Best Practices for Menu Board System Design

Alan Brawn, an AV industry veteran with experience spanning over 3 decades including management of a Pro AV systems integration company for 7 years, and one of the founding members of Hughes-JVC back in the early 1990s knows something about QSRs and Menu Boards. He is a recognized author for leading AV industry magazines such as Systems Contractor News, AV Technology, Digital Signage Magazine, and Rental & Staging, and we’re excited to share his take on the current state of the industry.  Read on to see his latest contribution to Commercial Integrator Magazine, where he did a deep dive with Almo’s own Jim Nista on content creation and what works and what doesn’t.

Integrators should recognize the significant demand for digital menu boards – and then acknowledge there’s a lot to learn to deliver them effectively.

by Alan Brawn

IN THE EVER-EXPANDING REACH of digital signage, retail- and food-related enterprises dominate in market share. Both retail and food services take special advantage of the major benefits of digital signage. They use variations of digital signage communication to enhance the viewing experience, modify viewer behavior, and promote their proprietary calls to action.

The intended consequence of this is to promote customer loyalty and repeat business and show differentiation in a concerted effort to stem the flow of commoditization and the appearance of sameness. Nowhere is this more evident than in quick serve restaurants (QSR) and convenience stores. One of the most popular “go-to” solutions in those niches is the incorporation of digital menu boards.

As with most digital signage, menu boards appear quite simple on the surface. It seems that all you need to do is put up a display and a list of menu items and call that job complete. Well, not so fast. There is much more involved in the area of menu boards than first meets the eye. With the expanding competition in the food industry and especially in quick serve restaurants, this whole menu board “thing” can be an existential issue.

A report by the prepared food industry shows that 60% of restaurants do not make it past the first year and 80% go under in five years. Did you know that the average person makes more than 200 decisions about food every day, many for them unconsciously? Research shows that 74% of customers say an easy to read menu is a top priority and 30% of customers say digital signage influenced an unplanned purchase. Statistics also show viewers spend 30% more time looking at digital signage compared to static signs.

Image by LG via LG Website

Gauntlet Is Thrown: Maximize Digital Menu Board Experience

We have all seen digital menu boards but what stands out is their varying degree of success. A group of subject matter experts out of the QSR industry estimates that more than 60% of today’s digital menu boards are done wrong. Here are some of the most common mistakes:

  • Poor design, use of space, and too much information on screen
  • Poor legibility
  • Using a monotonous static image
  • Excessive animation where items disappear before viewer can decide › Text-only menus that are easy to ignore
  • Looking continuously the same with little attempt at a refresh
  • Poor salesmanship on best sellers

All this being said, I want to share more about digital menu boards beyond statistics and bullet points. I wanted to explore best practices, so I went to Jim Nista, the senior director of content services for Almo. He is recognized as one of the best of the best in this area and teaches extensively on the topic. Since Nista co-teaches the Digital Content and Media Expert (DCME) certification for the industry it came as no surprise that he said, “It all starts with a content creation strategy.” Of course, if we fail to plan then we plan to fail… but Nista pointed out a key question that sets the tone for what is to come. How often will the content need to be updated? The answer will impact the design, how the content will be created, by whom and in what format, and ultimately the budget.

Depending upon the frequency of updating, Nista suggests, “If there are frequent changes you may want to use an HTML platform like Google Sheets. This is fast and inexpensive but can be limiting in design choices. The other choice is referred to as free form. This utilizes a graphic designer and offers true design flexibility but is more costly. Think of this as a template versus custom graphics consideration.”

Nista notes that where budgets permit, the trend is for free form where menu real estate is not constrained by a grid or a template.

This can provide a unique approach and stand out with consumers, and be more interesting and engaging. Both approaches, templated or free form, can be done in-house or outsourced.

Most often the size of the company, how often the content needs to be updated, and budget will dictate what path to take.

Understanding Digital Menu Board Objectives

The digital menu board should be designed to enhance the viewing experience as well as modify viewer behavior as they respond to a call to action but there are two other objectives that relate directly to QSRs and food services. The content needs to help the viewer decide and make a choice and do so in a more expeditious manner. If done properly this improves customer flow. In sit-down restaurants they call this “turning over the tables more quickly.”

Nista provided his short list of design elements to keep in mind:

  • Know the viewer and design for them.
  • Keep it simple; too many items and options end up being confusing.
  • Legibility is key. Font choice and size determine readability.
  • Beware of distractions. Focus on what you want the viewer to decide upon.
  • Too many zones can distract, but doing “specials” can be helpful to the company and the viewer.
  • If it is a fixed menu don’t scroll or animate. People take time to decide and if the menu scrolls too quickly, then they don’t have that time.
  • Video if done right can lead the viewer’s eye. It can give subtle clues and help make decisions fast. But if not done right it can be a distraction.
  • Locate menu boards carefully and be easily visible but avoid impeding traffic flow.

