorescent lamps for lightboxes and electrical ballasts must be replaced every 18 months. In addition to the annual maintenance fee, this all adds up to a considerable cumulative cost. However, the use of digital menu boards immediately eliminates maintenance costs as well as the expenses related to creating new printouts for static menu boards.

Digital Signage for Versatility

However, the savings are only the beginning, with Samsung SMART Signage able to deliver a variety of content from images to dynamic videos, all in vivid, vibrant colours. SMART Signage is also engineered to operate 24/7, providing night and day visibility that is unmatched by analogue displays and ensuring that customers are deeply engaged with the content. These stellar displays are supported by Samsung’s powerful MagicINFO content management solution, which enables users to conveniently manage all of their visual signage from one centralised location. This increased flexibility allows businesses to quickly and conveniently update promotions, offerings and messages to reflect consumer trends and important events, alleviating the slowdowns and missed sales opportunities brought about by businesses having to have their static assets made and delivered.

While the initial installation cost for digital signage is slightly higher, it has been shown that businesses that upgrade from analogue to digital signage save many thousands per store after five years. And that is before the benefits from potential increases in sales and improved customer experiences are taken into account.

Beyond the Money

But the benefits of digital signage go far beyond just savings and better-looking menus. Digital displays equip a business to evolve and create opportunities that just aren’t possible with analogue alternatives. Consumers are constantly looking for up-to-date information and latest promotions, and the ability of digital menu boards to be updated in real-time to reflect demand, trends and unexpected events allows businesses to act quickly and efficiently.

What’s more, the time required to update menus and other forms of content is drastically reduced with SMART Signage. The time between starting design planning for content and actually seeing it displayed to customers can realistically be as short as two weeks with digital signage, while simpler modifications such as updating product information or complying with new calorie count posting requirements can be made in as little as two hours. Best of all, once these changes are finalised they can be distributed across the entire signage network instantaneously.

This dynamic, in-the-moment approach provides engaging experiences for customers and drives both satisfaction and sales. In QSRs in particular, purchasing decisions are often made on the spot. Thus, customers in this environment must be equipped with the latest, up-to-date and accurate information to do just this.

Samsung SMART Signage installed at McDonald’s stores in Korea

The benefits of digital displays go far beyond better-looking signage. SMART Signage is an efficient and effective solution when it comes to saving on costs, introducing versatility into the signage and fostering genuine and mutually beneficial consumer relationships. As the age of information continues to progress, Samsung SMART Signage is providing the platform to ensure that the retail sphere is equipped to be a leader when it comes to consumer communications.

Why the Samsung and Moving Tactics Partnership Stands Out

• System-on-Chip (SOC) Technology

SOC technology has stepped forward and replaced the need for external media players, and believe that retailers, and especially QSR chains, should insist on having their systems switched over to this new technology; or if they’re installing from scratch, this is a must. This massive trend in digital signage technology does away with using multiple pieces of equipment, and instead, runs the software via the screen only, resulting in a much more streamlined solution, whilst providing diagnostics and health readings. Samsung offer this technology and it is much more reliable to have one failure point via one supplier, specifically in the QSR market.

• LED Display Technology

Despite the relative expense of LED display technology, use is growing all the time and when used for large format work, they become cost effective, making them ideal for installations on a grand scale. Their brightness allows them to work well for indoor and window displays and they’re not limited by any specific aspect ratio. These LED displays can change shape to fit almost any specific space as they are multi-purpose and highly customisable and they show up better in ambient light conditions, compared to other technologies.

• Customer Success

The ability to develop and implement an all-round high quality installation is crucial to ensure that retail brands and QSR chains get the most out of their digital signage systems by using new and innovative ways to capture the customer’s attention. Offering a turnkey solution is absolutely essential. This is why the Samsung MagicINFO signage solution has also proven to be invaluable to clients such as fast food chains where intelligent drive-thru digital menu boards can run off a digital eco-system.

The bespoke Samsung MagicInfo signage solution is an entirely Samsung end-to-end technology that runs from the digital menu board content across commercial 24-hour rated Samsung screen solutions at each outlet. The offering also includes on-going content development across all store categories as well as content management. Samsung and Moving Tactics have always been at the pioneering edge of technology, developing sustainable and durable solutions over the years – providing customers with the best solution to meet their requirements. It’s a partnership that’s a smart choice for everyone.

About the Samsung and Moving Tactics Partnership

For almost a decade, the partnership has allowed both companies to solidify their position as true industry innovators. This partnership has resulted in digital signage installations for renowned global brands with a CAPEX value exceeding R100m. Moving Tactics was one of the pioneers in utilising commercial large format displays to ensure playout of advertiser content, which in turn would provide auditable flighting reports to clients. Additionally, the benefits of installing Samsung’s commercial grade screens offer clients much more advanced features. Samsung’s System-On-Chip (SOC) technology replaced the need for external media players. This massive trend in digital signage technology does away with using multiple pieces of equipment, and instead, runs the software via the screen only, resulting in a much more streamline

“When you build bespoke solutions, you want to have confidence in the capability of the solution not only today but throughout its lifetime. Clients want to know that their investment is sound and that the technology will deliver throughout the contract period”, said Day.

For almost a decade, the partnership has allowed both companies to solidify their position as true industry innovators and resulted in digital signage installations being implemented for large burger fast food franchises, large clothing and pharmaceutical retailers, with a CAPEX value exceeding R100m. Moving Tactics was one of the pioneers in utilising commercial large format displays to ensure playout of advertiser content, which in turn would provide auditable flighting reports to clients. Additionally, the benefits of installing Samsung’s commercial grade screens offer clients much more advanced features. Samsung’s System-On-Chip (SOC) technology replaced the need for external media players. This massive trend in digital signage technology does away with using multiple pieces of equipment, and instead, runs the software via the screen only, resulting in a much more streamlined solution, whilst providing diagnostics and health readings.

“Samsung is proud to partner with a company that delivers real value to South African consumers and businesses. This bespoke Samsung signage technology provides an end-to-end solution that leverages Moving Tactics’ immense technical expertise and unique insights with Samsung’s pioneering technology. This is aligned with our ongoing mission to create meaningful partnerships,” said Sung Yoon, President and CEO of Samsung Africa.

The Samsung MagicINFO signage solution used has also proven to be invaluable to clients such as McDonalds whose internal and drive-thru digital menu boards, across 140 sites, ran off the same digital eco-system. Now, as a proactive response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Moving Tactics has also developed innovative niche solutions for the mobile retail industry, such as employing non-touch technology that enables clients to interact fully with a display handset without touching it.

“Samsung and Moving Tactics have always been at the pioneering edge of technology and we have developed sustainable and durable solutions over the years. We see the Samsung relationship growing from strength to strength to continue providing customers with the best solution to meet their requirements,” concludes Day.