It can be argued that, due to COVID-19, digital signage has never been more important for grocery stores. Unquestionably an essential business, a grocery store provides its customers with life’s necessities. However, because of the need for social distancing in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, customer service can’t always be provided in traditional ways.
By having your grocery store’s digital signage display vital information your customers need, you can ease the potential burden placed on your employees to answer questions. Let’s discuss some tips for how to use the digital signage in your grocery store to address pandemic rules.
Offer wayfinding solutions.
During these tough times, many consumers would love nothing more than to simply stay at home and have their groceries delivered to them. But, as most have found out, that isn’t a solution that satisfies immediate needs. As a result, people must resort to what they hope will be quick visits to your grocery store. Using your digital signage to help visitors easily find what they’re looking for will assist with their needs to get in and out of your store quickly.
“A display can feature a map of the store’s layout, with labels to show users where they are and where each department is located,” explains Bradley Cooper on RetailCustomerExperience.com, “The display can also have an interactive touchscreen — but make sure there is some sort of hand sanitizer next to the display or some way of automatically cleaning the display regularly. No one wants to touch a germ-infested touchscreen.”
Remind visitors about social distancing guidelines.
It certainly doesn’t hurt to remind your customers about the need to keep at least two metres apart from each other. As highly recommended by the Government of Canada, this physical distancing guideline should be implemented by floor markings in your store – especially at the checkout lines. However, there is no such thing as displaying “too many” reminders via your digital signage. The practice of social distancing, while shopping in your grocery store, is a must.
Provide updates about product availability.
Are you all out of toilet paper? Are you awaiting new shipments of hand sanitizer? Have any of your shelves been cleared of popular food items? The answers to these questions should be regularly answered by your digital signage. Needless to say, there are many items that have spiked in popularity as the world contends with COVID-19. With the high likelihood of your grocery store being visited by consumers who require these products, it’s wise to keep them continually informed about which products may be unavailable.
“For example, a store’s display could say that there are only 30 packages of toilet paper left, and remind customers that you can only purchase three at a time,” notes Cooper, “It could also provide information on sought after food products such as meat, fruit and canned goods.”
Keep customers cool.
One of the best ways to use digital signage during the pandemic is to spread good cheer. Offer up jokes, anecdotes and humorous memes to keep spirits high. Who couldn’t use a little laughter at the present time? Your willingness to inject some joy into the daily lives of your customers won’t go unnoticed. It will speak volumes about both your company culture and overall brand image. Don’t hesitate to use your digital signage to provide a more calming retail experience.
“The goal of digital signage is to improve the customer experience no matter what the circumstances,” says Cooper, “By helping the customer complete their tasks quickly and efficiently while also keeping them calm, it can accomplish this task brilliantly.”
For information about how Screenfluence can help your grocery store to benefit from using digital signage, call us at 1-844-772-7336 or email us at info@screenfluence.com.
