Digital signage is constantly evolving, and so is its content. It’s impossible to predict exactly how, but we can look at trends in social media, digital marketing, advertising and other related fields and postulate how those trends may materialize in digital signage content. It’s wise to have some predictions in mind so you can be prepared for what 2018 may bring and, potentially, set your own trends in the process.
Here are eight things we expect to see in 2018 digital signage content.
1. Even more personalization
Email marketing, social media, e-commerce and many other spheres of the internet are getting more and more personalized, and so will digital signage content. With tools like facial recognition, content can be tailored to a consumer’s demographics. Metadata can recommend related products and services to people as they browse on a tablet, much like Amazon and Netflix do. And of course, audiences can continue to see their social media posts appear on the screen.
2. More vertical content
When is the last time you saw someone holding their smartphone horizontally, unless they were playing a game? Exactly. The days of horizontal content on mobile phones are limited, thanks in large part to users’ preference for vertical video. People are still used to TV screens being horizontal, but we think digital signage will flirt with the concept of vertical orientation in 2018.
3. Video walls
By 2021, video is expected to account for 80% of all web traffic. Eighty percent! The trend towards video is not new, however, and consumers are no longer impressed by seeing it on digital signage screens. Therefore, we see more businesses installing video walls to take their digital signage to the next level. As digital screens continue trending towards smaller and smaller bezels, as well, video walls will become even more attractive.
4. Ephemeral content
You’d have to be living under a rock not to notice that ephemeral content – content that expires or “disappears” after a set period of time, usually 24 hours – is all the rage on social media these days. Ever since Snapchat started the trend around 2012, other social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook have jumped on the ephemeral content bandwagon. We believe businesses will program their digital signage content to change more frequently in order to mimic the ephemeral content trend, albeit imperfectly.
5. All about the ‘gram
Instagram, that is. As of September 2017, the platform boasts some 800 million monthly users and 500 million daily active users. When it comes to digital signage screen time for social media platforms, we see Instagram taking priority for businesses in 2018. In line with the trend towards personalization, we also see more focus being on user-generated Instagram content through hashtag feeds or other customized feeds.
6. Less text, more graphics
It’s no secret that attention spans keep getting shorter, while TV screen resolutions keep getting better (and more affordable). The result will be less text and more images – or video – on digital signage screens. A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say, and that applies to digital signage as well.
7. News
It’s already common to see news on digital signage screens, but as the news cycle continues to move at the speed of light, businesses will attempt to keep up. Look out for more screen time for news content via RSS, social media and other apps, and expect it to refresh frequently.
8. Influencer content
Influencer marketing is here to stay and shows no signs of slowing down. Digital signage, being the adaptive technology it is, will become yet another platform to capitalize on the trend. Businesses who work with influencers may display their influencer collaborations via digital signage, most likely through social media apps. We may even see some businesses begin doing influencer collaborations meant for displaying exclusively on in-store digital signage.
Conclusion
It’s important to be prepared for upcoming trends and stay ahead of the curve, but remember that it’s also important to set your own trends. March to the beat of your own drum and do whatever you wish to do with your digital signage, regardless of what everyone else is doing with theirs. Whichever path you decide to take, if you’re looking for a turnkey digital signage solution to help you do it, request a demo of CrownTV’s digital signage solutions.