Why Finding A Niche Is Key For Many Digital Signage Vendors

April 14, 2014 by Dave Haynes

I’ve been doing some speaking lately, talking about where the digital signage sector is at and where it is going. One of my key messages is that the current count of software and solutions providers is even less sustainable these days because the supply-demand thing is getting even more out of whack. While we’re regularly hearing about consolidation, we’re hearing just as much about new companies coming into the business.

One of my recommendations to people coming into this sector, or already in it but sputtering, is to find a niche, a vertical, a service … something their company gets really good at doing and delivering. And then they should mine the hell out of whatever that is.

Being a generalist – saying you provide digital signage solutions for pretty much whoever has budget – makes you part of a big, unruly and confusing mob. Saying you specifically focus on one or a handful of things – and have a lot of experience and expertise in those things – is a lot more attractive, as long as there’s actually demand for those things.

Not that long ago there were two or three companies – like Allure Global – that focused almost entirely on digital menu boards for retail and entertainment. They had a niche. Unfortunately for them, seemingly the entire digital signage industry – hardware and software – decided to go hard at digital menu boards. So that niche is gone.

Symon was pretty much THE company for call center digital signage for a bunch of years – something RMG Networks is now heavily peddling but other companies are also now going after.

I see companies here and there quietly carving out their space, like Codigo in regional banks and credit unions, and Rise Display in university finance labs. John Ryan is a great example of a company that’s focused just on retail banking for decades, and done well by that.

It’s just smart, at least from my perspective. You want to get known as THE guys for expertly doing and delivering something.