How Restaurant Digital Signage Increases Dwell Times and Sales
Today's restaurant industry is unwieldy. It’s fast-paced, chaotic, and hyper-competitive. Because of that, many restaurants are adopting new technologies like digital signage to boost dwell time, and in turn, sales.
But how exactly does digital signage increase dwell time and sales in restaurants? Below, we’ll tell you everything you need to know.
Restaurant Digital Signage - How Does it Work?
Put simply, digital signage in restaurants refers to using digital menu boards and other screens to showcase content to customers. The most obvious use case for restaurant digital signage is showing off your food in all of its mouthwatering glory and tempting potential customers into making purchases.
Other use cases include:
- Highlighting menu specials and new menu items
- Easy rotation between breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus
- Advertising restaurant loyalty programs
- Displaying upcoming in-store restaurant promotions
- Using QR codes to draw interest to your restaurant app
- Utilizing interactive kiosks for self-service ordering
- Drive-thru menu boards
How Digital Signage in Restaurants Boosts Dwell Time
The length of time a customer spends in your restaurant depends on various factors. The main two are whether your restaurant is pleasant to be in and whether your restaurant’s communications are engaging.
If your restaurant’s digital signage can accomplish those two things, then there’s a high chance customers will spend more time in your store, and as a result, order more food.
Interactive Menus
As we mentioned earlier, interactive digital menus are a great way to keep customers in your restaurant for longer. These digital menus offer customers a quick and easy way to order food. They also display your menu items in high-quality videos, images, or motion graphics, sating customers' appetites as they wait to order.
Keep in mind that your self-service kiosks must be beginner-friendly. Because if they aren’t, some customers will get frustrated and head for the exit.
Entertainment and Atmosphere
Another way to improve dwell time is to use your restaurant’s screens to create a better ambience and entertain customers.
This is as simple as displaying social media feeds, interesting videos, user-generated content, or dynamic motion graphics. These provide a more fun and engaging atmosphere while customers wait in line to order or wait for their food to arrive.
Overhead music can also be used to add to the ambience in your restaurant. However, be sure that the music you choose complements your brand and the atmosphere you’re trying to set.
How Digital Signage Drives Restaurant Sales
Once you improve dwell time, sales will undoubtedly follow suit. That’s because the longer people spend time in your restaurant, the more of your advertising they’ll be exposed to and the more likely they’ll be to make purchases.
Promotions and Loyalty
At every opportunity,digital menu boards in restaurants should promote things like limited-time menu offerings, new menu items, and daily specials, inducing customers to buy more.
Digital signage is also the perfect way to advertise to customers who are standing in line to order food. Your point-of-purchase digital signs should advertise your loyalty program, mobile app, catering services, and upcoming sales to drive future business.
Upselling
Digital menu boards can also highlight the menu items that have the highest profit margins, driving up revenue even more.
Just be mindful that your digital signage content never comes off as spammy. Digital signage and its content should always blend seamlessly into the surrounding environment and should never be an annoyance.
At the end of the day, digital signage is one of the best ways for restaurants—from fast food chains and QSRs to more formal sit-down dining options—to boost dwell time and boost sales in the process.