Digital menu boards are displays that many Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) use to clearly communicate the items they serve. Unlike traditional print menus, digital menu boards can be vibrant and eye-catching. In fact, this display is often the first thing a customer will spot when approaching a restaurant. QSRs have taken to digital menu boards in such large numbers that in 2020 they accounted for up to 20% of the digital signage industry.
One of the main reasons why so many QSRs have adopted digital menu boards is customer expectation. 74% of customers in restaurants say an effective menu display is their top priority. If customers aren’t enticed by your display, they’ll be unlikely to look any further and will move on.
McDonald’s was one of the first to install digital menu boards in large quantities, since then lots of big names have followed including, Starbucks, Pizza Hut and Krispy Kreme. If you are looking to join those companies and implement these displays in your business, keep reading to find out what you need to know about digital menu boards.
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3 Digital menu boards aren’t static
1. The hardware
Commercial grade
To have the most impact on potential customers you’ll want to make sure your digital menu board is more than just a standard TV. A commercial-grade display is built to operate 24/7, such as the LamasaTech Digital Window Displays, which is a requirement for most QSRs. This means your digital menu board won’t need any downtime so can continuously communicate with your customers, ensuring that you don’t miss out on potential sales.
Brightness
Another important factor to keep in mind is the brightness capabilities of your digital menu board. Brightness helps with screen visibility and counteracts the effects of sunlight on the screen. The location of your display will determine what level of brightness you’ll need. Menu boards placed in a window, for example, will need a higher brightness due to high levels of sunlight able to affect the screen. In this case, you’ll want a digital menu board that can achieve around 1,500 nits. If placed around the point of purchase away from windows you’ll only need a display capable of around 500 nits. This will produce a clear image that is not overly bright allowing your customers to engage with your digital signage.
2. The software
To take full advantage of your digital menu board you’ll need a digital signage platform. This is a content management system that allows you to arrange your media and set what is shown on the screen.
Scheduling
A particularly useful feature of digital signage software, such as PeakSignage, is scheduling. This lets you organise changes to the display in advance. For example, your breakfast menu may end at 11:30 AM, so you’ll want your menu board to stop displaying breakfast items and offers at that time. By using the scheduling feature of your digital signage, you can have your displays automatically change to your lunch menu at 11:30 AM. Compared to traditional print menus this saves you and your staff time and money. You would no longer have to manually swap out the different menus and printing costs would be reduced as you would not need multiple sets of menus.
Cloud-based
With a cloud-based software, you are able to access your content from anywhere on any device that has access to a modern web browser. This means you are able to adjust your content and what is displayed on your screens without having to go directly to the location of your digital menu boards. The benefit this provides is that you can always make sure that your screens are showing the right content and make quick changes that instantly update on your screens.
3. Digital menu boards aren’t static
One of the biggest differences between traditional print menus and digital menu boards is the effects that can be added. Digital menu boards allow you to add animation and life to your menu. Adding motion is a great way to catch the eye as movement will grab the attention of customers while a static image can blend into the background.
In 2020, 96% of consumers increased their video consumption, and 9 out of 10 viewers said that they wanted to see more videos from brands and businesses. With video content now well established as the most consumed and demanded type of content, it shows just how important movement can be in your digital signage.
What types of animation could you add to your digital menu board to take advantage of the device’s capabilities and the demands of your customers?
- Items or prices could grow and shrink
- An animation could flow from one screen to the next, this could be a transition or a character that moves from screen to screen
- Sliding new sections of the menu onto the screen
- Have each part of a promoted item appear one by one constructing the final image
4. Update the content
A major issue with traditional print menus and menu boards is that it can be expensive to make alterations during a campaign. This is due to the printing cost required to reprint all of the menus involved in the campaign. With a digital menu board, alterations can be made at any moment and instantly reflected on your screens.
Using a digital signage software, such as PeakSignage, you can alter the design of your content at any time. This offers you increased flexibility over traditional print menu boards. You won’t have to rely on other parties such as designers and printing companies to make adjustments and create the printouts. Not only does this save you the cost of these services but also time, as you are able to make the changes straight away.
This is important because it allows you to react to the data you have gathered about your campaign. For example, if customers aren’t responding to a certain product on the current design you could edit it to give that item more prominence on the screen. Nearly 30% of customers find digital menus influential for the purchase of a product.
You are then able to react much quicker to your findings and take advantage of what you have learned. This gives you the chance to make additional sales that you would not have made if you were forced to wait for new print versions of your menu.
5. Strategic placement
Digital menu boards can be placed anywhere around your restaurant, not just in the traditional location above the point of sale. A window display is often a more effective way of grabbing the attention of potential customers walking by as they are more likely to see and engage with the content displayed.
Another benefit of placing your digital menu boards in more than one location is that you can adjust the content between locations. For example, your window display may be promoting an offer to entice customers into the restaurant, while a menu board near the waiting location shows a particular item you want to sell more of. This allows you to test the effectiveness of the campaigns in different locations to identify how to best utilise your digital menu boards and content.
Ready to choose your digital menu board
LamasaTech is a leader in digital display technology with over 12 years of experience. We support customers across a range of industries including retail, military and defence, government and public sector, technology, hospitality and education.
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