South African Retailer Kits Out Flagship With More Than 65 Smart Screens

May 21, 2021 by Dave Haynes

This is a flagship store of Edgars, a department store chain in South Africa, which was upgraded with more than 65 digital signage screens around the retail footprint.

The main feature is an array of sync’d LCD screens by the escalators. It would be quite common, these days, to see that big wall clad side to side and top to bottom with an LED video wall system, but this set-up works well, I think. And it would have been kitted out a fraction of the potential cost of a big DV LED wall.

One subtle little thing that’s effective, I think, is how the print graphics (they might be on lightboxes) have dark bands in rectangular patterns. It makes the bezels on the LCDs look like they’re supposed to be there, and would have negated the need to go with the super-expensive, super-fragile super-extreme-OMG narrow bezels the LCD guys market.

The network at the Fourways Mall store in Johannesburg was put in, as well as stores across the country, by the solutions provider Moving Tactics.

To complement the captivating visual display, Moving Tactics has also installed and a five-zone Digital Audio Solution, across Ladieswear and Cosmetics, Menswear, Kidswear, Spa and Café. The Audio solution has been professionally designed so that there is no audio interference between departments, creating an uplifting shopping experience for the Edgars customer.

“As part of the Customer Audio and Visual Journey, we are also testing various interactive digital solution such as Digital Mannequins to allow customers to visualize the current fashion trends. And in the kids department, Kids Digital Gaming tables have been installed to keep them entertained during shopping expeditions,” says Kevin Bierman, Head of Digital Signage Solutions at Moving Tactics.

The company has an interesting scope of work with Edgars, a client for almost a decade. The company does the in-store digital signage, but also the radio, digital media sales, in-store activations, content development and a print services.

The video displays are Samsung “smart” System on Chip (SOC) displays.

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