Why Naked Tablets Don’t Make Gr8 Digital Signs

Dmitry Sokolov

It’s an increasingly  familiar sight – a tablet perched in front of a cash register or purchase counter, often unsecured, either off or showing a desktop of apps.

Unattended, un-secured or managed tablet is not the best way to up-sell at checkout

An unattended, unsecured or non-managed tablet is not the best way to up-sell at checkout

While it’s understandable why a small retailer or franchisee may try to build their own digital sign – effectiveness of digital signage has been proven over and over but cost can be a factor, the effort often falls short of intended goals.

Customers inevitably exit the application (typically a browser,  Power Point Viewer App, Windows Media Player, VLC, Quicktime, or similar), use he device to play around with email, browse the web and in the process (of doing so) entirely defeat the purpose of the retailer’s make-shift communication platform.

Resulting clutter at the counter often detracts from the shopping experience and reduces opportunity for up-sell at the Point of Purchase as the customer is confused or distracted.< Do it right - lock down the tablet, use a content or device management app  (plenty are now available via many OS-specific App-Stores) and source professional content - it's worth the investment.


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