Digital signage market to see exponential growth: Xtreme Media

Company participates in In Store Asia expo

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Digital signage
Sanket Rambhia, managing director of Xtreme Media at In Store Asia

The Indian digital signage industry is expected to witness exponential growth in the coming years as brands recognize the benefits the technology offers vis à vis traditional hoardings, Sanket Rambhia, managing director of Xtreme Media, told Indian Printer and Publisher during the In Store Asia expo held in Mumbai from 1-3 June.

Rambhia said there is a huge demand potential for digital signage, especially in metro cities. However, he highlighted that one of the challenges the industry faces are the regulatory grey areas. Signage rules vary across different cities, and clarity in rules is necessary for the industry to flourish.

There is a huge potential for digital signage especially in the metro cities. The only issue is the regulatory grey areas. The signage rules are made by the municipalities and are different for different cities. However, we have seen a clarity in rules in cities such as Mumbai and that is why in the last year, there has been a rapid growth in the number of digital billboards on Linking Road in Bandra, the Western Express Highway and Eastern Expressway. I think Bengaluru too will see good growth. So, yes we see a great future for this industry when regulatory issues get sorted out,” said Rambhia.

Rambhia emphasized the advantages of digital signage over traditional hoardings, stating that digital signage offers a low running cost compared to traditional hoardings. He said digital signage is a one-time investment, and the content can be easily changed. But in the case of traditional hoarding, the whole structure needs to be changed every few weeks.

Digital signage
Xtreme Media stand at In Store Asia

Also, digital and LED hoarding look modern and new age compared to hoardings. In the overall scheme of things, digital signage offers a much higher return on investment,” he said.

Xtreme Media is a leading LED and digital signage manufacturer in India. It has been transforming the Indian retail industry with its LED displays and digital signage technology. The company recently opened experience centers in Delhi and Bengaluru.

Xtreme Media’s indoor and outdoor displays are manufactured and designed in India, and the company has installed more than 1,000 LED screens, which is the highest in the industry.

During the In Store Asia expo in Mumbai, Xtreme Media showcased its customizable LED displays and connected with customers from the retail industry, further establishing its presence in the market.

2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India

Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.

The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry. While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.

The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.

Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.

Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.

Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.

– Naresh Khanna

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