Why Kenya needs to focus more on Digital Signage.

Like cell phones that have taken over Kenyans lives, digital signage has taken a routine concept that's been around since Span Image and essentially put it on more muscle than ever before. But digital signage is more than a neat technological parlor trick. With many conventional advertising venues — including billboards, print, and broadcast television — losing ground against the Internet, digital signage is quickly becoming a hybrid tool that has created a rapidly expanding niche of its own in Kenya — a fixed signpost with a dynamically changeable and projectable message that can reach any target or demographic in this country.

Digital signage and retail sales are a match made in heaven. Therefore, to get a broader view of what's going on in that realm, we asked a few experienced minds what they think of the digital signs of the times, this is one of them said.


Thomas Mucheru: Broad Digital Ltd said that the growth of Digital Signage in Kenya is still in its formative stages compared to countries like the USA and the UK. In that respect there needs to be continuous loyalty from companies to use Digital Signage for a long term to show the overal effects on sales and profit that has benefited from signage. "The number of screens in Kenya are still few in comparison to other countries, technology while becoming cheaper still needs to have an impact with size and location of the screens." Mr Mucheru is the IT Technical Supervisor at Broad Digital in Nairobi.

Digital Signage in Kenya, can still be seen as an open market where companies need to create their financial year around signage budgets. If major companies decide to use signage more than they have in 2010, it will have a chance to grow into a powerful form of advertising thats not limited to shops and banking halls.

Kenyan Prestige Plaza Mall chooses Scala InfoChannel

• 14 Mar 2008

NAIROBI, Kenya — Scala, a provider of end-to-end solutions for the digital signage market, has announced the successful deployment of a retail digital signage network in Kenya’s Prestige Plaza Mall.

 

The Prestige Plaza Mall is rated the third largest shopping mall in East Africa and is located in Nairobi, Kenya. The mall features 36 shops, three banks, a Hyper Market and two Nu- Metro Cinemas. The mall drives monthly traffic of 550,000 visitors, with peak months reaching 850,000 visitors.

 

Prestige Plaza is among the shopping malls implementing technology in a race to attract more customers and tap corporate organizations looking to take advantage of shoppers coming into these centers.

 

“When we first deployed the digital signage network, we did not know the extent of the demand; however we did know about shoppers’ attitudes,” said Jitesh Upadhyay, managing director of Prestige Plaza. “Now we see shoppers glued to the screens while at the ATMs, in the supermarket or the food court. It actually keeps people informed and entertained and extends their stay in the mall.”

 

One of the most visible new technologies includes advertising screens based on digital signage. Ideas Un Limited, a digital signage advertising company and Scala Certified Partner implemented and manages the network at Prestige Plaza.

 

“Digital Signage-based advertising cuts down the costs and provides advertisers with quick correlation on purchases vs. content, so the ad campaigns can be dynamically fine-tuned,” said Jinal Savla, managing director of Ideas Un Limited. “Moreover, brands and advertisers are assured the person seeing the ad has the capability to spend money on a product or service available in the mall, and is at the right place and time to make the buying decision the ad suggests”