Digital signage is increasingly becoming important in the commercial sector, and as technologies around it continue to grow, we are seeing things that we wouldn’t have imagined possible 5 years ago.
One interesting aspect of digital signage retail that is starting to become prominent is retailtainment, and that’s our focus for today.
For those that have dealt with digital signage, retailment is not a new concept, but for the benefit of those that haven’t come across it while shopping we are about to take you through it.
In a nutshell, retailtainment is one of the many creative offshoots of retail digital signage, and we are going to explore everything that pertains to it in detail. So sit back, relax and let us take you through it.
What Is Retailtainment?
The term retailtainment is the combination of two words: Retail and Entertainment, and it is a concept where you sell products through the use of entertainment.
When you consider how influential entertainment can be, the potential to how much a company can achieve by incorporating aspects of it in experiential marketing is unlimited.
There’s very little that a potential online shopping customer can do to resist paying attention to a product if it is well packaged and presented alongside their favorite song or film.
This creates a connection between the product and the shoppers even when they had no plans of trying it out; this is what experiential retail aims to achieve.
It doesn’t matter whether they will buy it on the spot or come back later, that entertainment impression is an added value that stays with them into the future, and that’s what digital marketing is all about.
Retailtainment is becoming more effective as technology improves since physical and online retail businesses have a lot of avenues through which they can reach their target market, for example social platforms.
It encompasses product demonstrations, in-store sampling, virtual reality, kid-friendly sections, and interactive retail digital signage and kiosks.
This can be achieved by leveraging tools like ultra-HD phone screens, better sound quality, amazing graphical materials, among many others.
Traditional Retailtainment
Before it embraced technology, traditional retailtainment used to make do with some age-old tactics that worked pretty well in their time. Some are even still in use today by most businesses, and the most notable ones include the following.
Product Demonstrations
In-store product demonstrations effectively get potential clients curious enough to want to try out what is being sold.
It is an opportunity to give customers a hands-on experience by sampling the product to know what to expect and make them spend money.
You can even make things more engaging by bringing in an expert who understands the product or the service and can do demonstrations in a straightforward way.
To make it even more effective, involve the customers in the demonstration by asking them to volunteer. This can be effective when demonstrating future tech like augmented reality.
Seminars and Workshops
Seminars are another effective traditional way of putting retailtainment into use to boost marketing and increase interest in your product or service if you understand consumer behavior.
These educational sessions allow customers to interact with experts who understand the product or service well. At the same time, these exchanges that take place can be enlightening to customers.
Raffles and Lucky Draws
In-store raffles and draws are a form of entertainment, and when you combine them with experiential marketing, then you have in your hands a powerful tool that will get you customers without straining.
By taking part in the raffle, the customer will be more inclined to feel connected to the brand and will most likely purchase at the end of it, even when they win something or not.
The main aim of retailtainment strategies here is to turn fun into something that can be used to win people over.
Giveaways
Just like raffles, in-store giveaways are another great way of getting people interested in what you are selling.
This can be in the form of gifts after playing a raffle game, tickets to an upcoming show sponsored by your company, or even simple refreshments like a bottle of water.
Instagrammable Displays
Pictures have been known to create powerful experiences, and with the level of technology around right now, you can create an iconic retail store experience around your brand on social media pages.
One way you can pull this off effortlessly is by making in-store instagrammable displays where people shopping can take pictures with the giveaways, and they get to post them on their social media pages to increase visual merchandising exposure for your products and services.
This becomes a good strategy to increase brand visibility.
Why Should Marketers Be Paying Attention to Retailtainment?
Retailtainment has worked before and continues to work today for e-commerce platforms like online shopping.
If you are a retailer looking to fully take advantage of the current technological advancements in retail digital signage to nab shoppers, then retailtainment should be high on your priority list for the following reasons.
More Walk-In Customers
Word of mouth is powerful and one of the biggest strengths of retailtainment. It increases foot traffic by encouraging store walk-ins even from new customers and shoppers.
Depending on how you package the whole thing, you may get customers interested, which can leave a memorable experience for the people who are curious enough to walk into your retail shopping stores.
These, in turn, spread the word around, and more people come in, and you end up with a good return of loyal customers.
Customer Engagement
Retailtainment creates an opportunity for customers to ask questions they wouldn’t be able to through any other means. When retail shopping stores use an in-store expert to talk to potential customers about the products and the services offered, a healthy conversation is started.
This not only encourages confidence in your brand but also leads to new customer acquisition. Businesses that engage with their customers all the time tend to be trusted more, even those that use social media.
This translates to sales since the customers feel valued enough to want to stick with you to keep enjoying that good retail experience.
Customer Satisfaction
Taking your time to create engaging in-store experiences for your customers will always positively affect your customers.
A common mistake that most businesses commit is assuming that the end of a transaction is the end of the interaction. Getting an in-store product they want is not what brings the customer back; the after-sale service and the treatment they receive leaves an impression.
