The Future of Displays – What to Expect

Digital signs are everywhere, now commonplace in shopping centres, health care settings, and even your local schools. It’s no secret its reach is far and wide. Digital signage is constantly evolving with new technologies emerging, as people strive to find new and exciting ways to display content and open up the lines of communication between businesses and their employees and customers. It can be hard to keep up with this ever-changing technology, but the momentum is there, and we can expect the future of display advertising to be a bright one. Here are 5 trends that are likely to play a role in shaping the future of display technology.

1. Automation

Automation and artificial intelligence is definitely the way of the future, seen across most industries. The digital signage industry is no different.

Getting customers in front of a screen is just the first step in the process. How they interact with that screen is going to adapt and change over time, lending itself to in-depth marketing opportunities that can target the individual user based on their preferences.

AI has the ability to determine what content should be shown to which person as they interact with a digital display. This level of interactive marketing is unprecedented and will change the way many businesses operate, with a far more targeted approach.

2. Social media integration

Social media is here to stay and everyday it continues to grow in popularity. There are 4.20 billion active users around the world, with around 2 million joining them each and everyday. The reach is incredible.

Real-time social media walls have already been used effectively by marketers in a number of different settings. From sharing real-time comments from users at events, to putting forward reviews from happy customers for those in a waiting room – it has so many uses.

Social media is likely to become even more integral to a businesses marketing plan, increasing and expanding those lines of communications between customers and connecting instantly in real-time. This space is likely to evolve and change as the technology improves to better support these developing needs.

3. Adoption of screens

Walk outside and you’ll be able to spot the odd screen here and there. Whether it’s a wayfinding touch screen in the local national park, or an advertising screen outside a retail shop. They’re slowly popping up around the place, but we can expect this to explode in the next few years.

Soon, all communications are likely to be carried out with these digital display panels. The businesses who are yet to adopt this technology will be the ones that stand out, rather than the norm.

Adoption of this technology will enhance the customer’s experience from start to finish, offering a streamlined interaction that benefits all parties involved. It also enables businesses to open those lines of communications with their employees, growing in-company satisfaction and keeping everyone connected.

4. Interactivity

While screens might be everywhere right now, with more popping up each day, interactive screens still aren’t being used to their full potential.

As it currently stands, restaurants and fast-food chains have been the fastest early adopters of this interactive technology, allowing customers to purchase off an interactive menu without the need for human interaction.

Over the next few years, we can expect to see a boom in this area, with more and more industries taking up this technology. From touch screen kiosks in shopping centres to retail shops and more, we can expect to see big changes take place in the way everyday interactions occur.

5. Live content

Thanks to Enplug’s cloud-based platform, it’s now easier than ever to update your content across multiple screens – remotely and in real-time. With just a click of a button, you can choose exactly what gets displayed on what screen – and for how long. It’s customisation down to an art.

Whether you’re displaying 24-hour news, letting customer’s know about your latest sale, or updating clients on wait times, the ability to communicate in real-time is set to become even more mainstream in these coming years.

As this technology improves, we expect customer’s will be able to ‘talk back’ to these screens, reacting in real-time, sending messages, or even streaming themselves through integrated cameras. It will change the way we communicate and open up a number of new doors when it comes to interacting with technology in real-time. 

Paving the way to the future

When we talk about the future of screen technology, we’re talking in years, not decades. Futuristic touch screen technology is already in the works, and set to become more and more mainstream in the immediate future.

As long as technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see digital signage evolve along with it, changing our daily interactions and streamlining our experiences.