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AR vs. VR in Advertising: Which Technology Will Dominate in 2025?
AR overlays digital content on the real world, mostly through phones; VR creates fully virtual worlds through headsets. This overview,…
Digital signage keeps evolving, from city billboards to screens in shops, offices and transport hubs. This article, first published in 2025 and since reviewed, sets out five practical trends that continue to shape digital signage, what each means for businesses, and where the hype outruns reality.
The Five Trends at a Glance
- Connected, cloud-managed screens that are easier to update and monitor.
- Context-aware content that changes with time, place and conditions.
- Energy efficiency and longer-lasting hardware.
- Interaction through phones and kiosks, such as QR codes and touchscreens.
- Finer-pitch LED and creative formats, including curved screens and 3D-effect content.
Table of Contents
- Trend 1: Connected, Cloud-Managed Screens
- Trend 2: Context-Aware Content
- Trend 3: Sustainability and Energy Efficiency
- Trend 4: Interactive and Immersive Content
- Trend 5: Finer-Pitch LED and Creative Formats
- Q&A
- The Way Forward
Trend 1: Connected, Cloud-Managed Screens
More screens are connected to cloud-based content-management systems, so businesses can update content at many locations from one place, schedule campaigns and receive alerts if a screen goes offline. Connected sensors and data feeds (IoT) can supply information such as weather or queue times. Good network security is essential so that screens cannot be hijacked.
AI tools are increasingly used to help create content variations and analyse results. Extended reality (AR/VR) is mostly experienced on phones and headsets rather than on signage itself, although screens can promote such experiences.
| Technology | Practical Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud CMS | Remote updates and scheduling | One campaign pushed to all branches |
| IoT data feeds | Context-aware content | Weather-based promotions |
| AI tools | Content creation and analysis | Faster ad variations, reviewed by people |
Trend 2: Context-Aware Content
The most practical form of “personalisation” on signage is contextual: changing content by time of day, location, weather or events. For example, breakfast offers in the morning and dinner deals in the evening. This makes content more relevant without identifying anyone.
Some vendors offer camera-based systems that estimate audience characteristics. These raise significant privacy and legal issues, accuracy is limited, and attempts to read mood or identify shoppers’ purchase histories from a screen are intrusive and not appropriate without explicit consent and a lawful basis. Most businesses do not need them.
- Scheduled content: Different messages for different times of day.
- Context-aware displays: Content triggered by weather, events or queue length.
- Opt-in interaction: Customers choose to interact through kiosks or their own phones.
| Approach | Example |
|---|---|
| Time-based scheduling | Lunch offers between 12 and 3 pm. |
| Location-based content | Different promotions in different branches. |
| Opt-in loyalty | Offers shown after a customer chooses to scan their loyalty card at a kiosk. |
Trend 3: Sustainability and Energy Efficiency
Buyers increasingly consider energy use and lifespan. Efficient LEDs and power supplies, automatic brightness control and sensible schedules reduce consumption; modular designs allow repairs instead of replacement; and proper recycling at end of life reduces waste. Solar power can supply part of the energy for some installations, depending on the site and load. Savings vary by screen, settings and usage, so compare datasheet figures rather than relying on general percentages.
- Efficient LEDs: Less power for the same brightness.
- Brightness control: Automatic dimming saves energy and reduces glare.
- Repairable, recyclable hardware: Longer life and less waste.
| Sustainability Approach | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Efficient screens and dimming | Lower energy use (amount depends on screen and settings) |
| Modular repair | Less equipment thrown away |
| Renewable energy where practical | Lower carbon footprint |
Trend 4: Interactive and Immersive Content
Interactive experiences can turn viewers into participants. Touchscreen kiosks, QR codes and phone-based AR let people engage when they choose. Gamification, such as quizzes and contests, can encourage participation, and synchronised multi-screen displays can create striking visual effects.
- AR via phones: Customers try products virtually after scanning a QR code.
- Touch kiosks: Browsing, wayfinding and ordering.
- Moderated social content: Selected posts shown with permission.
| Technology | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Touchscreen kiosks | Self-service information and ordering. |
| AR try-ons (phones) | Virtual product experiences. |
| QR codes on LED screens | Simple link from a big screen to a phone. |
Trend 5: Finer-Pitch LED and Creative Formats
LED screens continue to move to finer pixel pitches, making them suitable for closer viewing in shops, lobbies and meeting rooms. Newer packaging such as COB is used for very fine pitches. Creative formats are also growing: curved and flexible LED screens, corner screens with anamorphic “3D-effect” content, and transparent LED for shop windows. Each needs suitable structures, content made for the format, and installation by qualified professionals.
Q&A
Top 5 Digital Signage Trends: Q&A
Q1: What is the biggest technological shift in digital signage?
A: Easier, connected management: cloud software that lets businesses update, schedule and monitor screens remotely. AI tools are increasingly used for content and analysis.
Q2: How is sustainability influencing digital signage?
A: Through efficient hardware, brightness control, longer-lasting and repairable screens, and proper recycling.
Q3: Are AR and the metaverse changing digital signage?
A: AR is mostly experienced on phones; signage can promote it with QR codes. Broader metaverse-linked campaigns remain niche.
Q4: Will mobile integration matter?
A: Yes. QR codes and apps let people interact with screens through their own phones for offers, polls or more information.
Q5: How is data reshaping digital signage?
A: Contextual data like time, weather and footfall estimates helps schedule relevant content. Identifying individuals or reading their mood raises serious privacy issues and is not needed for most signage.
The Way Forward
These five trends point toward digital signage that is easier to manage, more relevant, more efficient and more engaging. For businesses, the best approach is practical: choose the right screen, plan content and scheduling, use interaction where it helps customers, and respect privacy.
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