Inserting a lake, a gym and a hoarse into a display – If marketing guru’s are to be believed, bricks n mortar retailers would be wise to think about how their store designs and related merchandise displays might create an emotional connection between a shopper and the product being sold. It has been suggested that one way to accomplish this is by summoning the context where the product might be used. Does this mean that a diamond ring is better displayed when presented by candle light, flowers, a gourmet dinner? What about a canoe, a pair of sneakers, a cowboy hat, …” Do we need a lake, a gym, and a hoarse to suggest the desired context? So it would appear, especially if we go by design strategies that we see being employed by businesses and retailers who seem to be surviving the effects of online sales.
An obvious way of inserting the lake, the gym and the hoarse into the scenario above is by the use of a digital sign. Since these are clearly showing up everywhere in the public arena, we thought it worth examining how they are being used. To that end we went happily to the epicenter of everyday electronics, Best Buy.Before proceeding, a word about the images used here. These are phone photos taken while I was in the store shopping for a TV which I purchased and will be used on a digital sign. The comments which follow are intended to be instructive on a general topic and reflect on neither the practices and policies of Best Buy, nor the suppliers of the products on display.
Measuring Success – I evaluated each display below for: a) Notice-aibility of the display – 5 pts, b) Brand identity – 4 pts., c) Shopper connection with the context in which the product is presented – 3 pts., d) Shopper engagement with the product – 2 pts., e) Shop-abiltiy of the display – 1 pt. I made a score card, success being assigned according to the order of importance on the list. The highest possible score was 15 points. Click through the images to see who won.
The large screen makes the display stand out from across a room for sure, and the brand is visible and prominent as well. Context and connectivity are poor as only a photo of the real product is used on the sign. Why look at an image when the real items are actually touchable and possibly interactive on the display below? The display is generally shoppable although the merchandise is locked in a case. Score: a.3, b.4, c.0, d.2, e.1 = 12 points total score 
The size and organization of the display makes it standout in an aisle, but not from a distance. The brand is visible and prominent, although context and connectivity is not so good, as only a small side show with a “blend in” color scheme is on the digital display. The real items are actually on the display and nicely referenced in the associated printed material. The display is generally shoppable as the merchandise is on a shelf directly below. Score: a.3, b.4, c.0, d.2, e.1 = 10 points total scoree 
The size and variety of the digital images as well as the illuminated brand, including a logo, add enough interest to make this display standout. The brand is visible and identity is added by the use of a logo. Context, connectivity and display of the actual product are accomplished in a single innovative stroke as the merchandise has been incorporated into the digital image. The display is clearly shoppable and again the merchandise must be locked. Score: a.5, b.3, c.3, d.2, e.1 = 14 points total score 
The large screen makes the naturally dynamic video content on the screen stand out from across a room for sure. The high contrast between the brand named on a large field of red compensates well for the fact that the brand is displayed below the product. Context and connectivity is poor, as the product is made to do all the talking because it is the only thing on the screen. The real products are mounted on the console below the screen but how they function is unclear, making the display difficult to shop. Score: a.5, b.4, c.0, d.1, e.0 = 10 points total score 
A large screen is typically an attention “geter,” but in this case it falls short as it is mostly blank. It does, though, at least show a brand. Context and connectivity as well as access to the real product is nonexistent except as packaged items sparsely displayed below. I suppose these are shop-able as long as one knows what they are looking for. Score: a.2, b.1, c.0, d.0, e.1 = 4 points total score 
Again, the large screen makes the naturally dynamic content on the screen stand out from across a room and the brand is prominent on a sign at the top of the display. There has been an attempt at creating context and connectivity by integrating a video overlay and what appears to be some type of live feed into the main digital display. The real products are only available as package items, sparsely displayed on face outs below. Score: a.4, b.2, c.2, d.0, e.1 = 9 points total score 
The display has been precisely sized to, both standout from across the room, and make a nice presentation in an aisle. The brand is prominent enough to contribute to the notice-ability of the display, although context and connectivity has been delegated to the printed image on the back of the lower shelf. Real items are displayed and have been augmented well by the use of an informational image on the digital sign, showing how the product actually works. The display is generally shop-able as packaged merchandising including price is being offered. Score: a.4, b.4, c.1, d.2, e.1 = 12 points total score 
This display is a real standout, which is accomplished by how it is composed into a unified presentation. The large, shiny merchandise is balanced nicely with a prominent image of the brand. Context and connectivity are created by the life style photo wall behind the display and then augmented at the micro level by the inclusion of an informational video showing both how the laundry got dirty and then adding instructions on how the appliances should be set to clean it up. The merchandise, which is labeled with price and specifications, can be handled and partly tried out, making this a shop-able display. The entire display gets a bonus point because it proves that a neither a huge screen nor budget is necessary to create an effective marketing campaign to be presented on a digital display. Score: a.5, b.4, c.3, d.2, e.1, bonus 1 = 16 points total score
What is the point? – So why go through this exercise? Many of us have been writing about the marketing importance of creating an emotional connection between a shopper and the product being sold. This is certainly important, yet there is another more practical conclusion to be had and it is most evident in the last and final slide in the sequence. It has to do with our preconceived notions about costs, namely the best and most effective display in the sequence was also inexpensive to implement. No customized light boxes, electronic displays, large TV’s or digital display screens are required. Nor are customize informational graphics, merchandise mounting systems, or complicated apps necessary for access to streamed information.
The winner is – The content of the Whirlpool display is no less curated because only a wall, a decal, a logo sign, a small smart TV, a power outlet and merchandise are required. A message is delivered that clearly says, “this washer and dryer is able to provide clean safe clothes for your kids to wear when they are playing outside.” If you are a retailer thinking about introducing technology into a store design, my first recommendation would be not to over complicate what must be done.
Free digital signage trial – Retailers, service providers, and non profits are operating in a new marketing environment requiring that their online and “bricks n mortar” presence be seamlessly integrated. Business are now beginning to understand what museums have known forever; without curation there is only a warehouse. To this end Gaddis Architect will soon be testing a new service designed to provide, manage and deliver curated content for use on digital signs. To be notified about details of our free digital signage trial please join our contact list at the link
Bridget Gaddis, is a Licensed Architect and LEED-accredited Professional practicing nationally, and locally in the Washington DC area. She holds professional degrees in both Architecture and Interior Design, and with a comprehensive background in commercial retail design, planning and construction has completed projects for such for such well known brands as Chloe, Zegna, and Bvlgari. Her career began in tenant coordination and site planning for two well-known Cleveland developers, followed by six years in store planning for a national retailer. After a move to New York City in 1997, she spent the next years working for architecture firms specializing in retail projects. In 2011 she started her own practice in Alexandria, VA. Ms. Gaddis is the author of two blogs dealing with architectural subjects.