Trends in communication on screens in retail

Madame Benchmark is an expert in sales promotion, commercial action plans and communication. It analyzes the communication tools used by the largest French retailers: promotions, direct marketing, catalogs, Point of Sale Advertising... and digital screens!

At the request of the Digital Media Club, Madame Benchmark carried out a complete monitoring of French Retail communication screens for an entire year. To do this, it chose the top 100 LSA French retailers according to their 2019 turnover. She then identified retailers that present at least one active screen in their points of sale: 46% of the top 100. These are mostly food, fashion and home brands.

Overview of the distribution market: uses of screens in points of sale

In 2020, the distribution market spent 25% less on communication and advertising compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, it remains the leading sector in terms of communication expenses. Most communication in the distribution market remains traditional with a majority of physical media: catalogs, letters and other direct marketing. However, communication on the Internet and via digital communication screens is increasingly being considered and implemented by French retail.

Some key figures on the 46% of brands in the top 100 who have at least one active screen:

• 85% retailers offer screens rather than terminals and screen walls.
• 63% project in portrait format and not in landscape format, as this takes up less space in windows and stores.
• 52% screens are in the window, 21% at the cash desk and 19% at the entrance of the shops.
• 69% have a single screen on the entire sales area.
• 96% promote brand content on their screens: it is an effective and agile medium for broadcasting promotions, commercial events and brand movies but also for updating new services and health measures taken throughout 2020.
• 87 seconds : average duration of the broadcast loop. There is a great diversity of loop durations, ranging from loops that combine very short content to loops that broadcast a longer and unique message.

Communication screens in the fashion sector: the importance of the window

In the top 100 retailers, 8 out of 13 fashion retailers have screens!
For the most part, screens are in the window to convey the brand image through high-quality promotional films.

In flagships such as those of Etam or that of Celio, on the Champs Élysées, screens are used to stage the storefronts in a spectacular way. 👇

Key facts:

• In store windows, the content of fashion retailers is on average 8 to 12 seconds.
• These are longer inside stores: from 30 to 45 seconds in the back seat in particular to promote new services.
• The communication campaigns broadcast on the screens are positive and cheerful.
• The screens are staged, perfectly integrated into store windows and shelves in order to convey a creative and modern brand image.
  
  

Omnichannel: Social media videos used in the physical world

The example of screens in Jennyfer stores is revealing: shop windows are replaced by very thin LED screens through artistic staging. The aim is to echo social networks and to speak to a very young audience: the content uses the codes of Tiktok And ofinstagram, the screen then becomes an extension of what customers consult on their smartphones.

The broadcast loops are quite long but they are very dynamic, playing on colors, formats and text animations. The aim of the Jennyfer brand is to create an atmosphere adapted to its customers, i.e. young, modern and connected, so that the customer experience is memorable.

The use of screens in supermarkets

10 brands out of the 19 in the 2019 LSA top 100 present digital screens.

The use of screens in supermarkets varies greatly depending on the structure and strategy of businesses: campaigns can in particular be national or, on the contrary, integrate a lot of local content by leaving control to each store. This last strategy makes it possible to anchor stores in the local reality with more relevant and targeted communications.

=> to find out more about the glocal communication, it is here.

More and more monetized screens

The advertising space offered by display screens can quickly become an additional source of revenue. And retailers have understood this well! It's a great way to optimize the time and effort of managing the screen fleet and to cover network operating costs.
While some choose to work with an advertising agency, such as food retailers and supermarkets, others opt for the creation of an internal network to sell advertising space on their screens to their suppliers. In this case, the Cenareo Solution offers all the features needed to monetize screens.

Cenareo combines an intuitive digital signage solution with solid cutting-edge expertise that simplifies the management of large screen fleets and improves the user experience, maximizes the impact of communication and accelerates digital transformation. The solution, which is quick to deploy, stimulates the creativity of our customers, increases their productivity, and allows for both local and global management to accelerate the return on investment of their project.