What makes a great digital signage solution

Contents

From working with our clients, we’ve learned that a strong digital signage setup is more than just hanging screens on a wall. It’s about having reliable hardware that lasts, an easy-to-manage system, and, above all, a return on investment you can actually measure.

Why the numbers back the investment

A digital signage solution pays off with a proven return on investment, reflected in both marketing impact and internal efficiency.

Proven effectiveness: attention and retention

Digital signage naturally outperforms static displays thanks to the appeal of motion and high-definition visuals. This dynamic quality has a direct psychological impact on the audience.

Industry research shows that a digital screen captures 400 percent more attention than a traditional display. This significant difference ensures that your message is not just seen but stands out in the consumer’s visually crowded environment.

The effect on message retention is equally clear. According to an IPSOS survey, 75 percent of people remember content delivered via digital signage, compared with just 44 percent for static displays. This high retention rate is crucial whether the goal is to drive impulse purchases in-store or to communicate vital safety messages in industrial or transport settings.

The immersive and often interactive nature of digital signage also boosts customer engagement, making it easier to navigate a store and enhancing the overall shopping experience.

A strategic tool for employee engagement

Internally, digital signage is a powerful tool.

It ensures consistent communication of news, goals, and events to all employees, including those without desk access. By sharing the company’s vision and performance, it naturally encourages team involvement and strengthens a sense of belonging to a shared culture.

The impact of this engagement is measurable in talent retention. A strong, transparent company culture supported by effective communication like digital signage can reduce staff turnover by up to 26 percent. In this way, digital signage directly contributes to organizational stability and lowers the hidden costs of recruitment.

When it really works

Airbus: sharing information in real time

Airbus uses screens to share performance metrics, HR updates, schedules, and recognition messages. In factories with thousands of employees, email just isn’t enough. Strategically placed screens make sure everyone sees the information, even those who rarely check their inbox.

The clever part: local teams create the content. Each site can tailor messages to its audience, keeping communication relevant and engaging with no risk of burnout.

Damartex: safety first

Damartex uses digital signage to share safety and prevention messages. The headquarters can broadcast videos about company culture, while local branches display region-specific information, such as road conditions or weather-related safety tips.

In industries with higher accident risks, digital signage is a valuable tool for communicating safety guidelines: proper posture, personal protective equipment, and emergency procedures. Today, the solution is deployed across all sites in Germany, the UK, Belgium, and France.

What makes it effective is variety. Safety messages, company culture, and local news are mixed to keep content engaging.

Etam: enhancing the in-store experience

The lingerie brand uses digital signage to create a seamless link between online and in-store experiences. Screens showcase Instagram collections, customer reviews, and style tips. Shoppers share photos of their purchases using the brand’s hashtag, which automatically feeds content to the displays.

The result is a virtuous cycle: the more customers engage, the more dynamic and appealing the screens become. The more engaging the screens, the more customers want to participate.

The three pillars of digital signage

The effectiveness of a digital signage solution comes from the harmony of its components. For large-scale or critical deployments, a structured approach is essential, built around three interdependent elements: professional-grade hardware, an intelligent media player, and a centralized management system (CMS).

Hardware: the need for professional durability

Choosing the right screens is an engineering decision that directly impacts the reliability of the entire network. Professional digital signage displays are fundamentally different from consumer TVs, and overlooking this distinction can lead to costly maintenance.

Professional monitors are designed to run continuously, 24/7, with a guaranteed lifespan of around 40,000 hours – double that of a typical consumer TV at 20,000 hours. While this higher initial cost may seem significant, it dramatically reduces the total cost of ownership over time.

Two technical factors are key in selecting displays:

  • Brightness: Measured in nits, brightness is crucial for readability. A standard office screen may require only 350 nits, while a sunlit storefront or outdoor display needs 1,500 nits or more to remain visible.
  • Technology: Professional LCD screens offer versatility and clarity for indoor use, whereas LED walls are preferred for large-scale installations or bright environments thanks to their exceptional luminosity.

Local intelligence: the strategic role of the player and OPS

The media player, or simply the player, is the processing unit that connects to the screen, receives instructions from the CMS over the internet, and decodes the content for display. Its performance is critical, as it ensures smooth playback and responsive content delivery.

A high-performing player safeguards the longevity of your investment. Using the OPS (Open Pluggable Specification) standard is considered a best practice. OPS is a standardized slot at the back of the screen that allows the player to be inserted directly. This modularity is key: in case of a failure or a technology upgrade, such as for Edge Computing, only the player needs to be replaced – not the entire screen – simplifying maintenance and keeping the system flexible.

The CMS: the conductor

The content management system (CMS) is the central software that orchestrates the entire network of screens. It provides a single point of control for creating, scheduling, delivering, and managing content.

Its functions are essential for multi-site deployments:

  • Centralized management and scheduling: The CMS lets you control hundreds of screens from a single web interface, scheduling content based on precise criteria such as time, day, location, or screen group.
  • Integration with IT systems: A major advantage of a CMS is its ability to connect with the company’s information systems. This is the only way to display real-time data such as exchange rates, inventory levels, or production results. Without this integration, the signage solution cannot be fully dynamic.
  • Device monitoring: A robust CMS provides monitoring tools to track the health of each screen and player, ensuring operational continuity and simplifying preventive maintenance.

Investing in digital signage is more than installing a network of screens. It’s choosing an agile communication infrastructure that connects data, visuals, and people. The results speak for themselves: effectiveness, retention, engagement, and consistency all improve when messages come to life.

For anyone considering a new project or upgrading an existing system, working with an audiovisual integrator like Motilde is highly recommended.

More screens, more efficiency!
Download our guide to set up multiple displays in your room
Categories
Request a demonstration
Request a free demo to discover all the features of a remote collaboration solution!