C-Store Digital Signage: A Guide to Driving More Sales

• Introduction
• Have a Plan
• Ensure You are Backed by the Best Solutions and Partners
• Leveraging Dynamic Content Population
• Take Advantage of Motion Capabilities and Prioritize Stunning Visuals
• Put Yourself in the Shoes of Your Customers

Introduction

Capturing the attention of modern customers and impacting purchasing behavior requires innovative approaches. C-stores are increasingly turning to innovative digital signage deployments to transform traditional convenience store spaces into interactive and engaging environments designed to drive more sales. This guide delves into how leveraging C-store digital signage can not only help your business drive more sales, but also enhance customer experiences, further building your brand. Let’s get started.

Have a Plan

Businesses do not drive more sales by accident (at least for a prolonged period of time). As you look to utilize C-store digital signage to increase your revenue, you must develop a plan of attack as to how you’ll accomplish your goals.

Start by defining these goals. Do you simply want more sales? Projects with nebulous goals like this are much more likely to fall short because they lack a solid target, which can decrease urgency. Having more specific goals, such as driving a 10% increase in sales on a particular item over a particular period of time is far more helpful at putting your team in a position to accomplish its goals. Following the SMART Goal framework is a great place to start.

As you decide on your goals, don’t overlook the importance of proper measurement. Your business must be laser-focused on data, and ensure that your arsenal of software solutions enables you to effectively measure the impact of your signage on sales. When you notice that certain creatives or imagery are working, double down and show them more (if possible). If the opposite is true, continue testing until you find successful creatives.

With great data comes great responsibility. As you learn more about how your signage is performing, it is essential to always have a plan for what to test next. At the onset of your journey to increasing sales, keep a running list of all the things you’d like to test. From the copy on your signage, to imagery styles, to formatting, nothing should be off-limits.

Keeping track of these variables ensures you have a backlog of items to test, and enables your business to more quickly iterate, check tests off the list to find what does, and equally as important, what does not work. Testing something that does not work multiple times can increase the amount of time it takes your business to discover a winning recipe.

One more reminder: know your audience. Having a proper understanding of your target demographic and their visitation and purchase patterns arms you with the information you need to draw informed conclusions on what kind of imagery and promotions will be most effective. For example, if your store sees an influx of business for coffee and breakfast items in the early morning hours, that is an area you can, and should, focus your testing on as you experiment with what drives more sales. Knowing your customers and their habits makes you more likely to rapidly identify areas for growth.

Ensure You are Backed by the Best Solutions and Partners

If you are truly serious about effectively increasing sales for your C-store by leveraging digital signage, you must be certain you have the resources you need to put your best foot forward. Start with your CMS. Is your solution cloud-based, giving you the capability to manage all of your stores in one place? Are you able to effectively daypart between locations with no restrictions on the number of dayparts? A great content management system is the foundation of every successful digital signage initiative. If you’d like to learn more about what a great digital signage CMS looks like, check out our enterprise solution, Carbon.

After evaluating your CMS and its capabilities, keep in mind the importance of hardware. Downtime, glitches, and limited display capabilities (just to name a few things) should not hold you back in your journey to increasing revenue. Stay abreast of relevant technology, and do not be shy to experiment with new tech.

We touched upon this a bit already, but make sure your CMS can connect with your point-of-sale software and that you can accurately associate downstream revenue with your signage campaigns and displays. Without accurate tracking, you are essentially relying on gut feeling when optimizing your signage, which is a heck of a lot less accurate than hard data.

Last, and certainly not least, consider whether you have a trusted partner in your corner to help guide you toward your goals. Far too many businesses in the digital signage world are merely focused on selling technology, and not actually helping their partners reach their goals. This is the downside of going to different organizations for your CMS, hardware, and creatives. When your signage isn’t driving the results you are looking for, you may find yourself with nowhere to turn.

Consider whether your partners are in touch with your goals, and are truly invested in the success of your C-store digital signage beyond the surface level. Do they ask the right questions? For example, you do not want your digital signage partner to ask “How big of a screen do you want?”, you want them to ask “Why do you want that screen?”

Take Advantage of Motion Capabilities and Prioritize Stunning Visuals

One of the biggest advantages of using digital signage is the ability to leverage motion in your creatives. Although it may be tempting to use as much motion as possible, be sure not to overuse it. Motion is an excellent tool for catching people’s eye and drawing their attention to promotions. However, too much motion can become distracting and overwhelm your viewer.

Also keep in mind that there are certain situations in which motion makes sense, others not so much. For example, if your store is trying to sell more hamburgers, you likely won’t benefit from promoting an offer with a cute dancing hamburger character. Instead, steam coming off a burger or the burger being assembled are likely better choices. Motion for the sake of motion is a recipe for underwhelming results. When you do use motion, make sure it is with specific intent, and backed by solid rationale.

Digital signage provides your stores with a unique opportunity to change how your brand is perceived by the marketplace. Simply leveraging digital signage can create the perception of a savvy, futuristic brand, but your on-screen content can further reinforce the idea that your brand is an industry leader. Don’t settle for less when it comes to your signage visuals. If your brand does not have the in-house capabilities to create stunning visuals, look to partner with an organization that can. Not sure where to start? DEEL Media’s creative team can ensure your business has all the on-screen creatives you need to successfully drive more sales.

Put Yourself in the Shoes of Your Customers

As you evaluate your signage strategy, make sure you are considering the perspective of your customers. We see far too many organizations with sub-optimal signage locations, or poorly chosen screen sizes and layouts. Before installation, your team should take the time to identify which locations in your stores will generate maximum exposure and the best viewing experience for your customers. Consider every minute detail, down to whether screens may have glare on them at certain times of day. Something as small as this can drastically impact the viewing experience, and in turn, revenue.

Beyond just signage, consider the entirety of your in-store experience. In-store audio is an excellent way to create a unique personality for your brand. Make sure the music and ambiance of your store match your signage and how your brand wants to be perceived. For example, a store like Buccee’s can benefit from playing country music, because that genre likely appeals to a strong percentage of their visitors.

If you are interested in an in-store audio solution, look for a tool that provides the ability to create custom ad spots that mix in with music. Your store can combine audio and visual promotion to drive desired outcomes at a substantially higher rate.

Conclusion

Driving more sales for your convenience stores requires meticulous planning, clear goals, and data-driven strategies. The importance of leveraging the best digital signage solutions, backed by robust content management systems, and reliable hardware cannot be overstated. Partnerships with providers who share a vested interest in achieving business goals are crucial for long-term success. Be sure to leverage the power of dynamic content population, dayparting strategies, and motion capabilities to maximize the impact of your signage. Finally, don’t forget the importance of considering the customer's perspective, from ensuring optimal signage locations, to providing intuitive in-store audio experiences. By embracing these tactics, businesses can navigate the evolving C-store landscape and position themselves as industry leaders, driving more sales and creating memorable customer interactions.

If your business is looking for a partner to guide you through a successful C-store signage implementation or optimization, you’ve come to the right place. DEEL Media has helped countless organizations just like yours get the most out of their digital signage strategy. If you are interested in working with us, schedule a free consultation or give us a call at 770-619-1225.