Remember when the height of retail innovation was sticking a fluorescent poster in a storefront window and hoping passersby cared enough to look? Good times, right? Not really. As markets evolved, posters morphed into banners, banners multiplied into an ocean of print materials, and soon enough, entire forests were sacrificed for single-day promotions.
Now digital signage is barging in, flashing dynamic graphics, scheduling updates remotely, and making all that pulp-based marketing seem about as modern as a flip phone. Some say it’s expensive, others claim it’s surprisingly cheap in the long haul. If you manage multiple branches across the city, country, or—heaven help you—the entire planet, you might find yourself wondering if digital signage is a friend, foe, or slightly unhinged distant cousin.
For folks looking to keep messaging consistent, budgets tame, and hearts unbroken, digital signage might just be your new secret sauce. That’s especially true if you bother reading on.
Compare that to your beloved posters:
Industry folks, like James Carter from a rather dry (but reputable) 2023 print vs. digital marketing study, swear businesses dropping major cash on constant printing can see annual cost savings in the tens of thousands by jumping to digital signage. Big claim, but if you’re printing materials for every store and every campaign, it’s probably not that wild of a stretch.
With digital screens:
With printed posters:
Take it from Linda Green, VP of Operations at some big global chain, who says: “The ability to change promotions in real time saved us from reprinting thousands of posters annually.” Apparently, Linda hates clutter and wasted paper. She’d probably love SeenLabs.com.
There’s a line from Michelle Lee, a marketing manager at a certain fast-casual chain. She claims a 20% increase in sales for items featured on digital menu boards. That might sound inflated, but it’s the story she’s sticking with, and presumably, her boss liked that number enough to keep the digital screens. Or maybe they just enjoy watching burgers rotate in 4K.
If your brand thrives on uniformity—same logo, same colors, same questionable pun in every branch—digital signage is a godsend. One central platform can beam your brand’s vibe to all corners of the map. No more rummaging through that back closet for leftover holiday posters in May.
According to David Cook, a brand strategist at the National Franchise Association, “Consistency has a tangible effect on consumer perception. Digital signage ensures brand messages are up to date, anywhere, anytime.” Hard to argue with that, unless you like apologizing for your Valentine’s Day posters still hanging in August.
If you’ve got multiple branches, digital signage can bring clarity and consistency to your brand, knock down print costs, and let you pivot marketing messages faster than a cat chasing a laser pointer. Yes, you’ll cough up some initial dough for screens, software, and installation, but the long-term math generally points to savings—especially if your marketing team’s motto is “new posters every week.”
Digital displays do require upfront investment (e.g. a screen may cost a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars plus a CMS license). However, print materials have recurring costs per campaign. For example, printing posters and shipping them to 50+ branches can easily reach hundreds or thousands of dollars each cycle. Industry studies cited here suggest companies often recoup signage costs in 12–18 months, with big chains saving tens of thousands annually once they stop constant printing. In one case, a retailer reported 40% savings on marketing material expenses after shifting to digital screens.
Instantly. With cloud-based screens, you can push new promotions in minutes across every branch. The content updates simultaneously – a California and an international outlet see the same message in real time. By contrast, print requires designing, sending to printers, shipping everywhere, and manual setup. SeenLabs customers use our CMS to publish content centrally, ensuring consistency in seconds, not weeks.
Movement and interactivity grab attention in a way static posters can't. Digital displays can show video, animations or dynamic text, which naturally draws eyes (people's attention is hardwired for motion). Many deployments also integrate sensors or tie into point-of-sale systems to track engagement or sales lifts directly – something impossible with static print. For instance, one restaurant chain reported a 20% sales increase on items featured on digital menu boards.
A single SeenLabs platform can push unified branding (logos, colors, messages) to every location. That means one corporate content team controls global campaigns from HQ. Field branches no longer rummage for outdated posters – all displays update together. Consistent messaging improves customer perception, and digital signage ensures the Valentine's Day sale ends on time everywhere. As quoted here, "Consistency has a tangible effect on consumer perception," and a central CMS guarantees uniformity.
Many multi-branch companies see payback in about a year or two. After initial setup, ongoing costs drop dramatically because you eliminate printing and shipping. Case examples in the article show a 10-location chain saving over $6K in year one and $18K by year two after moving from posters to screens. In other words, digital signage becomes far cheaper in the long run, especially for businesses running frequent or large-scale campaigns.