Digital signage, with its eye-catching video played on state-of-the-art monitors, can play many roles in a retail store - roles that have at one time or another been filled by various sales staff. The advantages of relying on digital technology to deliver your messages to customers are pronounced. Not only will you be able, able to deliver your message more economically and efficiently, in most instances, but you can be assured that the content of the marketing message that is delivered is both consistent and effective.

Consider some of the marketing roles that digital signage can fill:

"Attractor" - Gone are the days of the shill and the hawker standing on the street touting the goods and services for sale and trying to entice passersby into your store. Except for the novelty effect - what's old is new again - paying someone with a sandwich board to draw customers has been wholly replaced by display windows and advertising displays. Storefront monitors displaying digital advertising allows you to craft the message you wish to deliver to window-shoppers and the foot traffic that passes by your retail outlet.

"Ambassador" - Digital signage can be configured to greet and direct customers or clients to customer service counters, self-service kiosks or sales staff. Efficiency is heightened by having sales staff interact with customers in the display areas or aisles where purchase decisions are being made, rather than greeting each customer at the entrance. While greeters might still be used, customers can be directed to the areas where the products and services are located, rather than being faced with and politely deferring the ubiquitous "Can I help you?" question, with the perfunctory "No thanks, I'm just looking," response.

"Wayfinder" - Digital signs and content can be configured and located to give directional information to customers, directing them through the retail outlet to the product aisles they are looking for. By shaping traffic and directing traffic flow, wayfinding technology can help customers find the products they are looking for quickly and easily, enhancing the customer experience and freeing up sales staff to wait on customers who have found the products they are looking for and are making their purchase decision.

"Signaler" - The content of your digital advertising can be focused on promoting particular products and sales items. Monitors and digital displays can provide real-time promotion of products and promotions in real time, allowing promotion of sale products and products that may have limited shelf life.

"Closer" - Digital signage is particularly effective at the point-of-purchase and can be used to promote impulse purchases at a sales counter, as well as providing repetition of sales messaging that has already been presented to your customers throughout their shopping experience.

Used consistently, digital advertising can guide customers through their retail shopping experience, providing focused and consistent marketing from point of entry to point of sales. In addition to presenting a strategically thought out marketing message, the consistency and measurability of digital signage allows you to continuously improve its effectiveness. The metrics provided through advanced digital advertising software enables you to see what is - or isn't - effective in converting customers to purchasers.

Far more effective than relying on traditional print advertising, the interactive nature of digital signage allows you to fill many of the less fruitful functions of your sales staff - attracting customers, greeting them, helping them find your products - and allows your sales people to concentrate on building customer rapport and converting that rapport into sales.

Digital signage has been shown to be effective in helping retailers build customer traffic, increase sales, improve inventory management and generate additional revenue.