Digital signage is an innovative, cost-effective alternative to static displays and menu boards and benefits of the technology make it a great fit for many quick service and fast casual restaurants. Here are four ways it can benefit your business:
Improve Customer Experiences and Perceptions
According to a study conducted at the University of Massachusetts, any information provided to customers while waiting to be served can “reduce the uncertainty” and the perceived duration of their wait, lowering their stress level. This can contribute to customers’ overall positive impression of your restaurant.
With digital signage, you can display live waitlists for tables or let diners know approximately how long their wait will be. You can also use digital signage to give diners a preview of the menu, or present content that makes the wait more enjoyable such as entertaining video clips or trivia questions.
Boost Sales and Revenues
Digital signage is also a great way to tell customers about new menu items and promotions — both inside and outside your restaurant.
In addition, digital signage is an effective way to upsell menu items. Even if servers and counter employees are trained to talk up promotions and engage in upselling, enticing images can provide the extra push to try something new.
Your business may also consider using digital signage as a revenue-booster by showcasing paid advertisements from vendors whose products are served in your restaurant or nearby businesses. Quick-service restaurants have long featured various soft drink ads on their signage, but anything can be advertised on digital signage.
Save Labor and Increase Accuracy
Digital signage makes changing menu items, prices, specials, and promotions easy. Instead of manually changing signs, digital signage solutions allow you to create displays that will be pushed to all signs, and you can even schedule them in advance. This is an especially beneficial feature if you have signage in more than one location.
It also eliminates human error. You will no longer have an errant sign from an old promotion or a menu board still displaying breakfast items at lunchtime. If it’s necessary to make a last minute menu change or increase a price, a manager can immediately update this information on all signs at once.
Enhance Customer Engagement
As competition for consumers’ dining dollars grows fiercer, engaging customers and encouraging their loyalty is increasingly important. Digital signage allows you to try innovative ways to engage customers. For example, one California-based restaurant reported a 28% boost in sales after creating a social media wall. Digital signage displays posts with the restaurant’s hashtag and customers can see their posts to a variety of social media sites.
Digital signage can also enhance customer engagement when it is used to display your own website, encouraging guests to enroll in your loyalty program or sign up to receive offers and coupons, which can help develop your customer database, which can be harnessed to create programs that foster future engagement through custom-tailored programs and promotions that drive repeat business.
With the potential to help you provide better customer experiences and increase customer engagement, as well as saving time and reducing errors, it’s worth evaluating how digital signage can benefit your restaurant.
