With its bold dynamic displays, interactive features, and other advanced capabilities, you might think that cloud based digital signage software cannot get any better than this. It’s a huge step up from traditional signage, a symbol of the future of marketing and communications.
But digital signage isn’t done revolutionizing its technology and offers. Every year, new features are being developed to unleash the full potential of digital signage solutions. And 2024 is going to be a big year, with interactivity and AI taking center stage to completely change how people interact with brands.
AI-Driven Content
In 2023, we saw how much AI has gained popularity, simplifying content creation for individuals and businesses. It’s only beginning to make its impact known, with research expecting the AI market to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 36.8% from 2023 to 2030.
Next year, AI is going to make its way to the digital signage industry. Businesses will be able to use this technology to create dynamic content, keep their displays updated, and automate their content management strategies.
Machine learning and predictive analytics have also become possible with AI, allowing businesses to analyze real-time data and, through trends and patterns, get an idea of what their customers want even before they do.
Blockchain Integration
Blockchain is a database or ledger that is shared across a computer network. You might have heard about it in relation to cryptocurrency, used to maintain a secure and decentralized record of crypto transactions. However, blockchain is not limited to the cryptocurrency industry. In 2024, it’s going to find applications in digital signage.
Blockchain is going to yield better data security and transparency for digital signage systems, providing businesses with reliable and verified updates in real-time. This can be especially valuable for data-sensitive niches like healthcare and finance. With blockchain integration, they can ensure their digital signage is secure and compliant with data rules and regulations.
Live Data Broadcast
The main selling point of digital signage is its ability to broadcast content in real-time. Even remotely, businesses are able to change content, make urgent announcements, and relay information in an instant. But many are not taking advantage of this fully, resulting in stale, outdated content showing up on their screens.
Updating and refreshing digital signage content will no longer be a chore in 2024, with live data broadcast capabilities taking the reigns. Through this technology, businesses will be able to transform their digital signage into information hubs, providing real-time data and updates.
Some use cases include live stock updates for financial centers, live tweets or posts for social media walls, or live data on wait times in restaurants and healthcare facilities.
Interactive Display
Interactive digital signage is not a new concept. For years, there’s been no shortage of displays with touchscreen capabilities, allowing the user to control the content they want to see and pave their own journeys with the display.
While interactivity has been part of the conversation for a while now, it’s going to take a quantum leap in 2024. Businesses will start adapting interactive displays more aggressively, increasing user engagement and facilitating more personalized experiences.
Interactive displays will also allow for more valuable data collection. As users interact with the screen and control their viewing experience, businesses will be put in a better place to gather invaluable insights from user interactions.
Touchscreen Displays
Touchscreen displays are the pinnacle of interactivity, changing the way viewers engage with digital signage content. In 2024, touchscreen digital signs are going to become more interactive and intuitive, boasting features like haptic feedback, gesture recognition, and multi-touch capabilities.
With this new innovation, users will no longer be limited to pressing buttons on-screen. Advanced touchscreen displays will now allow them to swipe, zoom, pinch, wave, or move to receive a response, creating a more tactile and interactive experience.
Sensory Signage
Taking things a step further from mere touchscreen displays, 2024 is bound to see the use of sensory signage. Technologies are making it possible to incorporate smell, touch, and taste into digital screens, creating more immersive viewing experiences for the user.
Take for example a food business running an advertisement for coffee beans. Instead of plain visuals, they could use sensory digital signage to emit an aroma of freshly roasted coffee — creating a sensory experience that influences the viewer’s purchasing decisions.
Hyper-Personalization
Digital signage content, placement, and features all rely on the audience — the goal is to create targeted content that grabs their attention and facilitates action. Creating personalized journeys is going to be easier in 2024, with hyper-personalization making its entry.
Using data analytics retrieved by sensors and other data collection methods, hyper-personalization will show laser-focused and tailored content to the person passing by. Imagine a sign showing an ad for their favorite sneaker brand as they walk past it — that’s what hyper-personalization can do.
But to truly take advantage of it, businesses need to fully understand their customer and target market and strengthen their digital signage analytics.
Voice Activation
Voice recognition, popularized by devices like Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri, is a booming market that’s poised to value $278.1 billion by 2025. The technology will be an integral part of digital signage development in 2024, creating an unprecedented ability for viewers to talk to a digital screen.
That way, they can navigate content and create unique journeys completely hands-free. Voice activation will allow the screen to respond to spoken commands, whether the user is asking for directions, more information, or to be directed to a page on their phones. This can be an important feature to increase accessibility, allowing those with physical limitations to access and control a digital sign.
Augmented Reality
To boost interactivity, businesses have also begun looking at augmented reality (AR) for their digital signage. Especially with the AR market projected to generate $53.71 billion by 2027, it’s a promising technology that can boost digital signage engagement and profitability.
