Display and signage helps passengers to navigate through the terminal, ensuring a smooth and safe transition from check-in to departures. But, as the digital age evolves even further, airlines and airport operators will see an increasing number of digital solutions available to engage with customers whenever they wait in a queue or transit through the airport.

Interactive media and entertainment allows waiting passengers to engage with the brand, product or service on offer, which in turn, offers companies another unique way of heightening the customer experience.

It also acts as an efficient way to reduce waiting times, especially through any lost sales via customer ‘walk aways’, which is particularly relevant in retail outlets in the terminal.

New technologies in single line and dispersed queuing electronic call forward systems, allow both static and moving images within the queue to be easily replaced and modified, resulting in interchangeable and scheduled display options that can be defined by seasonal activities, such as summer holidays and Valentine weekend breaks.

By incorporating such media into a queuing environment, brands can easily display promotional offers, seasonal marketing messages, approximate waiting times and other useful customer information to increase sales and even footfall to the brand’s designated area, whether that be a retail store, security area or check-in desk.

Lufthansa’s check-in area at Munich Airport is a good example of how to successfully utilise a single line electronic call forward system with incorporated multimedia. The airline currently plays a number of videos on the LCD screens, which are paused when the passengers are called forward to the counters.

Research conducted by technology company 3M revealed that digital signage used in a retail environment, helps to enhance brand recognition, with recall among shoppers as high as 42%. At the same time, 88% of shoppers interviewed stated that digital signage enhanced the image of a store, while 57% claimed to have learnt something from the display.

The prolific development in crowd control technology has also seen the emergence of interactive digital customer guidance systems, designed to allow passengers to be better informed about products and services.

When positioned throughout the terminal, these systems offer passengers an immediate, user-friendly way of finding a range of information, including the location of shops, restaurants and departure gates for example, making the system both flexible and invaluable to all concerned.

Tensator has acted to support this increased growth and market demand by making additional developments to its digital signage offering, which covers all aspects of interactive display media, and allows businesses and organisations to maximise the potential of their space.

The need for wayfinding signage that incorporates digital technology, as both a directional guidance tool and potential revenue generator, will always be high on airline and operator’s agendas. But it is inevitable that cost may be an issue before seeing a return on investment.

However, by recouping the initial spend through displaying promotional marketing messages via third-party advertising, the system could potentially pay for itself.

And, if managed shrewdly, it can also generate an additional lucrative revenue stream that will successfully yield profits well into the future.

Airport World 2010 - |ssue 2