BY: Misty Chalk

Customer experiences are transforming as Gen Z gains more purchasing power. When brands think about appealing to these younger consumers, many focus on perfecting the online experience given Gen Z’s reputation as digital natives. Yet, research shows that Gen Z consumers are just as likely to enjoy shopping at a mall as they are online, thanks to the ability to get product immediately and being able to see, touch, and try items. Plus, they are more emotional in nature than other generations. This means brands will need to create moments for in-person interaction alongside a seamless digital experience.

Regardless of the industry, tech-driven immersive experiences will be crucial to captivate audiences and win their attention. These experiences will need to capture hearts and minds, while also bringing online shopping elements like price comparisons, deal hunting and inventory availability to the fore.

Visual technology—such as projectors, displays, digital signage, LED walls, and the media players that power them—will be critical to blending the in-person and digital worlds. Let’s explore how these experiences are transforming three key industries: retail stores, quick service restaurants (QSRs), and airports.

Bridging the Digital and Physical Retail Worlds with Immersive In-Store Experiences

With 59% of Gen Z consumers preferring to shop in stores that offer an immersive experience, it’s no surprise that more than half of U.S. brands and retailers plan to increase their investment in immersive experiences in the next three years.

The in-store experience needs to impress and entice consumers—and capture attention in the blink of an eye. An immersive video wall can create an exciting visual experience that ties back to the store’s branding. For instance, a retailer that centers its brand on its New York City roots, selling t-shirts and other clothing inspired by the city, could leverage wall-to-wall LED panels with footage of taxi cabs and New York landmarks to make shoppers feel as if they are walking down the busy streets of Manhattan. This creates a unique experience for consumers that will make them want to venture out to the store in-person and capture the moment on their social channels.

While video walls can create an exciting aesthetic, digital signage with the right media player solutions can help bridge in-person and online experiences. For instance, retailers can’t keep all items in stock. However, sensor technology can detect when a customer picks up an item and automatically switch the digital signage content to show additional colors and sizes available online. This empowers consumers to be autonomous and define their shopping journey. They no longer need to wait to ask a busy employee about the products. Instead, shoppers can easily access product information and discover where to find alternatives on the brand’s website.

Reimagining QSR Touchpoints with Dynamic Drive-Throughs and Interactive Kiosks

With fewer customers opting to dine-in, QSRs are having to re-think their physical layouts to accommodate the increase in online order pick-up and drive-through ordering. In fact, drive-thru traffic rose 30 percent from 2019 to 2022 and now accounts for two-thirds of all fast-food purchases.

Digital menu boards can help create a more dynamic and engaging customer experience for that influx of drive-through customers. Imagine driving up to the ordering screen. You’re hungry but you’re not sure what to order. Suddenly, an image of a juicy burger appears on the screen—the cheese is oozing over the bread and the crispy bacon rests on top of fresh lettuce and tomato. Your mouth waters immediately. Now you know what you’re ordering. In addition to enhancing the ordering experience for customers, digital menu boards support better customization. No longer limited by fixed signage, QSRs can set up their signage experience to switch from the breakfast to lunch to dinner menus at different times of the day. And they can easily swap their fall menu with their winter offerings at the change of the season.

Similarly, digital menu boards help QSRs better leverage analytics. Integrating digital menu boards with platforms like content management, enterprise resource planning, and point-of-service systems help QSRs make real-time updates to the menu to remove an item that may have sold out or to promote a new item that hasn’t seen much interest yet. Plus, integrating weather data allows QSRs to customize the promotions accordingly. For instance, if it starts snowing, the digital menu boards can be programmed to promote a warm bowl of soup or a festive cup of hot chocolate.

When customers do opt to come inside to order or pick up items, the digital experience should flow throughout the space. Digital kiosks can help streamline the ordering and checkout process and allow people to check the status of their online order without needing to ask a busy employee. From the employee perspective, digital displays can also support a seamless back-end experience. Incorporating displays into the kitchen allows employees to see order updates in real-time and manage inventory accordingly.

Digitizing Airports with Immersive Lounges and Simple Wayfinding

More than half of Gen Z adults are considered frequent travelers. This increases the stakes for airports to create memorable experiences. The days of static, print signage are gone. Digital displays for wayfinding support a simplified aesthetic, making it easier for travelers to find their way and for airport staff to share important updates. If one corridor has too much foot traffic, airport staff can easily adjust the digital content to send people down a different hall.

Video walls also help create an exciting visual experience for travelers, keeping them engaged during dwell time. This could include trivia on the destination city, lively visuals of popular landmarks, or calming images to relax stressed travelers. The more dynamic the visuals, the better.

As airports become popular destinations for luxury retail brands, it will also be important to incorporate this technology into the shopping experience. With so many store options to choose from in an airport, the ones with the most eye-catching displays will help entice the window shoppers to step into the store.

Airports are also key venues for advertisers to reach this significant pool of Gen Z travelers. Short-form video content has become an important mode for advertisers to reach Gen Z with this younger audience tending to lose their attention span for ads after just 1.3 seconds. Equipping airport lounges with digital displays and video walls will make them even more attractive for advertisers. And a high-quality digital signage solution will help ensure the presentation of these ads is dynamic and engaging.

Looking Ahead at Immersive Experiences

Regardless of the industry, visual technology will play a critical role in powering immersive customer experiences. As brands invest in digital signage technology, they’ll future-proof operations and empower themselves to keep elevating the customer experience for years to come.

About the author: Misty Chalk is the vice president of sales, Americas, at BrightSign, a global market leader powering the digital signage industry. She brings two decades of technology experience, helping both small and large organizations define their unique digital signage journey to meet the changing needs of consumers.