datmedia insight and expertise:

Take Digital Signage Outside

Before you take digital signage outdoors, there are a couple of things to consider

You want to reach customers with outdoor commercial digital signage displays but it can be a challenge. Weather is an important consideration, however there are many reasons why putting a screen outside requires some thought.

Housing is an obvious starting point – where are you going to put the screen and what sort of protection does it need? For example, does housing needs to be weatherproof, bug proof and tamper resistant? Well, yes, and it will also need power and data. Can you run that safely and securely to the location?

There’s a lot to think about.

It is important to ensure the screen you choose is the right fit because an outdoor digital signage display is the intersection between a customer and your business. You need to know it is always working and always ready to engage viewers.

The Benefits

Outdoor digital signage is a powerful communications tool that engages audiences (potential customers) and saves on operational costs (like printing and compliance). What’s more, you’re priming those potential customers before they enter the store.

It can be visually exciting in places where you can’t normally focus your customer’s attention. Add video or social media content as well as real-time scheduling, and you have the opportunity for truly meaningful interaction.

The Purpose

Deciding what you want from your outdoor screen will help you decide what type of screen is right for you. Ask yourself what sort of content will you be running, how complex will it be, and do you want customers to engage with that content directly?

LCD are great for dynamic brand messaging with fine, detailed artwork. There are limitations about size, scale and brightness. LED screens can be significantly brighter and more flexible (do you need to wrap your display around the side of a building? No problem). Touch screens offer the ability for customers to interact directly with your content (which is ideal for way-finding, for instance).

The Challenges

Location is the most obvious challenge. You’ll need placement that meets the following requirements:

Visibility – can customers see the screen, are they able to engage with its content?
Brightness – is it bright enough for them to read in even brighter, direct sunlight?
Weather – an IP rated enclosure increases safety by managing rain, snow, dust, heat and bugs.
Tamper Proof – accidents happen. Your display will require strong housing to mitigate damage or vandalism

You must also consider power and data – can you get these services to your ideal location, safely and efficiently?

The decisions

You can see there are a number of decisions that need to be made when choosing an outdoor display. That’s why we’re here to help guide you through that process. But to get the discussion going, we’ll need to know a few things.

Will the display be standalone or fixed to the building?
Is it in a sun-drenched or high-bright area?
Is power and data already available?
Do you plan on running 4K or UHD media files?

We’ve done a lot of the hard work matching screens to specific use cases. We’re experienced system integration partners for brands like Philips and Samsung whose outdoor digital signage displays are fit for purpose. Therefore, your display will be ready to carry the load in a busy, commercial environment.

Your business needs are unique and we will work with you to ensure we find the right outdoor display for your use case.

What’s next?

In short, taking digital signage outdoors significantly increases your ability to reach customers in new and exciting ways. It allows you to expand your network and take your marketing into new territory.

If you’re ready to talk to someone about your plans, or ask us about a free demo device and give digital signage a go on site.

Learn more about getting the right outdoor display for your company. We’ll help pull all the moving parts into a proven and reliable solution. We’ll get you digital signage that fits.