Most people probably do not realise that when they are looking at departure screens at an airport or televisions showing special offers in a supermarket, they are experiencing digital signage.

In its simplest form, a digital sign is used to show constantly changing video, graphics, text, and/or animation and is a dynamic display as opposed to a static poster. Display devices that can be used in digital signage include plasmas, LCDs, projectors and televisions.

Predominantly, digital signage is used as a form of advertising, but it can also be used to display important information or even provide training. In the UK, digital signage largely started life in the retail
sector, but is beginning to take off in other areas such as health, sport, education and transport.
For example, schools are using screens to inform pupils and their parents of events such as sports days; while businesses are installing screens on every floor to inform staff of industry news.
However, it is being done on a small scale as users are still at the ‘dipping a toe in the water’ stage with digital signage. But as more pilot projects prove successful, large-scale digital signage deployments will occur more frequently.
Resellers can help speed up this process by proving to customers the benefits of digital signage, including the return on investment (RoI) that it can provide for
customers if they use it to sell advertising space for example.
The beauty of using digital signage over traditional static posters or noticeboards is that display screens can be modified at the touch of a button. By eliminating the need to print and distribute static signs every time an ad campaign needs to be changed, users substantially save on printing and distribution costs, as well as time.
Although historically digital signage has been viewed by the channel as an audiovisual (AV) application, vendors are trying to show that it is something IT VARs should get involved in as well.
Installing an end-to-end digital signage system requires networking skills and AV skills so it even makes sense for IT VARs to work in partnership with AV integrators, in much the same way that display vendors are having to partner with digital signage software vendors to offer complete packages.
Laura Hailstone is features editor of CRN.