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What are the top retail digital signage trends in 2025? Discover why pop-ups are here to stay, the immersive experiences will only get more exciting, AI turns into mainstream and screens will be omnipresent in omnichannel. Here’s Kitcast’s take on the digital signage trends in retail for 2025.
State of Retail in 2025
Although the pandemic shock is gone, the challenges posed by the COVID-19 nightmare are still felt across the industry. The most pressing issues remain the same. Retailers are looking for the most cost-effective ways to lure shoppers into physical stores. But there’s much more to the picture.
The world’s economy is in shambles due to ongoing far-reaching conflicts. While the US inflation is contained at the moment, the change of political leadership brings uncertainty. But it’s the customers that retailers are most focused on.
Influenced by even more penetration of e-commerce and the rise of new technologies such as AI, customers are expecting a different kind of experience from retailers. Some adapt quicker than others.
Linking the gap between online and offline has never been more important than it is in 2025. That’s why retail digital signage gets the central stage in the customer interaction framework.
Screens give brands the power to quickly adapt to all the changes and provide customers with the most up-to-date and personalized experience.
Let’s look at the top retail digital signage trends in 2025 and how Kitcast helps retailers stay ahead of the curve.
Future is automated
Unstable economy, budget cuts, post-pandemic caution and widespread acceptance of new technology – these are the primary reasons why retailers are turning to automated solutions. And digital signage is at the forefront of this transformation.
Screens power self-service kiosks, electronic cashiers, wayfinding stands and product-carrying robots in supermarkets. The revolution hasn’t only begun, it’s in full swing at the moment. The display-enabled solutions allow retailers to save money on workforce, provide a more personalized shopping experience and engage with customers better.
But there’s also an element of communication here.
Screens powered by digital signage software are playing the role of automated helpers. They lead the way, suggest individualized deals, celebrate loyalty, ask for feedback and provide real-time information.
In 2025, retailers are going to invest more in automated solutions to have a better competitive advantage.
AI has become a standard for the retail industry
In 2025, there’s no more hesitation when it comes to using artificial intelligence. It’s a reality of retail now and those who adopt it better win in the long run.
Digital signage software changes accordingly. For example, Kitcast has unveiled its AI template builder. The feature allows retailers to create images and videos in a matter of seconds only by writing text prompts. This is a very handy tool for crafting content on the go.
Apart from generative AI capabilities that are already shaping the digital signage landscape, the technology is actively used for data collection and analysis.
Retailers fully embraced the personalization capabilities the artificial intelligence and rushed to apply them to create hyper-personalized experiences for customers.
We’re talking about machine learning-powered tailoring of marketing to address all the specialized needs of customers. AI helps brands understand the audience, build a better rapport and provide a much better and memorable experience overall.
That’s why AI in its various forms is among the hottest retail digital signage trends in 2025. It will keep helping brands to create the best digital signage content on one hand and elevate the customer experience on the other.
Gen Z and Millennials are to be reckoned with
Retailers have all the right to be confused by customer behavior in 2025. Millennials and Gen Z are native to technology and can’t imagine their lives without screens. Online is how they communicate, share and shop. But things are more nuanced when it comes to their retail habits.
Let’s look at numbers first. By 2030, Gen Z and Millennials could collectively represent 48% of all retail spend. Or, focusing on these groups is crucial for retailers’ long-term success. Satisfying their needs is a sustainable way of growth and sales drive.
It’s those who understand how to market to Gen Z and Millennials will rule in 2025.
Retail digital signage is an ideal tool for that. There are two reasons for that.
First, these two groups are very digital. They use social media, they are used to online advertising and they are open to immersive experiences. But then, they also want to go to physical stores.
44% of Gen Z also said they went to physical stores for shopping inspiration, more than any other generation. 54% of Millennials and 51% of Gen Z said that they were more likely to shop for food and drink in physical stores.
Retailers in 2025 will be trying hard to create the best conditions for Gen Z and Millennial buyers inside the stores.
This year is about further integrating the online and offline mediums with the help of digital screens and engaging content.
Retailers will double down on original formats and time-limited pop-ups
Shoppers want to be entertained.
It is about an experience rather than a mere act of purchase.
A showcase of values rather than static branding.
It’s about loyalty rather than short attention grab.
While brick-and-mortar stores are still going strong, brands feel that having one isn’t sufficient to fully engage with shoppers in the experience economy.
That’s why pop-ups are used to boost brand awareness and develop a stronger emotional link with shoppers.
