An Interview with Federal Heath

Tim Smith, director of sales and marketing, shares how Federal Heath has navigated the ever-changing landscape of the digital signage industry and capitalized on the needs of convenience stores this last year.

4/12/2022

Categories: Sign Company News

How long have you been selling digital signage?

Federal Heath has been in the digital signage industry for over 20 years. We started with electronic message centers for our petroleum customers, and over the past five years, we’ve taken digital signage inside the c-store with our existing customers.

Why do you choose to partner with Daktronics?

Daktronics is one of Federal Heath’s top three partners because of the quality, price, and global support – all things that are important to our customers and to us. We’ve built a solid relationship through the years, and Daktronics helps us create the right solution for each customer.

Tell me about this past year and how it has impacted your business.

Like everyone else, the pandemic has posed challenges with the supply chain, price increases, labor shortages, and operational capacity for many of our customers. The past year allowed us to have more meaningful conversations with our customers about the in-store experience, customer journey (in-store and online), and branding opportunities for drive-up and curbside shopping.

Success has come in various forms, from business with new customers on designing interior experiences, expanding our interior digital signage customer base, and helping our customers boost brand awareness and sales. Business booked for the interior décor and graphics line of our business was exponentially over plan by 2,000%.

2021 has been a record year for Daktronics, and I’m sure you have been busy as well. What do you think has contributed to the boom in digital signage for 2021?

Our continued partnership in working directly with convenience store operators has proven successful for us. The c-store industry has been rapidly growing in number and increasing in sales, even during the pandemic. There has not been a slowdown in this industry; however, we’ve seen c-stores revamp how they are reaching their customers, drawing them in while they fill their tanks up, and using indoor signage to increase each ticket per customer.

C-store basket sizes saw an increase from $7.34 per basket to $9 in one year. Why? Digital signage offers c-stores cross-department promotions that keep the customer in your store longer, creating upsell opportunities. Not only does digital signage boost sales, it also creates consistent branding across all locations and provides c-stores with unique opportunities to reach set demographics with relevant content at any time of the day.

Do you have any predictions? What do you see coming in the next year or two?

I believe in the coming year or two we will continue to see a focus on experiential shopping across multiple channels. You will see more digital signage with content that is personalized to the shopper through advances in technology. As the c-store market continues to evolve, so will digital signage.

What do you think have been keys to your success in the signage industry?

Federal Heath has a rich history spanning 120 years. With that history comes many lessons learned, innovation, and acquisitions to meet the needs of our customers. The secret to our success is a combination of service, quality, and an unwavering commitment to our customers. We’re focused on improvement and innovation in every aspect of our business and leverage that efficiency to save our customers time and money. Our national footprint of program management, design, manufacturing, and service assets gives our clients, and us, an edge in today’s competitive marketplace.

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