Research: In-Store Digital Drives Big Sales Increases In Hardware Stores

May 1, 2012 by Dave Haynes

BrightSign CEO Jeff Hastings is in Lost Wages this week for the National Hardware Show and will be doing a conference session on boosting in-stores ales using digital screens. He’ll be armed with research suggesting double and triple-digit gains on promoted items.

The  North American Retail Hardware Association did a limited test with member Aubuchon Hardware – which has 130 doors in the northeast US – that showed unit sales rose in stores installed with screens versus a control group that didn’t have screens. Aubuchon is installed with BrightSign media players.

Unit sales increased by 23 percent for interior paint, 45 percent for smoke detectors and 178 percent for air filters “The hardware store trials clearly support the fact that highly visible product information with moving graphics and streaming content creates a measurable ROI for store management,” says Hastings. “When you see such a substantial increase in sales of paint and air filters, certainly not what you would consider impulse buys, the impact of digital signage over printed signs becomes obvious.” 

The screens were digital endcaps, running interactive presentations for a one-month test. There were six installed stores and six control stores with no screens but  historically similar sales for the products tested.

Along with pure price and sale calls to action, the content also promoted product features and benefits and the screen had a button that triggered a how-to video for viewers.

Interesting. A really, really small sample that probably affects how seriously these results can be regarded, but my guess is the manufacturers and retailers who will see Hasting’s presentation won’t think much in those terms and will go straight to the sales lift figures, bug-eyed.