By Kelsey Moen, marketing manager, Agosto Inc.

No matter what industry you use it in, interactive digital signage can make your content more impactful, engaging and exciting.

Just like people are more likely to remember something if they write it down, they are also more likely to remember something if they have to engage with it, rather than just see it. We only remember 10 percent of what we read. We only remember 20 percent of what we hear. We only remember 30 percent of what we see. But we remember 80 percent of what we personally experience. That’s where interactive signs come in.

Not convinced interactive digital signage is for you? Here’s three reasons why interactive digital signage is a must.

It’s engaging

What are you most likely to stop and look at: a screen with a slogan and photo OR a screen that offers you the choice to look at whatever content you’re most interested in?

Probably the second option, right? 81 percent of survey respondents said that interactive content grabs attention more effectively than static content. So yes, it’s pretty obvious that we’re more likely to approach an interactive kiosk than a static sign (even if it’s on a digital screen). With interactive marketing your business can grow brand awareness, differentiate from your competition, increase customer loyalty, and increase profits!

In retail, making digital signage advertisements interactive increases a shopper’s likelihood to impulse buy. In fact, 70 percent of marketers found that interactive content is more effective in converting visitors. So, instead of displaying a photo or video of your products, get creative and think of ways your customers can engage with your products digitally!

It’s memorable

What are you most likely to remember: a screen with a slogan and photo; or a screen that offers you the choice to look at whatever content you’re most interested in?

Again, probably the second option! That’s because digital signage is inherently more memorable than traditional, static digital signage. Interactive advertising manages to hold the attention of the consumer longer, leading to a better chance of that consumer remembering your brand. Actually, unaided brand recall was 8 percent higher for interactive ads, and 10 percent higher for aided brand recall — for example when viewing a subsequent ad or piece of marketing.

Today the average person is bombarded with the equivalent of 174 newspapers of data every single day. That’s a lot of distracting information! In reality, the average person only retains about 10 percent of the information we hear, 3 days after we hear it.

So, by making our digital signage interactive, it increases the likelihood that your content will be retained among the 174-newspapers-worth of information we absorb in a given day.

It’s impactful

We can’t emphasize enough that consumers are demanding more and more from businesses. They’re looking for personable, meaningful interactions among a sea of constant distraction. This is exactly what makes having the ability to actually interest and engage them with your content so impactful.

By integrating interactive content into your digital signage strategy, you make it easier to gather impactful metrics — how many people are interacting, what are they interacting with, for how long, where are they dropping off, etc. You open up the doors to help make data-driven decisions that will ultimately impact your bottom line.

At the end of the day, it is of course important to carefully consider what content works best for your digital strategy and customer profiles. If interactive digital signage sounds like a good fit for both, you could be on the cusp of something incredibly impactful!

Image via Istock.com.