Some pop-up stores are set up in vacant, modular retail units.
These advanced capabilities mean a tiny pop-up location can operated like a full-line store but at a fraction of the footprint and cost. Then, once the store is closed and packed up, the digital signs and kiosks can be placed in shipping containers and sent along to the next stop where they will be needed, with displayed information tailored accordingly for that location.
Stores outdoors
There can be additional challenges when a pop-up store is not set up in a dedicated retail space. Some are introduced in truly non-traditional locations, such as outdoor parking lots that are not wired for electronic equipment.
In these cases, mobile digital signage systems can cater to retailers’ needs. Battery-powered fixtures allow screens to operate virtually anywhere.
Toronto-based Design Science, for example, has provided such systems for ‘street furniture,’ including wayfinding kiosks equipped with light-emitting diode (LED) tickers that display tourist information and emergency alerts. They are ruggedized to endure weather and attempted vandalism.
Battery-powered fixtures for digital signage can also be configured to support merchandising shelves and point-of-sale (POS) hardware for processing transactions. With this kind of infrastructure, a complete store can be set up anywhere outdoors.
Other pop-up stores are designed as compact departments within a larger facility, such as a temporary cooking school at a grocery store.
Dynamic and static
More traditional, non-powered signage can also continue to play a role, of course. Retailers might apply large-format printed vinyl or foamboard graphics to brand their overall store and then ‘embed’ digital signage for the provision of content that will change with each redeployment.
In this way, digital and static signage can complement and enhance each other, with the retailer maximizing the lower square footage cost of printed point-of-purchase (POP) graphics and the higher visual impact of dynamic media. And with the ability to readily update the digital signage content, there is no longer any need to print new graphics, overhaul merchandising fixtures or redesign the store layout each time the retailer’s product selection, branding or in-store messaging changes.
In many cases, this flexibility will directly translate into reduced deployment times and cost savings.
The future is digital
Today, there is no question about the pervasive digitization of retail environments. In-store digital signage is increasingly popular for its flexibility in content updates, support for rich media and interactive capabilities. And with many form factors available, it is making its way directly into store layout designs.
While the bulk of digital signage installations in the retail market are reaching traditional stores, there are many reasons to extend the technology into pop-up stores, as well, where it is particularly important to draw attention in a mobile and flexible fashion.
Much like conventional signs, digital signage is not simply a turnkey offering from a single provider. The medium has come to encompass many small, one-off projects that are manageable in-house with the help of content management software, as well as more complex projects that require a co-ordinated effort with an information technology (IT) partner, audiovisual (AV) integrator and/or content developer.
Close relationships between the involved parties—and the clear designation of one party as the lead or principal on the project—will help ensure everything is handled properly, from network deployment to display selection and installation.
Indeed, sign companies planning to enter the digital signage market should not feel trapped by the complexities of complete systems, particularly in the early stages. Instead, they can review the various elements and develop a plan for delivering digital signage with the right partners, with an offering that can evolve and grow more complex in the future.
Dmitry Sokolov is retail solutions and thin clients category business manager for HP Canada. For more information, visit www.hp.ca.
