instore - May 2018 - 52

merchandising

Digital boards are
perfect for customers
who want as much
information about their
food as possible.
Of growing importance in the
retail foodservice industry,
Bistline says, is the need to
cater to millennial and Gen Z
consumers' needs for freshness
and authenticity in their foods.
That can be effectively accomplished through menu boards
that accurately reflect the origin
and visual appearance of foods.
But menu boards can do far more
than that.

for consumers." Digital boards are also a perfect vehicle for advertising specials and running promotions, he adds. And with the
concern among today's consumers for as much nutritional and other
information about their foods as they can get, digital and its extensive data capabilities are a perfect match.
The boards and other signs that Real Digital Media -which sells
both hardware and software, as well as providing its customers with
whatever levels of support they need - supplies to its retail foodservice customers range in size from 10 to 55 inches, Goldberg says. Small
screens, he says, can be arrayed side by side - on a hot bar, for instance
-detailing a host of different products.
Signs in c-stores tend to be smaller, Goldberg says, due to the lack
of space. A more expansive grocery store setting, however, is more
amenable to larger screens. "In a deli, you can often put a larger screen
on the wall behind the deli. It all depends on how far the screen is from
the people viewing it. Brightness is also a factor."

"Limitless" opportunities

52 * MAY 2018 * instore

LG screens provide superior imagery through the company's In-Plane
Switching panel technology, which ensures accurate color saturation
and contrast, even at wide viewing angles, Bistline says. LG's digital
signs can be as small as 10 in. or as big as 98 in., which means retail
foodservice operators can turn virtually any part of their store into a
digital display.
For example, Bistline says, departments could use LG displays on
popular fresh food open cooler cases to better attract consumers
making on-the-go snack and packaged food decisions. Or they could
use them to promote food tastings and in-store cooking specials.
"LG's products are specifically designed to enhance the consumer
shopping experience," she says, "particularly in the retail foodservice
industry, where displays are aimed to optimize shorter shopping trips,
connect with consumers and increase buying behaviors."
To adapt to the specific needs of retail foodservice and other foodservice environments, LG has tweaked their products through efforts that
include adding conformal coating, which helps prevent contamination
and corrosion from dust, particles and moisture created by hot fryers
and other food prep equipment.
Other technological breakthroughs set LG's signs apart, Bristline says.
The company's OLED technology allows individual pixels to be turned

REAL DIGITAL MEDIA

LG Electronics USA Business Solutions has been introducing "revolutionary" products to the retail foodservice category for years, says
Carre' Bistline, the company's senior account manager for food retail
sales. Retail foodservice is a multi-billion-dollar industry, she says, and
LG sees huge potential for instore advertising, menu board display and
"wayfinding" (how people orient themselves and navigate from place
to place) digital signage opportunities in the category.

"With major online industrydisrupting food suppliers, it is
more important than ever before
to appeal to and catch the attention of consumers along the entire
shopping journey," Bistline says. "

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of instore - May 2018