Digital signage is transforming the look of corporate office environments, foyers, restaurants, shopping precincts, retail stores and transportation hubs.

It is an effective tool for engaging audiences, displaying information, and driving sales.

But what are the different types, how does it work, how much does it cost and why wouldn’t you simply display a presentation slide from a connected PC? In this article, we’ll examine the variants of digital signage and get a feel for the pricing involved.

What is Digital Signage?

Digital signage refers to the use of electronic displays—such as LCD or LED flat screens, tiled LED panels, Projectors or Projection TVs — to present dynamic content across a single or multiple displays on a single or network of site locations. Unlike traditional static signage, such as a PC running PowerPoint and connected to a TV using an HDMI cable, dynamic digital signage allows businesses to update and tailor content in real time.

Key Components of Digital Signage

Display Screen

• • Business or Professional-grade LCD, LED, or OLED screens
  • Projectors & Screens
  • Interactive touchscreens
  • 2×2, 3×3 or 4×4 Video walls
  • 100” to 165” LED Tile Matrix

Media Players & Software

• • Dedicated media players for content delivery
  • On-premise content management server (CMS)
  • Cloud-based content management service (CMS) with remote monitoring & troubleshooting

Mounting & Enclosures

• • Wall mounts, freestanding kiosks, ceiling mounts
  • Weatherproof enclosures for outdoor installations

Content Creation & Management

• • Custom graphics, videos, and templates
  • AI-driven content automation
  • Scheduling and campaign management
  • Integration with external data sources (e.g., BBC, Sky, Bloomberg news or sports feeds)
  • Content synchronisation across multiple locations

Common Uses of Digital Signage

Digital signage is increasingly being used across most market sectors, each benefiting from its own customised  and targeted messaging.

Retail & Shopping Centres

• Promotional offers & discounts over multiple checkouts & locations
• Interactive product catalogues
• Digital wayfinding & store directories

Hospitality & Restaurants

• Digital menu boards
• Self-service ordering kiosks
• Hotel check-in & concierge displays
• Price/menu synchronisation across multiple locations

Corporate & Office Spaces

• Internal communications & HR updates
• Meeting room & Hot Desk wayfinding linked to booking systems
• Company announcements & performance dashboards
• Live news & stock market feeds for reception areas

Healthcare

• Patient check-in and queue management
• Digital waiting room displays
• Health awareness campaigns

Education

• Campus information boards
• Emergency alerts
• Event schedules & announcements
• Seminar wayfinding

Transportation & Public Spaces

• Flight & train departure boards
• Live traffic updates
• Public information displays

How Much Does Digital Signage Cost?

The cost of digital signage varies significantly based on several factors. Below are some typical costs

Hardware Costs

• Entry-Level Panels: £300–£700 (32″-49″ commercial displays)
• Mid-Range Displays: £500–£900 (49-55″ signage & video wall screens)
• Large format Displays: £1,000-£5,000 (65”-100” professional displays)
• Interactive Displays: £1,500-£7,000 (55”-98” touch/whiteboarding displays)
• Projection Systems: £1,000-£20,000 (depending on brightness & resolution)
• LED Tile Matrix: £25,000-£35,000 (132”-163” frame with pop-out tiles)
• Outdoor LED walls: From £5,000 per event with rigging & set-up crew
• Media Players: £500–£1,500 (per player depending on number of streams & resolution)

Software & Content Management Costs

• Basic CMS (Cloud-based): £100-£125 (per media player per annum)
• Advanced CMS (Enterprise-level): £1,000-£2,500 per media player per annum)
• On-Premise Server Licences: From £500 depending on networking & capacity

Installation & Setup Costs

• Basic Setup: £500-£1,000 per day (2-man crew)
• Advanced Indoor Setup:  £1,500–£10,000 (2-10 days with 2-4 man crew)
• Outdoor Setup: £5,000-£10,000 (4-day crew with staging, lighting rigs, sound system, sound engineers, power generators & security extra). Up to 15,000 crowd capacity.

 Content Creation & Management

• DIY Content Creation: Free (using tools like Canva or Adobe Express)
• Professional Self-Design: From £100 (using Bright Cloud subscription)
• Professional Outsourced Design: £500–£5,000 per campaign depending on Graphic Designers
• Subscription-Based Content: £5–£500 per month licencing for some dynamic news, weather and stock market feeds. Depends on number of players & concurrent viewers.

Ongoing Maintenance & Support

• Basic Hardware Support: From £5 per month per display for extended return for repair cover
• Advanced Hardware Support: From £10 per month per display for advanced next day swap out
• On-Site Hardware Support: From £20 per month per display for advanced swap out with visiting de.re-installation crew
•  Full Managed Services: From £50 per month per display or media player. (Note that graphic design consultancy and content administration may be extra)

ROI & Benefits of Digital Signage

By considering Digital Signage as a “nice-to-have” capital cost, the long-term benefits and overall cost savings will be missed. Looking at it as a labour and cost saving tool, paid for monthly out of savings made monthly, and therefore budgeted as a recurring revenue cost, over say 36, 48 or 60 months, will generally give a positive return on investment in the first two years. As a financed package, corporation taxpayers will also be eligible for 25% return against profit in their annual tax returns, making the overall costs of monthly repayments more attractive than paying outright for such goods and services.

• Increased engagement & sales conversions
• Reduced labour costs versus traditional methods
• More professional & modern look, than traditional print materials
• Real-time updates & automated content scheduling
• Enhanced customer experience & brand awareness

Not sure it will work for you?

Most organisations start small and build their overall signage solution over time.

Maybe start with just a single media player, one display screen, a few live or pre-recorded feeds, for example, live BBC news, a YouTube video, a ticker tape message cycling along the bottom some “PC slide” content being refreshed periodically in a large window).

Once you’re comfortable with the concept, add extra interest to your graphic design, add a couple of extra displays, network the content to a second location and start to gauge the reaction from your managers, employees and visitors.

Still not entirely sure how to start – Contact us today!