The digital signage industry continues to grow, alongside emerging new technologies — creating a truly exciting time for digital signage! 

Businesses can leverage these technologies to make their digital signage more dynamic, interactive, and impactful than ever before. From artificial intelligence and augmented reality to eco-friendly practices, the future of digital signage is bright.

In this blog post, we explore some notable trends to watch out for in 2024 and beyond, giving you insight into how these advancements can transform customer engagement and communication.

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Empower your signage with vision analytics to anonymously capture audience analytics, such as audience persona and dwell time, and track the overall effectiveness of content. 

Westpac in Australia is able to better understand their audience better and A/B test their signage content using this technology, resulting in increased store engagement.

Taking it one step further, businesses can in turn use the data gathered to dynamically trigger content to the relevant persona. For instance, a person viewing the screen while wearing a sports cap might trigger a sportswear ad. Or a person walking in using headphones might trigger a music ad.

This makes the content shown all the more powerful as it relies on the contextual information of the audience to deliver the content.

2.  Interactive Content

Wow the audience with two-way interactions using technologies such as touchscreens, motion sensors, and mobile integrations. 

These technologies encourage engagement, create memorable experiences, and offer valuable data on consumer preferences — whilst at the same time delivering hyper-personalized experiences. 

An example of this is Delta Airlines creating interactive wayfinding to make navigation for their customers more personalized.

By having the audience interact with the screens, data is being fed two ways, allowing brands to collect first-person information such as audience persona (e.g. gender and age category) and preferences, and historical data on purchases as well as website / app engagements.

This allows brands to close the gap between the digital and physical, creating super-targeted content that speaks directly to each customer, making interactions more personal and ultimately delivering more conversions.

3. Augmented Reality (AR)

AR is taking digital signage to a whole new level. AR integration primarily works alongside mobile devices, allowing the audience to view superimposed content in the real world. 

This technology makes digital signage more than just simple screens and turns passive viewers into active participants. This not only grabs the viewer’s attention but makes the retail experience fun and memorable.

Coca-Cola utilized AR for a DOOH campaign, in which viewers received a digital bottle of Coke Zero and a voucher, after scanning a QR code on their phones.

4. Energy-Efficient Digital Signage Hardware 

Imagine cutting down on energy use and reducing waste while still having those stunning displays. This is becoming more viable with advancements to energy-efficient screens, such as LEDs, solar-powered displays, and System on Chip (SoC) displays.

System on Chip (SoC) displays integrate the processor, memory, and storage directly into the screen creating an all-in-one solution that mitigates the need for external players — requiring fewer hardware pieces and consuming less power, while at the same time delivering an overall sleek and modern look.

Instead of loose cables making management and setup difficult, SoC displays have a seamless installation. They are advanced enough to deliver smooth, high-quality content playback, great for dynamic ads, interactive menus, or informational displays. 

Eco-friendly displays not only help the environment but also cut costs, win-win!

5. Cloud-Based Centralised Management Platforms

A cloud-based management platform allows for real-time content updates, scheduled posts, and performance analytics. It enables businesses to run campaigns across multiple stores, cities, or even countries, all from a central hub. 

Scalability is made easy, with little to no technical expertise required. Real-time notifications / alerting minimizes device downtime, allowing teams to swiftly address issues as they happen.

This has proven to be useful for Nightlife, a company that delivers digital jukeboxes in the form of interactive signage at hospitality venues across Australia. In not having to focus on their software infrastructure, Nightlife can focus more on building and improving their product, the CrowdDJ app.

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The industry is poised for exciting transformations. Emerging trends like AI integration, interactive content, AR enhancements, more energy-efficient signage, and cloud-based solutions are revolutionizing how businesses engage with their customers. 

Staying ahead of these trends will be crucial for not only maximizing the impact of your digital signage but also future-proofing your business.