People remember how they were treated, and this is where retailtainment comes in handy. Customer satisfaction and a good shopping experience should be your main aim when growing your own brand.
Stand Out From Competition
Retailtainment is an effective tool you can use to stay ahead of other retailers and improve shopping experience. Customers will always notice every little thing that you do for them, and that’s what makes them come back for more.
Providing giveaways, engaging them in games, or educating them on the products and services will make your establishment stand out more, which will attract more clients your way.
You will not even need to do anything about the price. A good retailtainment strategy will help you appear unique, committed, and always one step ahead of others.
Brand Loyalty
A good retail experience will always inspire loyalty in consumers that walk through the doors of your brick-and-mortar store or online shop. When you use retailtainment to show attention to your customers, they will feel appreciated, and this is how loyalty is built-in business.
Remember, you are not the only one selling a certain product, providing a particular service, or running an online store. Sometimes you have to go over and beyond other retailers and brands to attract and keep shoppers.
However, a strategic move like using retailtainment tactics could win you brand loyalty faster as consumers will come back for a good customer experience.
Convenient
Commercial digital signage tactics like retailtainment are very flexible, and this creates a high level of convenience for the business and physical stores aiming to game consumer behaviour.
You can switch to new things with a snap of a finger, and this is the kind of freedom that will impress shoppers curious enough to walk into your establishment.
This is cost-effective for retailers considering the success rate for those that have used it before.
Retailtainment Ideas
Retailtainment can be applied in so many ways in the business world; the only limit is how far you may be willing to push your creativity.
The following are some brands that successfully applied it in real life.
House of Vans
Vans shoes have been an iconic brand for many years, being worn by generations over the years. A company of this stature doesn’t survive this long against other brands without stepping out of its comfort zone.
House of Vans has made use of retailtainment by associating their shoes with art, street culture, BMX bikes, music, and fashion.
It has become so successful that it is almost impossible for consumers and shoppers to look at their first pair of Vans shoes without immediately thinking of music, a skate ramp, graffiti, among other examples.
Their brick-and-mortar stores are now equipped with screens that show videos of their skateparks and music festivals.
That is how you do experiential retail marketing the right way.
Nike
A behemoth in the apparel world, Nike stores have been at the very top of the food chain for years, and this is down to its ability to create, adapt and take advantage of any new experiential marketing strategy.
The brand has attached itself to fun sports of all kinds, and this can be seen in the investments it makes in mini basketball court facilities and sports stars from around the world.
This has also been achieved through a commercial smart video wall that creates and shows a wide variety of human interest stories with the Nike brand smack in the middle of it changing people’s lives.
The kind of sentimentality this evokes can be very effective.
It would be hard for people to buy other brands when they think of getting something sporty for themselves, and that’s the proof you need to know that experiential retail is huge and effective.
Get Started with Digital Signage Retailtainment
Having understood how experiential retail tactics work and how effective they can be, you are probably thinking of adopting them for your brick and mortar stores.
But what exactly would you need to consider when selecting the right components of smart signage? We discuss this below.
Components of Smart Signage
- Digital Signage Software: This is the software that turns all the hardware components into digital signage. The software controls the type of content and how that content is
displayed to achieve the best effect. Software is what runs hardware like VR headsets. - Media Player: This is the medium through which the interactive digital signage retail content is displayed to the public. It could be in the form of music, videos, augmented reality, smart touch screens or graphic materials.
- Digital Kiosk: This is the booth that supports the hardware which displays the content. A good example is a billboard and it has to be in a secure retail environment.
- Digital Signage Content: This is the actual information displayed to convey a message pertaining to a product or a service you are offering. It can be in text, audio, video, graphical material, or a combination of them all.
Things to Consider When Choosing Digital Signage Retailtainment Strategy
- Security: Most signages are displayed outdoors where they can best be seen by as many people as possible. They have to be well secured to prevent vandalism and theft as they are expensive.
- Digital Connectivity: The more options in terms of digital connectivity, the more effective digital signages will be. Go for a solution that allows you to make use of everything you can find to increase sales.
- Affordability: Your budget should determine the type and nature of the smart signage you choose to go with. There’s no guarantee that spending more gets you better results; it all comes down to how you work with what you have.
- Campaign Strategy: Your retailtainment ideas and strategy should give you an idea of what you should go with. For instance, a strategy that involves audio content requires media players best suited for that. That’s how you create a good retail shopping experience.
- Service Provider: Connectivity is vital, and you need to get the best service provider you can find to ensure that the retailtainment campaigns are run without any glitches or downtimes to create sales.
Takeaway
Are retailtainment ideas effective? Yes. It is a fun and cost-effective method of handling marketing without having to break the bank, especially where online shopping is involved.
It has worked for many brick-and-mortar stores in the past, and you should go for it if you have been thinking of going down that route with your shop.
REV Interactive is a digital signage supplier in Malaysia and if you have questions on the retail and entertainment concept or you need to invest in digital signage solutions, feel free to contact us.
Elevate your in-store experience today and join the retailtainment craze!
