In today’s retail industry, digital signage has become pivotal for every business. Whether it’s used to engage customers, provide key information, enhance your visual appeal or just increase brand awareness; a well-executed digital signage makeover can significantly impact your business operations.

So how does a business plan and install their digital signage makeover?

Here at Entwined, we make the digital signage process straightforward and efficient. With a refined delivery process and robust project management, Entwined ensures timely and within-budget project completions, minimizing disruptions and maximizing ROI. We bring our expertise to every stage, from initial planning through to installation and ongoing management.

Let us show you a step-by-step guide of how we can transform your site into an industry-leading digital retail experience site:

Step Summary:

1. Planning and Preparation

   • Define goals, understand audience, assess current setup, conduct site inspection, develop content strategy, budget, and ROI.

2. Design and Content Creation

   • Create visual designs, develop engaging content, incorporate interactivity, and choose a CMS (Entwined Studio).

3. Hardware Selection and Installation

   • Select appropriate hardware, ensure network infrastructure, and plan installation.

4. Launch and Ongoing Management

   • Test and calibrate, go live, manage content, and maintain support.

5. Analytics and Optimization

   • Track performance metrics, gather customer feedback, implement failover systems, and plan for scalability.

6. Future-Proofing

   • Stay updated with trends, focus on sustainability, train your team, and foster partnerships.

Detailed Guide

Step 1: Planning and Preparation

Define Your Goals: Clearly define what you want to achieve with digital signage, whether it's increasing foot traffic, promoting products, or enhancing customer experience. At Entwined, we collaborate with you to tailor solutions to your specific business goals.

Understand Your Audience: Analyze customer demographics, preferences, and behaviors to tailor your content effectively. Our detailed audience research ensures your digital signage resonates with your target market.

Assess Your Current Setup: Evaluate your existing digital signage to identify what works and what needs improvement. Entwined provides a comprehensive audit to identify enhancement opportunities.

Site Inspection: Conduct a thorough site inspection to determine the best locations for your digital signage. Our team assesses factors such as foot traffic, visibility, and lighting conditions to optimize placement and impact.

Develop a Content Strategy: Plan a mix of promotional, informational, and interactive content that aligns with your brand. Entwined’s content experts help you create compelling content strategies that drive results.

Budgeting and ROI: Establish a budget covering hardware, software, installation, and maintenance. Entwined provides detailed cost estimates and ROI projections to help you make informed decisions.

Step 2: Design and Content Creation

Visual Design: Create designs that reflect your brand identity. Consider screen size, resolution, and placement. Entwined’s design team crafts custom visuals that captivate and engage your audience.

Content Creation: Develop high-quality, engaging content including videos, animations, graphics, and text. Entwined’s content creators specialize in producing dynamic content tailored to your needs.

Interactivity: Incorporate elements like touchscreens, QR codes, and social media feeds to enhance customer engagement. Entwined integrates the latest interactive technologies for effective digital signage.

Content Management System (CMS): Choose a robust CMS for scheduling, updating, and managing digital content. Entwined Studio simplifies content management and provides valuable insights. With its user-friendly interface, Studio allows you to streamline your content planning process, upload content, create custom playlists, and publish them to your screens with just a few clicks. You’ll have a complete overview of what’s playing on each screen across your network.

Step 3: Hardware Selection and Installation

Hardware Selection: Select displays that meet your needs for size, resolution, brightness, and durability. Entwined partners with top manufacturers to provide the best hardware solutions. Our team can assist you in choosing the right technology to meet your specific requirements.

Network Infrastructure: Ensure a reliable network infrastructure. Entwined’s IT specialists design and implement robust network solutions for seamless operation.

Installation: Plan and execute installation meticulously. Entwined’s installation team ensures a smooth process with secure and thoroughly tested components.

Step 4: Launch and Ongoing Management

Testing and Calibration: Conduct extensive testing and calibration for optimal performance. Entwined provides comprehensive services to ensure your signage looks perfect.

Go Live: Coordinate a smooth launch and monitor initial performance closely. Entwined’s project managers oversee the rollout to address any issues promptly.

Ongoing Content Management: Regularly update your content to keep it fresh. Entwined offers ongoing content management services to maintain engagement. With Entwined Studio, you can make real-time updates, ensuring that content is always current.

Maintenance and Support: Establish a routine for maintenance and support. Entwined provides packages to keep your system running smoothly.

Step 5: Analytics and Optimization

Performance Metrics: Track KPIs like engagement rates and sales uplift to measure effectiveness. Entwined’s analytics tools provide detailed reports for optimization.

Customer Feedback: Collect feedback to understand customer experience and improve your strategy. Entwined helps analyze feedback for better results.

Failover System: Ensure your content is always visible with Entwined's failover system. Pre-loaded backup content is displayed if a screen goes down, eliminating the risk of blank screens and keeping customers engaged. Our automatic mechanism ensures that backup content, including images, videos, and websites, is displayed when a source goes down. Plus, our application watchdog guarantees that your panels are always working correctly, giving you peace of mind to focus on your core business operations.

Continuous Improvement: Make informed adjustments based on data and feedback. Entwined collaborates with you for continuous improvement and effectiveness.

Scalability: Plan for future growth with scalable solutions. Entwined designs systems that grow with your business.

Step 6: Future-Proofing Your Digital Signage

Stay Updated with Technology Trends: Keep up with advancements like AI-driven content and IoT integrations. Entwined brings the latest innovations to you.

Sustainability: Use energy-efficient displays and sustainable materials. Entwined offers eco-friendly options to help you achieve sustainability goals.

Training and Development: Train your team on new tools and best practices. Entwined provides training programs to keep your team updated.

Partnerships: Collaborate with technology partners for ongoing support and innovation. Entwined fosters strong partnerships for top-notch service.

A digital signage makeover, when executed thoughtfully from ideation to installation and beyond, can transform your business by enhancing customer engagement and delivering impactful messages.

By following this comprehensive guide, you’ll ensure a strategic approach that maximizes the benefits of your digital signage investment.

Stay tuned for more updates and insights in the digital signage world!

Written by:

James Button
Project Manager at Entwined