Back in the Mixer...

There are always casualties in any situation, ranging from those that got it wrong in good times to those that got it wrong in bad times! But retail overall is resilient: sales, offers, promotions and more, dropped into place at the drop of a hat to kickstart and regenerate market mood.

For screen media networks and digital signage, at a time when consumers simply do not want to spend, it can provide that zap, that wow factor to break the inertia. The concept of screen media is proven, now it needs take-up with confidence. But how do you get that confidence message over to the consumer?

Interesting point from Siemon Scamell-Katz on our insider view page this issue: decision-making stats are a fallacy! Simply, decisions are not made in-store. So the tack for digital signage content should now be more to generating the ‘absolutely must have’ thoughts according to how shoppers really do think and behave.

So the order of the day seems to be a rethink on shopper metrics but that is likely to be a tough task, given the current climate and the apparent boredom of shoppers who marketeers are trying to pigeon hole in not quite fitting survey categories.

Me, I’m probably like the majority when it comes to surveys: on a mission somewhere to get or do something important and up steps a clipboard. It’s either a no, no or tell ‘em any old rubbish to get the thing over with. And electronic and mailed surveys never seem to have the questions right for the answers you actually want to give!

So back to the drawing board, it seems, at square one with getting true shopper metrics. Apply that to screen media content and the wow factor of the medium should take over!

John Taylor, Editor