In the Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) environment, where the key factors are speed, convenience, and customer satisfaction, technology has a great importance in the competition. One of the most disruptive technologies revolutionizing the QSR sector today is digital signage. QSR digital signage may be defined as the act of putting up digital signs within a restaurant environment to display content on LCD screens, LED panels, or touch-screen kiosks. This can include digital menu signs, promotional signs, and digital ordering systems.
New technologies such as digital signage are therefore being adopted in QSRs as a way of improving the value that is delivered to customers, cutting the costs of operation, and increasing the quantity of food sold. This article expands on the various avenues through which digital signage is currently transforming the QSR industry, the advantages of this technology, as well as trends in its development.
The Place of Digital Signage in QSRs
In the past, QSRs used fixed menu boards and printed advertisement billboards as their means of conveying information to clients. Though these tools have been used for years, they are fairly rigid, expensive to modify, and cannot offer real-time data. These are the limitations that can be overcome by digital signage since it offers QSRs content that is easy to update, dynamic, and can be developed to meet a certain customer need or even a promotional campaign.
1. Digital Menu Boards
Digital menus are possibly the most popular application of digital signage in QSRs. These are large screens fixed behind the counter and which contain the foods, their prices, and images of the foods. Digital boards are different from printed menus because the information displayed can be changed in a short period of time. For instance, prices or menu prices can be altered immediately to encompass seasonal produce, offer or promote certain products, or even conform to local occasions.
They can also contribute to the aesthetic experience by providing pictures or videos of the foods to be sold in high definition, which help customers decide what to buy. Customers have been found to buy impulsively when they are attracted by mouthwatering pictures. Also, digital menus can be changed or scrolled through to display breakfast, lunch, or dinner menus; thus, there is no need to change boards physically.
2. Promotions and Upselling
In addition to, or in conjunction with, presenting menus, digital signage in QSRs is heavily involved in advertising promotions and cross-selling. The promotions can be displayed to customers as they approach the counter or even when they are in the queue for payment; they can be informed of meals on offer, time-sensitive products, or products on promotion. For instance, a QSR can apply its digital signage to inform a customer about a new product on the menu or recommend the addition of a beverage or a dessert to what has already been ordered.
The flexibility of mobile marketing to instantly promote such offers provides QSRs with the capacity to test promotions, measure customer reactions, and modify marketing campaigns in response to the relevant data. A lot of QSRs also implement artificial intelligence (AI) in digital signage to give the consumers the chance to make personalized offers depending on the previous orders of the customer.
3. Interactive Ordering Kiosks
Another aspect that is well-represented in QSR digital signage is self-service kiosks. The following are touching screens that enable the customers to view the menu, place orders, and make payments without involving a server. This is well desired by the customers in the current contactless economy, where customers want a quick and personalized experience.
Self-service kiosks do not only help to lower the time to completion and enhance customer satisfaction but also increase the number of correct orders. While it is easy for customers to have more control over their decisions, they can also see every aspect of the product before placing an order. This brings about fewer chances of errors, hence improving customer satisfaction and fewer complainants.
However, these kiosks can also gather important information on customers’ choices and purchasing patterns that assists restaurants in improving the menu, services, and promotions. Kiosks also have the added advantage of cross-selling, where customers are offered other items or some other package after they have made an order.
4. Queue Management and Wait Time Displays
Managing customer flow is important in all QSRs since long queues and waiting times are likely to depress the customers. Digital signage may also assist in the management of queues by displaying the expected waiting time, directing customers to a specific bay for service, or notifying them when their orders are available. These systems help to also lower the perceived time customers have to wait by entertaining and informing them in the process.
Some QSRs employ digital screens in customer waiting areas to display entertainment materials, weather information, or any news to help keep the clients engaged and entertained. By reducing frustration of waiting, these displays are helpful to customer retention.
5. Real-time Analysis and Decision-Making with Data
This feeds into another key strength of digital signage: the option to connect with a restaurant’s POS and offer instant analytics. This integration allows the QSR operators to keep tabs on the sales figures, promotion success, and customers’ habits.
For instance, if a particular promotion is not giving the desired results, it can be fixed or even removed and replaced with a better promotion in the blink of an eye. Operational decisions such as pricing, product offerings, and even the content to put on the website can be best determined from data collected and analyzed.
Advantages of Digital Signage for QSRs
The use of digital signage presents many benefits that are of importance to QSR operators. Some of the most significant benefits include:
1. Enhanced Customer Experience
Digital signage in QSR plays a part in enhancing the attractiveness and interactivity of the restaurant with customers. Good-quality images, videos, and dynamic content make the ordering process more fun and less boring. Customers can easily go through the menus at their own convenience and also have their orders customized.
2. Additional Sale and Higher Margins
Digital signage also means that high-margin products are promoted, and by upselling, cross-selling, and real-time offers, the average order values are boosted at QSRs. Customers are more likely to add extras when they are asked to do so by appealing visuals and offers on the electronic signs.
3. Operational Efficiency
Remote and real-time content updates on the digital signage entail reduced effort and cost compared to that of the traditional printed signage. It is most advantageous for the multiple outlets QSRs, which require some standardization of the concepts.
4. Brand Consistency
Digital signage helps QSR brands to keep a consistent message even as they expand their locations. Most QSRs have hundreds, if not thousands, of outlets; so, an LMS can help with confirming that messaging for a new product launch or a nationwide promotion is consistent across all units.
5. Reduced Perceived Wait Times
Therefore, entertainment, promotions, or useful information should be displayed to reduce perceived time so that customers feel that they are served. This is because engaged customers do not really care whether there is delay or not, and the experience they have is always positive.
Key Trends in QSR Digital Signage
As digital signage technology continues to evolve, several key trends are shaping its future in the QSR industry:
- AI and Personalization: Digital signage is more frequently used in the restaurant industry, and by incorporating AI, restaurants can display specific content and promotions that are preferred by the customer to the specific customer.
- Integration with Mobile Ordering: Currently, QSRs are using digital signage in conjunction with mobile ordering systems where customers can place their orders in advance and then confirm or adjust them on site with the signage.
- Sustainability: Most of the existing QSRs are also engaging in green digital signage technology, like using LED screens for their signage.
- Augmented Reality (AR): Some QSRs are now using AR in order to develop more engaging and immersive experiences that customers can share on social media.
Conclusion
Quick Service Restaurants cannot afford to do without digital signage nowadays as this tool has proven efficient in enhancing customers’ attention, increasing sales, and optimizing the work of RQR. QSRs are bound to see even further integration of the digital signage technology, given the continuous development of technology the world over. From the use of dynamic menu boards for the messages conveyed, self-check kiosks, and even social distancing through AI-driven personalization, QSR digital signage is set to redefine how restaurants operate in the coming years.
