Naveen Khajuria, Co-founder, Pyrotechnic Systems, discusses the advantages of digital signage like reduced power consumption and easy recycling with Annie Johnny.
Q. How can signage enhance a store’s merchandise and increase sales?
We have seen a definitive increase of around 20-25 percent in sales after the installation of digital signage. This form of signage gives a visual experience to the customer. For example, in a mobile phone store, you can have a picture of the latest mobile outside the store. But once the person enters the store he wants to see the different models, colors and options.
With digital media it is possible to show all the options to the customers to help them make their choice. Unlike television commercials and video ads, signage aids local marketing. For example, a television ad for a chain of stores spread across the country would be quite generic. On the other hand, signage inside a store will enable local marketing. Schemes undertaken especially for the local population can be displayed through digital signage.
Q. Are modern retailers shifting from traditional sign making to digital?
Modern digital signage is not exactly replacing the traditional signage. It is just becoming an add-on. The traditional forms of signage is still popular and is widely used. In traditional signage, messages are there just to be seen and you can’t extend its functions. It can’t be something which can be updated every few minutes or seconds. On the other hand with digital signage, the information in digital signage is updated, and always up to the mark. The idea of digital signage is to catch the attention of the people coming inside a store, and to give them a live experience. Multimedia information is more eye-catching and can easily grab attention.
Q. How do traditional and digital signage compare in terms of costs?
There is a perception that digital signage is very costly to install as compared to graphics. While the initial cost of installation is higher especially with LEDs and LCDs, it evens out over a longer period. With static signage you have to keep changing it every fifteen days, a month, or whenever a new campaign is coming up. So the cost remains constant throughout the years. Whereas, once digital signage is installed, over a period of five years or so you will find that it turn out to be a much cheaper option. LEDs or the large scale LEDs are being used for outdoor environments – either on the building facade, a park or in a market area. While both LCDs and LEDs are being used inside buildings, LEDs offer a superior quality because of their better clarity and color appeal.
Q. Any projects by Pyrotechnic Systems that you would like to talk about?
Primarily, we have been working with the hospitality sector and the retail sector. Our solution caters to the marketing needs, products and services. So people walking into a store or a hotel are able to see the clients’ marketing content. We have worked on a Nokia store at Select City Mall in New Delhi where we used the facade of the store for displaying their products in a very large way. A phone is a very small entity, and you cannot display it like you display clothes on mannequins. So the idea was to use the window of the store, and present the phones and their features to the people passing by the store. We also wanted to capture the user’s fantasy, and see what kind of information they are looking for or browsing. We have also worked with Golfworx in Gurgaon, which is a combination of a lounge and a retail store. Here we have used digital screens for internal marketing such as for providing information on membership deals, golf lessons, and other promotions. We have also created the logo which is a glossy, black lacquered glass, highlighted in green to create a dramatic effect on the ceiling.
*This interview was originally published in January- February 2012 issue of IndiaShop.
