While electronic point-of-purchase displays are hardly new, there is a new technology that is changing the face of electronic POP that

While Brad Gleeson's article discusses point of purchase applications, it's easy to apply the information in this article to other traffic venues, such as trade shows..

deserves careful consideration by visual merchandisers and other retailers - gas plasma displays. Gas Plasma displays, or PDPs, are digital displays that are compatible with both computer and video sources, yet are both very thin (3-6 inches) and relatively large (up to

50" diagonal). At first glance, it's easy to dismiss plasma displays as just a flat TV; an evolutionary change at best. But to see these new displays as merely an advancement of the TV monitor would be missing a lot of what these displays enable in the retail environment of the 21st century.

Certainly, the most compelling aspect of new plasma display technology is it's "form factor." The ability to hang a large, flat video

Measured at 160 degrees in all directions, the wide viewing angle and perfectly flat nature of the display means that the display can be seen from anywhere in a room.

monitor directly on the wall like you would a light box or poster frame opens up a lot more retail space to electronic visual merchandising. When you start to consider the display as a sort of digital dynamic sign that can be hung or mounted virtually anywhere, it can really start to get interesting. When you understand that these displays can show virtually any kind of image, from exciting full-motion video action to today's special, and can be updated and changed on-the-fly, lot's of possibilities come to mind. But when we realize that these displays can be networked together and managed remotely from a central location and scheduled to show different information at different times of day, and even allow us to turn the display into a profit center through the use of co-op advertising dollars, then we start to understand the real opportunities behind a digital dynamic signage network,

But what do we really need to consider when determining whether a plasma display or digital dynamic signage network might be useable in our retail locations? While the technology may seem daunting at first, that's really the easy part. When we take a close look at the cost of these systems - from $7000-20,000 for the display and something to drive it - it's clear that the cost justification is just a tough an issue to deal with. Let's take a closer look at these issues and determine if this new technology might make sense in our retail environment.

Display Advantages

First let's discuss the display technology itself. Depending upon your store design and the visual impact you are trying to achieve, plasma displays are available in sizes from 21" to 50" diagonally and from 3" to 6" thick. These displays are also available in two different "aspect ratios," which is the ratio of width to height of the monitor. The displays with a 4:3 aspect ratio are roughly the same

The digital nature of plasma guarantees a perfectly uniform and focused image over the entire display. No distortion, no dark corners; just a perfect digital picture in every pixel.

shape as a TV or PC monitor, which is to say nearly square. These displays are available in 21"" 33""and 40""sizes. The 16:9 displays have the wide screen dimensions usually associated with HDTV, and indeed that is one of the uses the displays support. Furthermore, these widescreen displays can be rotated vertically and turned into a sort of digital poster which is taller than it is wide. This is a very interesting effect that stops most viewers in their tracks and can be a very effective retail display if the content (image) is created properly.

Besides the different aspect ratios, another advantage of plasma displays is it's wide viewing angle. Measured at 160 degrees in all

directions, the wide viewing angle and perfectly flat nature of the display means that the display can be seen from anywhere in a room. This helps tremendously in making the placement of the display very flexible. It also means that the display catches the eye of the shopper from a much wider and further distance than conventional TV monitors. The digital nature of plasma also guarantees a perfectly uniform and focused image over the entire display. No distortion, no dark corners; just a perfect digital picture in every pixel. While the image quality is largely dependent on the quality of the input, when the source is high quality, the picture is spectacular, and after all, isn't that what it's all about? Not entirely…

Sex appeal! There, I said it. As we all know, sex sells, and these displays are sexy! Most of all, they are NOT TVs, and that's important. It is clear that the TV is so ubiquitous in our lives that TV monitors pumping out mindless MTVesque music videos go largely ignored these days. A plasma display has an attraction all it's own. There's something about seeing digital quality video from a flat, thin frame that makes people stop and take notice. You just can't walk by without taking a look - and THAT is what it's all about. Particularly if the content reinforces a brand's image or stimulates you to take some sort of action.

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