Wide-format & other signage applications recovering from a downturn: Smithers report

According to Smithers’ data from ‘The Future of Signage in a Digital World’, the print output for wide-format and other signage applications are recovering from a downturn at the beginning of the decade. The outlook is still challenging however, as new priorities are established in printed advertising, point-of-sale (POS) signage, posters, decals, and vehicle graphics. Smithers has tracked the market outlook for seven different formats of both indoor and outdoor signage across 26 national and regional markets for a 10-year period. The transition away from physical signage is most advanced in economies with greatest access to the internet. Advertisers are increasingly targeting consumers via social media, websites or other online channels; while the increased preference for e-commerce is damaging the outlook for retail formats.

Simultaneously there has been investment in electronic signage that can reproduce static physical adverts – as well as video and touchscreen functionality – but there is a significant up-front capital cost. This effect is most evident in reduced volumes of large permanent or semi-permanent formats; such as posters, billboards, sails, and hot air balloons. The outlook is more positive in retail signage, mainly various POS display formats. In-store signage is seen as an important tool to draw shoppers back through the doors for physical retail, and there is innovation to use such media to link to the online world and integrate with multi-platform marketing campaigns. This is pushing OEMs and print service providers to improve the range of value-adding effects on printed signage, as well as diversifying their product mix. The regions where genuine growth will occur over the next five years are concentrated in major Asian markets like India and China, Latin America, and parts of Eastern Europe.