Sellers are in constant competition, not only with each other, but also with online sellers. They are also trying to appeal to the distracted customer who searches for deals on their smartphone rather than looking at various ads. So is it possible for retailers to succeed in such competition? What role does a dashboard play in improving customer satisfaction and increased sales profit?

Make shopping an experience

It’s impossible to get a customer away from their smartphone, so don’t even try. The goal of the salesperson, instead, should be to help the customer get an “experience” of the product and understand its features.

“I don’t think retailers should focus on how to get customers away from their mobile devices. Customers go to brick-and-mortar stores because they want to see the product in person, try it out, discuss it with a salesperson, etc.,” said the sales manager, NEC Display Solutions, in an interview. “Instead, salespeople should focus on creating the best possible experience for the customer in their store.”

Moezzi pointed out that an information panel can “make the customer feel the product and give them useful information about the product, and thus get their attention.” If a retailer doesn’t have the space to display such information, customers will turn their attention to mobile devices.

The dashboard allows dealers to flexibly change the information, thus creating an overall better experience.

“We chose the dashboard mainly for its flexibility and ease of communicating important information to our customers. We are happy to be able to share information about events, products, promotions and services. The dashboard allows us the flexibility to react to changes, create more dynamic images and video to portray our story,” said Derek Gaskins, director of customer support for Rutter’s Pennsylvania-based company, in an interview.

Sales support

Every end salesperson must have a clear idea of how the technology will improve sales, short or long term. If used correctly, the dashboard is capable of “scoring” on both fronts.

In the short term

The dashboard can directly influence customers by projecting promotional material that is displayed at any given time.

“Display advertising via a dashboard improves sales because the content is more engaging than traditional static banners, as well as there is a better opportunity to bring much more information to the customer in a pure frame of mind,” Moezzi said.

The seller can also flexibly change the content of the messages, which makes the dashboard much more effective than a classic banner ad, where it takes some time to change the content. Users can creatively integrate customer data when creating content.

“A dashboard that includes an external data device to display contextually relevant content is also a very powerful tool that can influence purchasing decisions and therefore drive sales,” said Moezzi.

In the long term

Digital display advertising on billboards can also play a role in a broader marketing strategy to build a brand, establish a general brand identity, and improve awareness and loyalty. Several things are needed to build a brand, such as a valuable company culture, strong advertising, and a strong company story.

“By leveraging these techniques and integrating social networking, there is an opportunity to gain customer loyalty, which in the long run equates to an increase in sales itself,” Moezzi added.

It’s also just as important to build brand awareness, especially if you’re re-modeling or changing your store like Rutter’s. Gaskins pointed out that Rutter’s, during the remodeling process, introduced informational billboards, which have been very successful so far.

Pay attention to customer feedback

The dashboard is a dynamic communication tool, but if dealers want to communicate effectively, they must use both internal and external forms of communication with customers and employees. Gaskins said, “We’ve gotten great feedback from customers and employees in the stores, so we feel this was a great move.” This data can be gathered by tracking customer reactions on the dashboard. Are they accessing it? How long do they stay at the screens? Do they interact with them? You can also set up a survey about the overall effectiveness of the communication to see if the customer learned about a particular promotion from an informational billboard. If you’re not effective in your communications, then neither will the information panel!