Will digital displays eventually replace print media at the Point-of-Sale? For applications, such as large-scale brand promotions with emotional content, the answer is probably yes. A price poster will hold its own long-term, for instance, at a promotion stand for the wine of the 45th calendar week – even when traditional price labels and posters face the competition of electronic price displays more and more. Poster or monitor? A better question is: In which circumstances should I use a poster and when is it better to use an electronic display?

When implementing it is important to remember that print and digital signage transport their messages to the consumer continuously via a crossmedial corporate design. The content is crucial, not its medial display. The medium is not the message – though the communication goals are often identical: At the PoS the visual information, whether photos, videos, or logos, establishes the tie to traditional approaches an enterprise has marketed its products, such as TV spots, print campaigns or fliers, and can thus generate additional impulse purchases.

For users of PRESTIGEenterprise 3.0, the leading software for poster printing and digital signage, the choice of medium does not make a difference. The software supports print advertisements as well as the control of digital displays. Instead users have the freedom to concentrate on the real strengths of the medium in question.

PoS print advertisement is still in demand: it’s simple, quick, and cost-effective. No need for electricity, no wiring, no technical expertise ir required. “This week – On Sale! 500gr 1.99 Euro”. Brief and to the point: If only the price matters, then the focus is on the price. Emotionalization or the time a customer spends looking at products? That’s not important if the price alone is the decisive factor. And one more advantage: The customer can take print material with them. Recipes, wine information, or coupons – print allows you to offer customers additional takeaway value.

Is it enough to work on the positioning of brand products and infuse them them with emotions? Certainly not. More color, more motion must be added to the equation – whether as a static large screen image or with dynamic Digital Signage displays. High attention factor, high degree of flexibility in terms of desired formats, easily applicable at any time and place, and at a low cost – these are the strengths of large scale print: as decoration, as a vehicle for brand management and fire safety management, as well as for more complex marketing occasions, such as special sales, sales islands, and secondary positioning. Possibilities vary from trade to trade.

Or Digital Signage rather than large scale posters after all? Dynamic content, such as trailers and video clips, speak for Digital Signage, and on the high-end, a high degree of interactivity which becomes feasible with touchscreen displays. Customers can select products on a display – via links to an Internet catalogue –  to get detailed information about an item. By linking the system to camera and software applications it is even possible to display gender and age specific information on the screen. Offers thus target potential buyers much more precisely.

Especially enticing in food retail industry: Digital Signage at the freshness counter, predominantly displayed on scales at meat, coldcuts and cheese counters. Most customers will look very closely when it comes to price. Therefore, Digital Signage on a scale display will receive much attention. This can be cleverly used to stimulate additional purchases via corresponding database connections – a commercial insert of a steak sauce that goes well with the meat a costumer just purchased or a recommendation for a wine that goes well with the cheese just acquired by a customer.