Originality, the element of surprise and better immersion are the top three reasons why pop-ups work for branding. Kictast Blog wrote about many successful pop-up deployments in 2024.
In 2025, the pop-up mentality is among the top retail digital signage trends.
It’s included in the article because most of the time brands turn to display technology to create a fully immersive pop-up. Screens serve as versatile “world-building elements.” You can make any kind of content using the Kitcast app that serves your pop-up well.
Kitcast content-making capabilities empower you to create without limitations. With tons of customizable templates, a powerful content builder and an AI template maker, the sky is the limit.
Conclusions
It’s high time that your retail brand gets a full grasp of the latest screen technology. The industry is moving at a cosmic speed toward hyper-personalization and displays help make this process easier for your company.
Use the powerful capabilities of Kitcast digital signage software to provide the best level of interaction with your customers. Transform your brick-and-mortar store with screens.
Try our software for FREE now!
Here’s our previous article about top retail digital signage trends 2024
Retail is among the most dynamic industries out there. That’s why it’s no wonder that retail digital signage is where the most innovation is at too. In 2024 it is as evident as ever. In this article, we will take a closer look at the top retail digital signage trends. Of course, AI is there and so are the pop-ups through some better personalization. Here are retail digital signage trends for 2024.
Thinking outside of the mall
In August 2023, CNN published an article with a screaming headline. It said, “The US mall is not dying.” The research inside the piece suggested that the top malls are doing fine and not going anywhere. Basically, the consensus of the experts was that the industry is evolving and tech is helping with that.
However, not all is clear skies and rainbows when it comes to the mall experience. Several big retailers have announced the launch of off-mall stores in 2023. Among them are Macy’s, Bath & Body Works, Journeys, and Foot Locker.
While malls are definitely here to stay, it’s interesting to see the brands moving in the outside direction. The reason for that is having more flexibility and cutting the costs of rent.
Also, running an independent store allows companies to use digital signage technology to create whatever marketing they see fit and be in full control.
Diversification of marketing content
Long gone are the days when retail was purely physical. Today it’s an amalgam of two worlds. And those retailers that master the digital part are big winners. 2023 showed us that the brands are not shy of realizing creative projects that involve the digital side.
The diversification of marketing content is among the top retail signage trends.
One of the best examples of this is the pop-up. While such a type of retail experience has been around for seemingly forever, it’s in the post-COVID world that it truly shined.
And of the main reasons for its success lies in combining novelty, personalization, and tech to create a one-of-a-kind customer experience.
Glossier has used screens and ASMR to give visitors an alternative reality feeling in their London pop-up. Max Mara invited everyone to a “fluffy residence” with displays serving as the portals for a better immersion. Louis Vuitton creates a pop-up cafe + brand store in Hong Kong with big video walls showing the latest collection.
This retail digital signage trend is gaining traction and in 2024 we’re expecting more exciting projects to come.
Focusing on sustainability… and Gen Z shoppers
How sustainability and Gen Z shoppers are connected. Well, there’s a direct link. According to CNN, “56% of Gen Z shoppers are willing to spend more to purchase sustainably sourced products.”
It’s also about how they view their future. “41% of young people aged 16-25 said they were hesitant to have children due to climate change, and 71% said their future is frightening,” according to Ulster University data.
Then, per Forbes “75% of Gen Z respondents said they wanted to see that brands were ensuring employee and consumer safety.”
Also, it’s about the authenticity. “If [brands] are not authentic, Gen Z will be the first to raise a red flag,” says Forbes survey.
In other words, Gen Z puts sustainability first. And retailers are adapting. From sustainability campaigns to GenAI deployment for good, brands are trying hard to appeal to this generation (let’s not forget about the socially-conscious millennials too).
According to IDC, “by 2028, 55% of grocery supply chains will deploy intelligent IoT to track the condition of perishables, reducing food waste by 25% and inventories by 15% and improving quality by 40%.”
Why it’s among the retail signage trends? Well, it’s because the screens are actively used by the brands as a communication tool to highlight their commitment to sustainability and serve as an ultimate feedback-gathering tool to directly interact with the consumer.
Using AI for more personalization in-store
In 2023 AI has finally gone mainstream with companies pumping billions of dollars into technology-powered tools that ranged from online (content generators, conversational chatbots, etc.) to offline.
But while online AI tools are easy to visualize, what about the AI in the real world, how does it work? Again, digital signage is the answer.
Screens serve as the “body” for artificial intelligence and it seems that in 2024 retailers will be happy to implement such solutions to make shopping better and more personalized.
