Evolution Of Digital Signage Due To COVID-19
Evolution Of Digital Signage Due To COVID-19
Coronavirus has had widespread impacts on arguably every aspect of everyday life, and the digital signage industry is no exception.
At the start of the outbreak, the main impact felt by most digital signage companies was supply problems caused by halted production in China. Avitor hold large quantities of stock here in Ireland and so could be relied upon to fulfil orders without long and often indeterminate delays, but for many companies, this was not the case.
As the virus spread to the rest of the world, the impact on the digital signage industry only worsened. At the same time that manufacturing began to recover and so supply started returning to normal levels, many countries were forced to implement lockdown measures. Non-essential businesses closed, schools and universities sent students home, offices shut, and travel ground almost to a halt. The result was a drop in demand for digital signage across almost every sector.
Although we have seen a significant recovery in sales over the past few weeks, the government and private businesses alike are feeling the financial strain after weeks of closure and there is still uncertainty about when restrictions will be fully lifted. Consequently, while many companies have recognised the benefit of digital signage in helping their business to get back up and running, some have postponed certain digital signage projects for the time being.
The impact of this on the industry as a whole is evident. In January 2020, Allied Market Research predicted that the global digital signage market would grow at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 8.1% from 2019 to 2026, reaching a value of $32.12 billion by the end of this forecast period1. Comparatively, in June 2020 Meticulous Research predicted that due to coronavirus the global digital signage market would reach just $19.44 by billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 4.3% between 2020 and 2027. Furthermore, 2020 is expected to be the first year that the digital signage market experiences reverse growth, breaking the trend of continuous annual growth that has been seen until now
Furthermore, to ensure safe conditions, businesses will also need a way to set entry requirements that people must meet before being allowed inside, such as having an acceptable temperature range or wearing a mask.
Another way in which the digital signage industry can evolve is by finding new purposes for existing products, such as Allsee’s Android Advertising Displays and Freestanding Digital Posters. Previously these displays were popular for their attractive giant tablet aesthetics, but our partners have relayed that recently the dynamic messaging benefits have become the main selling point. End users are finding that being able to update content instantly using either plug and play or online CMS software has been really useful for making sure messages about coronavirus are always up-to-date. Even small things like the fact that these displays have a glass front over the LCD panel have become key features as it means that they can easily be wiped clean.