We all know that the retail and restaurant industry is highly competitive, and unless you have a unique selling proposition, chances are you will have trouble standing out from the crowd. The current state of the industry is driving restaurant owners to look for ways to set themselves apart from the fierce competition. Many are implementing digital menu boards, which is a step in the right direction,but as one expert told me, “some of these menu boards suck!”

What we know is that simply upgrading from static menu boards to digital menu boards is not enough on its own. More effort needs to be put into the content strategy and design of these menu boards in order to drive sales, engage with customers, and enhance their in-venue experience. If properly planned, designed, and implemented, digital menu boards can tip the scale in a restaurant’s favor.

ALAN C. BRAWN CTS, ISF, ISF-C, DSCE, DSDE. DCME, is the principal of Brawn Consulting.

To work with Jim’s team on creating content for your QSR and menu board projects reach out to our Content Services Business Development Manager Todd Heberlein today.

Checking Boxes

A digital signage content management software

that ✓ all the boxes.

Clients looking for a digital signage solution often have very similar feature sets that they are seeking. In the past, there were some features that our solutions could not provide, so the client would need to make some sort of compromise instead of being able to check all the boxes on their list of needs. Since the addition of Zebrix to the Almo line card, compromises are now few and far between.

Let’s take a look at what Zebrix offers that allows us to check off some of commonly requested features that were previously out of reach.

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Hosted, web based CMS

Having a hosted, web based content management system (CMS) offers some advantages over an “on premise” solution.   It reduces the amount of time that IT professionals would spend evaluating security and managing a software installed on local servers, which allows them to focus on their day to day workload.

One of the other great advantages of a hosted CMS is the ability to manage the content from any device, anywhere internet access is available.  Since web browsers are ubiquitous there is no need for a specialized device to manage content or to provide access to players.

Also, because the software is in the cloud you can manage players located all over the world.

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No need for additional player hardware

With the introduction of powerful “system on a chip” processors in commercial displays, like Samsung’s Tizen processor*, Zebrix is able to offer PC-like performance without the cost of an external player.  Savings can be parlayed into larger displays, or additional displays for a project.

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Intuitive CMS interface

Ok, so this may not be exclusive to Zebrix (Almo Pro AV offers other solutions with this feature), but they take it to a whole new level.  Since Zebrix is web based, it offers the ease of use and functionality that people have come to associate with purpose made “apps” on mobile devices.  With drag and drop content upload, and WYSIWYG design features, creating professional looking signage becomes easier than ever.

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Display management and live view

Because Zebrix uses the internal player on the Samsung Tizen based displays, it becomes easy to manage the display as well as see a snapshot of exactly what is playing on the display at any time…all with the click of a button.

If you’d like more information on the features Zebrix offers, or to demo of the software, please feel free to contact me using the contact information below.

Todd Heberlein
888-420-2566 x6205  |  [email protected]

*Currently, only Samsung’s internal player and a Ubuntu external player work with Zebrix.

Happy National Coffee Day

I LOVE coffee!

 

Anyone who knows me knows that coffee is my life blood. Not sure what I would do without that first cup in the morning that gets my eyes to open all the way, and gets the blood pumping at high octane.

 

While driving six hours last week to our latest E4 in NJ (http://e4avtour.com/) I had to pull off the thruway to fill up…not just on gas but on coffee. As I pulled up to the drive thru, I was staring at the menu…like staring, staring.  Not in confusion of what I was going to order (duh, I know that by heart) but because I totally recognized the beautiful outdoor menu display that was super bright and sharp. It was the 46-inch Samsung OH series high-bright displays. I was sure of it!

After several more coffee and bathroom stops along the way I finally got to my hotel and jumped on line to do some digging. Come to find out there was an article written this past spring about Dunkin running a pilot program at some of their locations with Samsung Outdoor Displays.  Check out the article on Samsung’s blog here:  https://insights.samsung.com/2017/04/04/dunkin-donuts-serves-up-an-enhanced-customer-experience-with-outdoor-menu-displays/

When you’re amped up on coffee it’s hard to slow down…  and the deeper I dug the more fascinated I became at just how impactful outdoor menu boards are.  For example, over a five-year period, a QSR with a 10-store pilot can increase profit by almost $1.5 million and reduce costs by over $1 million!  That’s a LOT of lattes and donuts!

An in-depth study on ROI with Outdoor Displays in QSRs

Get yourself a cuppa joe and download the study by Forrester Consulting on the Total Economic ImpactTM (TEI) of Samsung Outdoor Digital Menu Boards that examined the ROI Quick Service Restaurants experienced when deploying outdoor digital menu-boards in their drive-thru locations.

What’s your go-to fast food fix, and do they have static posters or digital menu boards?

 

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