New Research Reveals 23 Percent Drop in Digital Signage Prices
Digital signage has become considerably more affordable in the past 12 months, according to the findings of a new study conducted by WireSpring's Digital Signage Insider blog. The survey findings are part of "The 2009 Digital Signage Pricing Report." A detailed summary of the findings is also provided on the Digital Signage Insider blog, in the article titled "The 2009 Digital Signage Pricing Study: Costs Have Fallen 23%".
"We've been publishing digital signage cost estimates since 2004, so this year we wanted to get a broader sampling of what people think the products should cost," says Bill Gerba, WireSpring CEO and senior writer for the Digital Signage Insider. "The survey results confirmed that digital signage is more affordable than ever before. In fact, the cost of implementing a 100-screen network has dropped nearly 23% in the past year and nearly 50% since 2004. With such a large drop in the capital requirements, there has never been a better time to get into the digital signage business as a network owner or operator," he added.
The 2009 Digital Signage Pricing Report analyzes the following components:
The 2009 Digital Signage Pricing Report analyzes the following components:
- 40" LCD screen
- Player hardware
- Display mount Player software
- Management software and tech support
- Installation Initial project management
Based on a fairly typical, 100-screen network, the total cost of each digital sign is $4,355. This includes 3 years of service fees, but excludes related costs such as the personnel who manage the content.
Other key findings from the report:
Other key findings from the report:
- Nearly 80% of those working with large digital signage networks (100 screens or more) handle their content management in-house, versus 74% of small networks.
- Installation was the service most likely to be outsourced, while project planning was the service most likely to be handled by in-house staff.
- Small network managers were much more likely to handle installation services themselves (with 30% doing so). Only 20% of large network managers handled such tasks in-house.
Methodology
The survey was conducted during July and August 2009 using the PollDaddy online survey tool. 223 total responses were collected. Most respondents were readers of the Digital Signage Insider blog, though some may have received the survey via a friend, colleague or social network notification (e.g. Twitter). To determine the typical market pricing for each item in the study, WireSpring also conducted phone and email interviews with approximately 30 network owners and operators, and obtained pricing from an additional 30-50 vendors.