As we set foot deeper into the year, we have some exciting reports and stats coming from the one we left behind. According to reports, 2024 was the best year for the Out-of-Home industry to date in the UK. This is quite an achievement, despite some challenges toward the end. We also had ISE 2025 take place this month, bringing in new technologies and perspectives on the industry. You’ll also find some predictions for upcoming trends as well as expectations on what is going to be the norm in the world of outdoor advertising.
Which OOH metrics are a waste of time?
For your digital signage sales efforts to be truly effective, you must focus on meaningful metrics that drive growth and improve sales performance. Sadly, much use of data is inaccurate, emphasizing progress but only from a certain perspective.
A recent Billboard Insider post went through some of these mistakes, where Out-of-Home sales people focused on entirely wrong stats. One of these is tracking the number of submitted proposals. The only thing this number reflects is quantity. It doesn’t tell you how to improve your strategy. Another example is comparing current sales to past ones on a strict time frame basis. “We need to track how much of our sales come from new clients compared to existing clients. We need to track the types of clients we get and track who is buying what.”
Digital signage trends in 2025
ISE 2025 was quite the success, if attendance numbers are any indication. But another interesting bit of info we ran into was a look into upcoming trends. We’ve talked a bit about some of the more prominent ones on the blog this month, but it’s good to have another perspective from industry pros, after all. Some of the highlighted trends at ISE 2025 included e-paper displays.
Many manufacturers presented new models, as well as challenges that remain. These are mainly color ranges and pricing. Other topics of discussion were 3D digital displays, immersive technologies, transparent display technology, durable hardware, and a greater emphasis on software features and integration. Manufacturers are looking to offer the “complete package” so the software side of things is expected to grow.
UK’s OOH ad industry’s best year to date!
Outsmart, the trade body for the OOH ad industry in the UK has reported the numbers for the end of 2024. The industry saw a growth of 7.7% year-on-year, adding up to a total revenue of £1.4 billion. This is the highest rise ever, and it is quite impressive considering Q4 2024 was affected by some uncertainty, with a dip of -2.2.%. The impact is expected to continue into early 2025.
Justin Cochrane, Chair of Outsmart commented that “2024 is a real milestone for OOH and we celebrate our best year.” He added that brands continue to recognize the important role OOH plays in broadcast strategies. They offer “unrivalled reach, creative dynamism and real-time targeting.”
E Ink unveils its biggest digital poster yet
In more technology-related news, E Ink introduced a new 75-inch ePaper display, with an RGB color filter, supporting 4,096 colors and text.
The display uses low power and may operate on renewable energy, utilizing solar panels. E Ink had another instance of interesting tech application. Cream Guitars introduced guitars wrapped in E Ink tech, displaying up to seven different color displays. This is a new level of customization musicians truly appreciate, allowing additional creative expression.
On the topic of e-paper technology, Samsung used ISE 2025 as an opportunity to unveil their new ultra-low power EMDX model. With sizes ranging from 13 to 75 inches, it features USB-C ports, 8GB of memory, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Samsung has also been integrating sustainability into their designs, with over 50% recycled plastic in the cover of the model, and fully paper-based packaging.
Boost communication with customers
This month on the OnSign TV blog, we focused on some very impactful ways to boost communication between your business and the consumer. While pushing out ads and information on your displays in itself does act as communication, it’s important to look at it on other fronts. For a start, gathering and responding to feedback is a great way to show where your priorities are. But communication can be taken to the most direct level, where customers can use digital signage to ask for assistance, make a custom request, or report an urgent problem or issue.
