Getting in-store PoS right can boost efficiency for all other media channels during a campaign, yet traditional PoS has always been blighted by challenges. With store staff time under increasing pressure (compounded by more cuts at many of the major mults), colleagues simply don’t have time to unpack, implement and check in-store media. Even when it does go up, the busy nature of a store means it may not stay there for a full period.
Last week saw a step in the right direction when Waitrose announced a digital signage trial live in-store over the next 12 weeks. This feels like timely news following the BBC’s investigation of the Tesco pricing scandal and is a clear bid to demonstrate transparency and accuracy on pricing for customers, as well as improve the in-store experience.
This move brings dynamism to the store that simply wasn’t possible before. Digital signage creates the opportunity for grocery retailers to deliver dynamic pricing, which helps them react to the market and offer a better deal if a competitor is presenting something better elsewhere.
Electronic shelves also represent a huge opportunity for brands to communicate with customers in an engaging way. By putting digital screens in the right places, with the right messages, the conversion benefits could be huge. Whether it’s shouting about new product launches, communicating price promotions or delivering benefit communication, it’s the kind of engagement that today’s shoppers are crying out for.
It also transforms the way that retailers and brands sell this kind of advertising space. Rather than having to pay a fixed fee for a full promotional cycle, brands could buy space on a day-part basis, achieving significant share of voice in the store, but only at the right moments for their products. This means brands can better measure effectiveness and optimise strategy accordingly.
If Waitrose can demonstrate that the improvements to the shopping experience and the potential upside in advertising revenue can outweigh the cost, this will be revolutionary for the shopper experience and for in-store advertising.
Sam Knights is a director at Threefold
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