What Are The Latest Innovations In Digital Signage?

In most blogs you’ve have read about digital innovations this year, AI may have taken centre stage. It’s undeniable that Artificial Intelligence is transforming the digital signage sector in several important ways, e.g. by allowing dynamic content adjustments on digital advertising displays based on real-time audience demographics, engagement metrics, and environmental factors.

However, as a result of this, several interesting innovations in digital signage have gone under the radar. In this article, we’ll look at a few of the latest digital signage innovations that we are most excited about this year so far:

Micro-LED displays

LED lighting was a revolution for digital signage, and micro-LED displays are ushering in the next stage in this important journey. Micro-LEDs use microscopic LED bulbs to create high fidelity images directly on the screen. Each micro-LED generates an individual pixel, omitting its own light and colour, which reduces the need for backlighting and colour filters, such as those required in ‘traditional’ LCD digital displays. For businesses that use digital signage, this has several benefits, not least the way that micro-LED displays consume less energy compared to LED and OLED displays, making them more energy-efficient for 24/7 usage. Micro-LEDs can also be easily scaled up without losing fidelity and brightness, making them perfect for large-scale displays used in entertainment venues, corporate environments, and retail areas. Micro-LEDs are also less prone to degradation over time then OLEDs, while simultaneously outperforming them in terms of brightness and contrast.

Micro-LED displays took centre stage at this year’s ISE 2025 (Integrated Systems Europe) event this February in Barcelona, Spain, in which the technology was fêted as the most important emerging digital display technology for commercial and advertising applications.

E-paper displays

E-paper or E-Ink displays have been used on individual book readers (e.g. the Kindle Paperwhite) for several years, but are gaining popularity as digital display mediums due to their low energy consumption and sustainability. E-paper displays mimic the appearance of traditional paper, increasing readability and accessibility on digital information stands and wayfinding signs. E-paper displays address one of the long-term difficulties that many businesses have with digital signage – their high energy intensity. When operated around the clock, even an energy efficient digital sign can be costly. The low-power consumption of an e-paper display, therefore, is a good way of reducing energy use compared to conventional LED or LCD digital displays. E-paper displays are now being adopted in some locations to display digital price tags, train timetables, and even bar and restaurant menus.

LED overlays

LED overlays are an emerging technology in digital signage that add greater depth and a three-dimensional effect to digital displays. Layering different visual elements, LED overlays create a high-impact holographic effect that potentially makes content more engaging and impactful. Looking like something drawn straight out of Star Wars, LED overlays currently have a wow factor that immediately grabs attention, and this is being used in some premium hotels, restaurants, and flagship retail shops to draw customers in and increase social media engagement. The 3D effects can also make digital content more memorable and interactive for users, which is an important consideration now that digital displays are becoming more ubiquitous. As display technologies become commonplace on high streets and in workplaces, they have a tendency to blend into the background and fade out of awareness, so by investing in LED overlays, organisations can stand out by offering more unique visual experiences to passers-by. The versatility of the technology also helps to make digital displays more adaptable to a wider range of environments and creative applications.

Next steps

Digital signage is a constantly changing and exciting field, offering you a range of options to engage and attract customers. What’s more, as these technologies mature, they are becoming more sophisticated, reliable, and affordable, so if you would like to find out more, please contact one of the team at Image Technique today for a discussion of your needs.

Image source: Canva