Duggal Visual Solutions received the call at 6 p.m. on a Thursday. A large retailer, like so many others, was required to close its stores by Friday morning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. By 8 p.m. that same evening, Duggal s client had timely, on-brand messaging in its windows to quickly and clearly communicate store closings to customers. Promotions were replaced with public announcements. Later, the stark messaging of the nationwide shutdown gave way to optimism of reopening, and soon, a warm welcome back. All of this happened remotely, with no staff on site or physical materials in hand. Here s how: Digital Signage Prior to the pandemic, digital signage was emerging simply alongside the digital age. Billboards, retail graphics and other displays both in stores and in outdoor advertising have been migrating to digital because digital is what consumers expect. The age of the coronavirus, however, has nudged digital signage from a nice to have to a must have for brick and mortar retailers especially those with many locations nationally or internationally. While printed graphics will always be an essential element of the in-store experience, messaging now moves too fast to rely solely on traditional signage. 
Content Management System The pulse of digital signage is its content management system, or CMS. Many of us recognize the acronym, but not necessarily as it applies to managing multimedia. 
An effective CMS enables one person or team to control the content on up to 10,000 displays. With this software in place, retailers can:
- Schedule content
- Adjust content in real time
- Update signage without access to physical locations
- Leverage various types of media (photography, motion graphics, video, etc.)
- Manage each display individually or the entire network simultaneously
- Program public safety announcements dynamically
Many health experts anticipate isolated lockdowns and shutdowns to be ongoing for months or even years until a COVID-19 vaccine is available. Are your stores ready for the stop-and-go road ahead? Learn more about Duggal s digital signage services.
