A screen in a shop window or office reception does a quiet job all day: it announces offers, shows opening hours, welcomes visitors and tells people where to go. Done well, it replaces printed posters that are out of date by the time they are stuck up. Done badly, it is a dark rectangle on the wall that nobody updates. This guide explains how to choose a system that stays useful, and what to settle before anyone picks up a drill.
Start with the job the screen has to do
Before looking at hardware, write down what the signage is for. The answer shapes everything else.
- Promotion: a shop window or counter screen that shows offers, new stock or seasonal campaigns.
- Information: a reception screen with visitor instructions, floor directories, Wi-Fi details or health and safety notices.
- Brand: a larger display that sets the tone for clients as they arrive.
- Operations: menus, queue messages or staff notices in the back of house.
Most London premises need one or two of these, not all four. A café menu board and a law firm reception wall are very different briefs, even though the technology underneath is similar.
Where the screen goes matters as much as what it is
London premises bring their own constraints: shopfront glazing, listed buildings, shared landlord walls and tight reception areas. Walk the space at the time of day it is busiest and look at three things.
- Sightlines: where do people stand, and where do they look? A screen at the end of a corridor is read differently to one beside a till.
- Light: a bright window can wash out a screen, and reflections from glass fronts are a common complaint. Your installer should check this on the day, not guess.
- Power and network: a display needs power, and a cloud-managed system needs a dependable network connection. If the wall has neither, plan for in-wall cabling rather than trailing leads. Our data networking team can advise if the connection is the weak point.
If the display will sit on a wall with other equipment, such as a till or a meeting room screen, it is worth planning the whole wall together. Our audio-visual service covers displays, mounting and cable management for offices and public spaces.
Choosing a package
Signage packages are easiest to compare by how many screens you need and how you want to manage the content. All prices below are inc. VAT.
Essential: £1,299 inc. VAT. One 4K commercial display with a standalone media player, professionally installed, with simple content scheduling. This suits a single shop window, a counter or a small waiting area where the message changes now and then and one person looks after it.
Pro: £2,999 inc. VAT. Two 4K commercial displays managed from the cloud. You can update content, build playlists and use advanced scheduling, and screens can be monitored remotely, with support included. This fits a business with two spots to cover on the same premises, such as a shop floor and a window, or a reception and a meeting area, where updating each screen by hand would soon be forgotten.
Enterprise: £7,499 inc. VAT. A custom video wall or multi-screen setup with an enterprise content management system with API access, interactive touchscreen options and audience analytics and measurement. This is for larger sites that want signage to be measured, connected to other systems or used interactively.
For a striking arrival point, Reception Signage is a 2x2 large-format video wall with a digital signage player, content scheduling software and your branding set up. The screens are rated for continuous all-day use, which matters when the display runs from opening to closing. It is £2,999 inc. VAT.
Packages are a starting point. Every building is different, and a survey will confirm what your wall, power and network can support. For a business site, the Commercial Survey & Spec is £199 inc. VAT and is credited against the installation.
Keep the content alive
The most common failure is not technical. It is a screen showing last season's offer. Before installation, decide who owns the content, how often it changes, and who covers when they are away.
- Keep messages short. People glance at signage for a few seconds.
- Use large type and strong contrast, especially in bright spaces.
- Schedule seasonal content in advance, so the Christmas campaign switches on and off without anyone remembering to do it.
- Review the screens monthly, in person, standing where a customer would stand.
Signage works best alongside the rest of the premises. If you are fitting out a new shop or café, our guide to the London business tech stack shows how signage, tills and meeting rooms fit together. For hospitality, our café and restaurant tech checklist covers menu boards, and our EPOS systems page covers the till side.
Before you book
Gather the following and the quote process will be quicker:
- The address and which wall or window the screen is for
- Whether you own the premises or need landlord permission
- Roughly how many screens and what you want them to show
- Where the nearest power and network points are
You can read more about options on our digital signage page, then send us the details.