Understanding and factoring in the cost of digital signage

Digital signage is a worthy investment in a business establishment. Customers appreciate quality. Such a technological innovation is sure to increase their numbers.

Within a short period, digital menu boards have, replaced printed or painted signage. These boards make it very convenient for you to keep your customers updated on prices and offers. The set up consists of equipment or hardware and software to keep the images and text running. At the core of the system is an LCD screen. This technology makes the screen attractive to look at. The idea here is to grab people’s attention soon as they get into your establishment. By the time a waiter is approaching the table, the customer already knows what to order as well as its will cost.

Costs to think about
Digital signage comes at a cost. When you decide to deploy huge or medium sized flat screen TVs, you must understand the cost implications involved. Like any other project you have been involved in, you need to budget for digital signage cost. This involves doing research on what you need to deploy in your establishment. There are different providers of these solutions. If you are seeking to have this innovation for the first time, you need to consult several providers and compare their offers.

Other considerations
Apart from investing in screens and mountings, there are other aspects too. Each deployment may differ depending on whether you are running a single establishment or several branches. You must factor in the cost of labour. It requires technicians with specialised skills. Your service provide should share with you information such as software cost, annual licenses, local authority permits and connectivity. Make sure that the provider includes support services in the package. You do not want a situation where the equipment malfunctions leaving you stranded.

Budget and other questions
Once you know these costs upfront, it becomes easy for you to budget. Usually, the installation firm will share with you all this information. Remember to inquire about content creation. Who will generate menus for you? How will your manager be making price changes? How do you manage the database? Even then, you have to discuss, ask more questions and brainstorm with your team. At the end of the day, you also have to consider the return on investment.

Factoring in one-time and ongoing costs
Costs of digital signage depend on factors such as:

  • - The number of outlets you have
  • - Number of equipment needed
  • - Cost of software including licenses and updates
  • - Connectivity
  • - Overall design
  • - Number of times you will need to update content
  • - Installation cost
  • - Maintenance cost

Here, you have to consider the number of display screen needed. The location of these displays matters a lot. It has to be strategic in a manner that customers see the displays and read the content therein. Power backup is a necessity. This takes care of unexpected interruptions. In a nutshell, digital signage installation comes with one-time and ongoing costs. The amount you incur at the installation phase is the initial cost. Ongoing costs include licence renewals, permit renewals, maintenance contracts and upgrades.

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