Continuous media messaging and shorter consumer attention spans have pushed retail marketers to develop more personalized digital signage and promotions that grab consumers as they shop.
In Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, University of Waterloo Retail, a merchant specializing in books, student services and branded apparel, is using Linkett, a digital signage system with NFC technology, to deliver coupons, apps, games and more to customers’ smartphones. Customers can also use the system to purchase advertised products.
The Linkett technology, from start-up WestonExpressions, also detects when consumers are walking by while interacting with their smartphones and shares appropriate content.
Advertisement
“By providing us with a new avenue of reaching students, the Linkett system has been able to help our messaging stand out from typical posters and flyers,” said Kevin Suess, Marketing Coordinator, University of Waterloo Retail Services, in an interview with Retail TouchPoints. “This added visual opportunity translates to sales by catching our audiences’ attention and engaging them. It is our hope to create awareness for this new avenue for our messaging ― one that is novel and interesting to use compared to passive advertising. We feel that this form of interactive advertising has given us a competitive edge on campus, based on its interactive qualities and opportunities for dialogue.”
The Linkett-equipped widescreen TV is displayed in a high traffic area, near the University of Waterloo Retail book, apparel and stationery stores. The digital content draws attention to all three businesses, as well as promotions offered by related retail segments. “Updating the ads remotely and in real-time is very easy, involving just a few simple clicks,” said Suess. “In addition, the analytics and conversion rates are delivered in a simple format that makes benchmarking the progress of a campaign quite user-friendly.”
The Linkett digital signage system manages all media through an online platform, eliminating the need for IT oversight. The cloud-based platform simplifies marketers’ responsibilities by handling the uploading, editing, organization and scheduling of advertisement campaigns. New content is immediately uploaded to the desired displays through Wi-Fi, Ethernet or 3G networks. Marketers actively monitor campaigns and receive ongoing, real-time analytics.
Contest Helps Gather Valuable Insights
University of Waterloo Retail also uses the interactive Linkett technology to direct students to an online survey. When students complete and submit the survey, they automatically have the chance to win an HP Slate 7 tablet. The focus of the contest was to “evaluate students’ experiences with the Linkett display as well as their general thoughts about on-campus advertising,” Suess stated. “Results will affect how the display is implemented in the future and will help us streamline our current marketing efforts by focusing more on methods that appeal to students, while dialing back or removing elements that students do not prefer. Already we’ve gained valuable insight into how students care to communicate.”
The ability to create interactivity “helps generate a sales funnel similar to online advertising and allows for an understanding of key metrics like you would see on Google AdWords,” said Douglas Lusted, the 20-year-old founder and CEO of WestonExpressions. “However, we are bringing these strategies to the world of digital signage from cost per acquisition right through to impression. Linkett’s main use is to give retailers a way to directly connect with their customers and reach immediate return on objectives.”
