Once seen as a novelty, digital signage has proven to be an effective way to capture and convert the attention of potential buyers, and one which Ray White New Zealand have adopted with great success nationally.
Creating the overall experience for customers is now recognised as one of the most important means to encouraging customer enquiry and in-store service. Whether it is selling low cost products, informing customers who are looking to make informed decisions, or to advertise product in great quality – “establishing a better overall client experience is hugely important for small and large businesses alike.” says Grant Verry, Sharp New Zealand‘s Divisional Manager who supplies digital screens to Ray White offices across the country. “A recent study of consumers’ retail preferences by design consultancy Dalziel & Pow recorded that ‘lack of atmosphere’ is the most common reason for shoppers’ dislike or avoidance of certain shops. The report also suggests that customers are attaching increasing importance to the overall brand experience in store” says Mr Verry.
“Ray White offices continue to gain a competitive edge in a crowded market by utilising these digital displays with great success for our customers” says Keith Ashkettle, Head of Technology for Ray White New Zealand. “Digital signage allows our Ray White offices to not only establish a premium quality client experience, but also allows our clients to present their properties on the highest quality marketing platform.” Interestingly IBM research shows that customers are 10 times more likely to observe dynamic, digital signage than static, so it is not surprising that the global market for digital signage is estimated to grow each year until 2020 by 8.94% (according to Marketsandmarkets.com).
Sharp New Zealand have been a long advocate of digital displays, and have now installed a range of digital display solutions for Ray White New Zealand office since their first installation in Ray White Newmarket (pictured above). Further Ray White offices to have adopted this technology include: One Tree Hill; Mount Albert; Takanini; Forrest Hill; Sandringham; Royal Oak; Wanaka; Shirley; and Manly – with Ray White’s newest offices Merivale and Mangere Bridge also looking at installations.
There are a range of benefits to our offices of this agile content management system offered by digital signage. Digital signage allows a greater amount of information to be displayed than print, and is generally more cost effective (for both the business and the vendor) than many other forms of advertising – but it is flexible too. Content displayed can not only be updated from a single source quickly without needing to be printed, but the message that is displayed can change at different times throughout the day.
While the retail sector already utilizes this technology at the time of purchase, Sharp is also noticing specific advantages for their real estate clients. “The digital displays provide a unique value to a vendors marketing. – At the end of the day the company who can provide the greatest value for a client often secures the listing” says Joshua McKenty, Sharp New Zealand’s Brand & Communications Manager. “Digital screens allow Ray White’s content and quality of brand to be seamlessly distributed through the company’s existing content management system – Which helps create a consistent and high quality experience for not only our customers, Ray White, but also their clients and vendors.”
“Value for a property seller will generally come in two forms: monetary and emotional. Starting with a personal example of emotional value, my Grandparents recently sold their home of 30 years – an extremely difficult decision for anyone that has owned a home for that long. Their property (by chance) was displayed by a real estate agent utilising high quality digital screens. While the house sold at a great price, the one thing they couldn’t stop talking about was how proud they were of the way their property was displayed. The value for them was being able to display their home with amazing quality.
On the other hand, we are hearing from our real estate customers that they are achieving higher sell prices which they attribute to displaying listings via this technology. The proof of impact for us is observing the digital medium generating greater interest in properties, which ultimately results in higher prices and a faster sale” adds Mr McKenty.