Digital signage for retail stores: put your customers’ posts on the screen
Which screen to use, where to hang it and what to show. A store owner’s guide to customer posts on in-store screens. We make Idukki.
Saturday, half past two. Six people wait at the till. Above them, the screen plays the spring sale loop it has played since March. Nobody looks up. On your phone, your customers posted forty photos of your products this month.
In this article
We make Idukki, which gives every collection a signage link. The advice on placement and content holds for any tool. Where a feature is still coming, this guide says so.
What a screen of customer posts does in a store
A promo loop tells shoppers what you want them to think. A customer photo shows what someone like them bought and kept. That is the same proof a product page gallery gives online.
In a store it reaches people who already walked in. They are holding a product, or waiting to pay. A photo of that jacket on a real person answers “will it suit me?”
The same screen, two ways
A promo loop
- The same video since the season started
- Studio shots of models
- Changed when someone remembers
- Shoppers stop looking after the first visit
Customer posts
- Approved photos and videos from real buyers
- Products shoppers can find on the shelf
- New posts on a timer you set
- Something different each time a regular walks in
Where to put the screen
| Spot | Who is there | What to show |
|---|---|---|
| Till queue | People waiting a minute or two | Your best sellers, worn or used by customers |
| Fitting room line | Shoppers deciding on fit | Posts that show size and fit on real people |
| Shop window | People walking past | Bold, bright posts that read from the street |
| Entrance | Everyone, for a few seconds | One post at a time, with slow rotation |
| Café or hotel lobby | Guests with time to look | Guest photos and reviews of the place |
What to put on it
- Only posts you approved, with the right to use them.
- Products you have on the shop floor that day.
- Posts that read at a distance: one subject, good light, little text.
- A mix of photos and short videos. Silent works best in a busy store.
- Nothing with a price that has changed since the post.
Build one collection for the screen, apart from your website galleries. Then you can change the screen without touching your product pages.
How to set it up with Idukki
From a collection to a store screen
- 01
Build a collection
Approve the posts you want on the screen.
- 02
Open Publish
Expand Digital signage URL.
- 03
Pick timings
How often new posts load, and how long each slide stays.
- 04
Copy the link
Copy link, or open it in a new tab to preview.
- 05
Open it full screen
On the TV, Chromecast, Pi or signage player.
5 to 60 min
Load new posts every
Choices: 5, 10, 30 or 60 minutes
5 to 30 s
Rotate posts every
Choices: 5, 8, 15 or 30 seconds, or off
5
Screen setups listed
TV, kiosk PC, Chromecast, Raspberry Pi, signage apps
Today the page loads posts when it opens. So set your player to reload it on a schedule. The signage mode update reloads on your timer, rotates slides and hides shopper buttons. It also keeps the last posts on screen if the network drops.
Which screen setup to use
Pick a setup for the screen you have
Start here
What is on the wall now?
- A smart TV
Use its browser
Open the link and go full screen.
- No browser on the TV: Plug in a Chromecast and cast a Chrome tab.
- A PC or Chromebox
Chrome in kiosk mode
Start Chrome with --kiosk and the link.
- A plain monitor
A Raspberry Pi
Set Chromium to open the link in kiosk mode at start-up.
- A signage player
Its web page app
OptiSigns and ScreenCloud take a website app. Paste the link.
Turn looking into buying
A screen cannot take an order. Put a QR code beside it, or on the shelf below. Scan to Shop, in early access, opens that product’s customer photos on the shopper’s phone. Each comes with a link to buy.
Mistakes to avoid
- A screen facing the street with glare from the window all afternoon.
- Rotation so fast that nobody reads a post before it changes.
- Posts of products you no longer stock.
- A Pi that does not reopen the link after a power cut.
- Using a post you have not cleared the rights for.
Questions store owners ask
Do I need special signage hardware?
No. Any screen that opens a web page works. A smart TV, a Chromecast or a Raspberry Pi will do.
How do new posts reach the screen?
Today, reload the page on a schedule. The signage mode update reloads posts on the timer you pick.
Can shoppers buy from the screen?
No. Put a Scan to Shop QR code beside it. Shoppers open the posts on their phone.
What if the Wi-Fi drops?
With the signage mode update, the last posts stay on screen until the network is back.
Can I use any customer post?
Use posts you have approved and cleared rights for. Rights requests are on every Idukki plan, Free too.
Related reading
- 1Idukki help: run Idukki on a digital signage screen · Step-by-step setup for each kind of screen.
- 2Idukki: digital signage
- 3Idukki: Scan to Shop · QR codes that open customer posts on a phone.
- 4Idukki help: request usage rights
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