Retail digital signage rant!

The company behind the Digital Signage rollout in Tim Hortons restaurants has started to install displays in Wal-Mart stores across Canada. EK3 Technologies Inc. has been doing a fantastic job with these installations and it's interesting to see big retailers finally taking notice.

I only have one beef with the Tim Hortons screens and it has to do with the content. Picture this. I'm standing in front of a display case full of fresh donuts. I can smell the coffee. I can almost taste it. Why just show ads for coffee and donuts????

I mean... Nothing says "visual Muzak" like a continuous loop of rehashed product ads right in front of the product.

Don't get me wrong. The production quality is great. It's all very professional but enough already with the short video loops schlepping coffee and donuts in a donut shop.

Why not show some useful information? Sports scores, weather, anything but not just the same donut and coffee loops. I don't think anyone minds the ads but you need to give viewers a reason to look because so far, I don't see anyone paying attention.

I hope it's not just a ton of money going into "digital wallpaper" because if this project tanks, it will give the digital signage industry a black eye. I'm sure someone is looking very closely at the sales statistics for each store since they launched the project and I hope they are selling a lot of "double-doubles" with that kind of investment.

Which brings me to the Wal-Mart digital signage project.

What I find amazing is the Wal-Mart displays are much less annoying (and there quite a few to look at in every store). I don't know if it's because they have a bigger product assortment or if someone is tweaking the content so the loops are more varied but I actually like watching them.

They have the usual row of screens hanging behind the checkouts (why they do this, I don't know...). Perhaps they think you'll run back into the store to pick up that pair of fuzzy slippers they're pitching for $9.98, but I doubt it. I think the screens scattered around the store are much more useful and have more impact on sales.

Now, if someone could also inject some wayfinding into the content mix...