Integrating AR into digital signage will primarily be supplemented by a user’s mobile device. They will be able to point their phones at a digital screen and view content superimposed into the physical world. As a result, a passive viewer is turned into an active participant in a brand’s campaign.
Holographic Advertisements
2D digital displays are stepping aside in 2024 to give away to 3D holograms that make a stronger visual impact. From large and bulky displays installed in the middle of a sidewalk or hallway, we can expect space-saving projectors that deliver holographic content superimposed into the physical world.
This amps up the visual appeal of digital signage, capturing not only the audience’s eye but also their imagination. They will be able to immerse themselves in the advertisement fully, with some displays even able to respond to voice commands and gestures.
The holographic market is expected to reach a market size of $15,500 million by 2030, motivating more businesses to adapt it to their advertising strategies.
Metaverse
The Metaverse sounds like something you’ll only hear of in sci-fi movies. But in 2024, this is about to become a reality. The Metaverse market is expected to exceed a value of $800 billion by 2024, with applications that extend to the digital signage industry.
The Metaverse is going remove the physical and location barriers of digital signage, creating a virtual world that can be accessed by users anytime and anywhere. Trade shows, galleries, shopping malls, and real estate companies will be among the first to adopt this new paradigm shift to create more immersive and interactive digital signage campaigns.
QR Codes
QR codes have been bridging the gap between the physical and digital worlds for years now. While they lost traction a while back, they’re going to make a comeback in 2024 — and this time around, QR codes will be smarter than ever. The QR code market is expected to grow at a rate of 16.9% from 2023 to 2030.
Applied in digital signage, QR codes will be valuable in connecting physical content to online content, whether leading a passer-by to a brand’s social media accounts or providing a store customer with more information, exclusive discounts, or hidden features.
Remote Management
Existing features and technologies already allow remote management of digital signage. But in 2024, we can expect cloud technology to evolve further. These developments will revolutionize digital signage management and allow you to control your displays from anywhere in the world.
Whether to update displays, schedule content, or monitor the performance of your screens, advanced cloud technologies will make all of it possible from your smartphone.
Sustainable Digital Signage
While digital signage is already more environmentally friendly than traditional signage solutions, sustainability is going to gain more focus in 2024. This is in line with the growth of the sustainable tech market, which is expected to value $36.6 billion by 2025.
New digital signage technology will find a balance between high-tech and eco-friendly constructions. We’re likely going to see screens made of recyclable materials and powered by renewable energy sources like wind or solar.
The shift to more sustainable digital signage solutions not only benefits the planet but can also boost a business’s reputation. As more and more consumers actively support brands that prioritize sustainable practices, studies prove that an eco-friendly business is able to attract more customers than one that is not.
Stay on Top of Digital Signage Trends
The digital signage industry is continuously evolving. What used to be a mere digital display showing static content has now grown into a device featuring the latest tech and innovations to deliver more immersive and interactive user experiences.
2024 is going to be an interesting year for the digital signage industry. With the use of AI, the focus on interactivity, and unprecedented sensory, haptic, and voice-activation features, the following year is going to be a treasure trove of opportunities for businesses to maximize their digital signage and revolutionize their marketing and communications strategies.
It’s no longer about just displaying content. More importantly, digital signage will evolve to engage the senses and create experiences.
Whether you’re ready for it or not, the future of digital signage is coming soon. Here are some tips to ensure you stay ahead.
Keep Yourself Updated
Staying on top of digital signage innovations starts with keeping yourself in the loop. Make sure you’re always updated on the latest trends, technologies, and developments in the industry. This will help you identify areas you can potentially tap into.
Make Wise Investments
Although the future of digital signage is promising in plenty of aspects, that doesn’t mean you should be jumping onto every trend willfully. Not every development is right for your business. Make sure to identify what new technologies align with your business, goals, and of course, budget. Always strive to make wise investments instead of jumping onto bandwagons.
Choose Your Vendors Wisely
When looking for providers for digital signage integrations, you need to be very particular. Choose vendors that deliver on their promises and have the capabilities to provide the solution you’re looking for. Better yet, look for one that aligns with your needs, goals, and values.
Run Tests
Before adopting new technologies, features, and capabilities for your digital signage network, make it a point to run tests. This will give you insights on whether or not the decision is right for your business. Learn from the results and identify which solutions are most favorable for your needs and goals.
When you’re ready to adopt a technology or feature, roll it out in phases instead of all at once so you have a chance to monitor performance. To ensure continuous improvement, don’t stop collecting data and feedback about your digital signage solution.
Start with Powerful Software
Your capacity to adopt the latest technologies in digital signage goes only as far as your software will allow. To fully maximize your digital signage solution, you need powerful software that can accommodate new tech and simplify integrations.
Start your journey to a high-tech digital signage network with Rise Vision, the number one free digital signage software in the market. Learn about our solution’s features with a free demo.
