Low-Rent Digital Shelf Talkers at Canadian Tire
This is about as low-rent as I’ve seen for digital signs in a retail environment, save for TVs and DVDs/VCRs just plopped on tables or shelves. These are digital photo frame black-taped into coroplast frames, running endlessly repeating product promo loops (with tinny audio) in the cleaning supplies aisle at my local Canadian Tire.
Hardware and Retail Execution
What intrigued me was that these things – there were two in the aisle – taking up premium shelf space, with no ability to stock any product behind them. Summary of the installation details:
- Location: Burlington, Ontario
- Hardware Type: Digital photo frame black-taped into coroplast frames
- Audio Quality: Tinny audio
- Technical Specifications: $60 800 by 600 shelf barkers
Canadian Tires are dealer-operated, so the company has a history of local guys trying things out. The owner here also has TVs and DVD players all over the place, at the moment. What it does say is even large retailers will do just enough to get digital in, and this would definitely fall into the entry-level category of signage tech and execution.
Effectiveness and Industry Context
Does it work? Well, maybe. I know some companies have seen substantial lift from shelf-edge displays. So much of it depends on the creative.
As a comparison of the industry spectrum, so just today, at one end of the spectrum we have 80 milion pixels of LED and projection in Dubai, and $60 800 by 600 shelf barkers in Burlington, Ontario.