One of the best examples of this is Proto’s RetailSage product which the company unveiled at CES 2024. It combines the power of AI with the technical capabilities of the screen making it an ideal solution for elevated shopping in an offline retail environment.
While it seems premature to talk about the full-scale offline AI adoption in retail, the digital signage that is being already used (like self-service cash desks, for example) can be waiting for an artificial intelligence upgrade.
Here are our previous Top Retail Digital Signage Trends 2023
Poor, poor retail industry. It has gone through a lot during the last few years. The pandemic has left the most visible scar on its surface. But we’re here to talk about the industry in correlation with the screens. We’re here to talk about retail digital signage trends. And in this domain, all is predicted to be quite good. As the screen technology is adaptable and flexible, retail is safe in its hands.
Let’s review the top digital signage solutions for retail in 2023 and see where we stand and what’s coming next.
Going deeper online (with the help of the screens offline)
With the break of the COVID pandemic, the change to the online medium was inevitable. 2023 will see retail pivoting in this direction even further. But it’s not that the offline spaces will cease to exist. The leading companies will look for opportunities to tie the two worlds together. And retail digital signage software will always be the answer.
How will it be reflected in the day-to-day operations? We expect more and more screens of all kinds and sizes to pop up in the physical stores. Bridging the gap between the offline and digital has long been one of the top retail digital signage trends.
If in 2020 the industry went through the shock waves, in 2021 it was trying to survive, in 2022 the retailers started to actually implement wide-scaled solutions, and 2023 will see these solutions become the new normal.
The move to digital is inevitable and the quicker the companies worldwide understand the real value of it, the better for the industry as a whole. The future is dictated by the hybrid shopping model when a retail store exists in the physical and digital dimensions and does both masterfully.
Implementation of digital signage solutions for retail will only be a win for retailers. On one hand, the display as a medium is well-known and familiar to the majority of shoppers. On the other, the possibilities of digital signage software today are immense and very adaptable.
AR, VR, and (maybe) metaverse
We’ve written about this in our top digital signage trends article. Metaverse is looming over us. And retail is one of the main industries that can benefit from its full development. But whether or not it will happen is a big question. So far, the analysts don’t see it coming on a mainstream scale so it’s too early to talk about the real impact of the metaverse in 2023.
What has come to the mainstream, though, are metaverse’s little helpers such as AR and VR of retail spaces. Every single element is quite different in terms of how they operate. But they are all connected by the yearning to the digital world and minimizing the physical, or real-world factors.
“But why it’s in the retail digital signage trends?” you may righteously ask. It’s because AR and VR need the gates of the entrance. Real stores are not going anywhere and people still go shopping offline as eagerly as they do offline. That’s why in order to enhance their experience, the retailers are looking for new, exciting, and fresh ways to interact.
AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) are the fruits of one tree and that tree is the metaverse. Metaverse as an inter-connected global online network doesn’t exist yet on a global commercial scale but AR and VR do. When you have a shopping mall, a store, or a brick-and-mortar you need to have a tool that enables AR and VR. The screen is that tool and that’s why deploying larger-scale screen solutions is among the top retail digital signage trends.
Malls are in trouble but the screens are the saving grace
Running a mall in 2023 is quite a headache. It’s expensive, it’s complicated, and it’s not as profitable as in 2019. That’s why a complete digital redo is looming over these large retail structures. It’s either change or a closure (aka painful death).
With the availability of awesome solutions at hand, it’s hard to imagine the full downfall of shopping malls. The hand of the market influenced by the pandemic and driven by the global crisis points to more of a digital theme park approach for a regular shopping experience. People still want to go to their favorite shopping centers. It’s just their habits change.
The retail digital signage trend is closely related to the previous one. Shopping malls will become more digitized in 2023. They are set to add new exciting features like augmented reality screens, big 3D billboards, and more experiential content.
Robotized solutions and AI instead of humans
Although we’re not quite on the level of apocalyptic “I, Robot” reality, the robots are definitely starting to feel themselves at home in retail in 2023. And that’s a good thing (if they don’t get too smart and destroy our planet).
That fact brings us to a new cool side of digital signage and that is the screen-powered robots. Supermarkets use them, clothing stores use them, and everyone in retail can use them. For wayfinding, impressing, interacting, and social media promotion. It’s already here and in 2023 the robot trend will only become bigger and bolder.
The development of AI, on the other hand, will untie the retail’s employment contracts-limited hands and bring more cost-efficient and interesting opportunities.
