Touchless tech – The future of digital signage

Then Covid-19 struck. Whilst the impact was not felt initially, with hardware production decelerating, stockpiles waning, and components becoming harder to source, there was an inevitable slowdown in the market.

The use of digital signage changed and whilst open, retail and hospitality venues utilised digital signage to inform people of hygiene and social distancing measures, as well as for queue management and digital traffic signs to ensure contact with others was minimised. We saw a similar trend for those who had to work in the office, with digital signage in place to inform employees of the latest company guidelines with regard to Covid-19.

As we now look forward and gradually come out of lockdown, digital signage solutions are likely to significantly evolve to provide information in new and innovative ways. From a hardware perspective, the large format market is expected to expand and with the technological advancements we’ve seen in terms of resolution, 4K and 8K screens are becoming more affordable and are likely be used more frequently for digital signage applications.

Whatever message is being pushed, whether it be social distancing, hygiene guidance or focussed consumer advertising, new technologies need to enable interaction in a safe manner. Whilst we have already seen interactive digital signage displays combined with hand sanitising stations, new hygiene guidelines and a general unwillingness to touch surfaces, may help to accelerate technologies that utilise gesture or voice control. The introduction of these new technologies will instigate requirements for more sophisticated sensors and supporting software. This in turn will likely increase the harvesting of information to enable more targeted advertising. To make the best use of this data, the supporting software must also evolve, which perhaps suggests the next big development in digital signage will be to place more value on software and analytics.

While the closure of offices and workplaces up and down the country may have temporary stalled the market, it’s undoubtedly helped a number of sectors and businesses to reopen and continue to function. As we gradually continue to come out of lockdown, digital signage and associated technologies will continue to play a vital role in communicating important information to the general public and ensuring safety protocol is at the top of the agenda.