In an increasingly crowded retail environment, lotteries are always in search of new merchandising solutions that accentuate the eye-catching elements of instant tickets and ensure their games don’t get lost in the noise.
As a key driver of lottery success, retail excellence has been at the forefront of Pollard Banknote’s robust selection of sales-driving merchandising solutions from its Schafer Retail Solutions + portfolio, and the industry has been buzzing with excitement about their latest product, the Digital Menu Board.
The Digital Menu Board is a modern point-of-sale product that improves lottery presence immensely at the retail counter. Combining the best features of on-counter merchandizers with the latest digital technology, its stunning display allows lotteries to highlight attractive ticket designs and show promotional graphics and videos in a convenient, highly visible digital format that helps prompt impulse purchases and fast decision making.
Digital Menu Boards utilize technology to draw attention to instant games, while also providing lottery staff an efficient, user-friendly experience. Fully customizable, the dynamic Digital Menu Board showcases a 24- or 32-game plan-o-gram on a LCD screen, eliminating the need for 4” by 4” printed display cards.
The Missouri Lottery experienced the multiple strengths offered by the Digital Menu Board, from their sales-driving impact to the ease of use for the lottery.
In 2022, Missouri Lottery piloted six Digital Menu Boards at five retail locations through the state. Key retail placements enhanced visibility of instant games and the lottery brand overall. After 13 weeks in the market, the results are impressive. Missouri Lottery pilot stores have seen a 12% lift over control stores and an 8% lift over statewide averages.
Changing the displayed games, including retailer-specific customization of the plan-o-gram, is made easy with the Digital Menu Board. Static or animated marketing content shown on the display can also be unique by retailer. Wi-Fi connectivity to external inventory management software ensures changes are updated immediately.
Missouri Lottery Sales Expansion Manager, David McLaughlin emphasizes the ease and efficiency of the process: “Updating the boards is simple. We drop the new game graphics into our FTP, and they are immediately available on our Lottery Ticket Management Site. Lottery or retail store staff can immediately update the Digital Menu Board’s displayed plan-o-gram using the Ticket Management Site. Lottery staff can even copy the plan-o-gram to other Digital Menu Boards, or create unique ones per board, and the entire network is updated within 15 minutes.”
“Improved customer visibility and access to our games is key to helping Missouri Lottery grow sales,” shared Chief Sales Officer Tonya Beenders. “With the Schafer Retail Solutions + Digital Menu Board at retail, players quickly identify available games in an attractive and eye-catching display. We feel that both Digital and Lighted Ticket Menu Boards are an important part of our retail growth strategy.”
Other jurisdictions across North America that are reaping the benefits of the Schafer Retail Solutions + Digital Menu Board include Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota and Ontario.