Large Touch Screen Market is Growing. So What’s the Problem?
In 2012 Horizon Display anticipates North American sales of large format touch screen displays to reach a record high of nearly $200M. Large format is defined as 30” and above, and as a product segment, LFD monitors have been growing significantly since 2005. They are poised to take over projectors as the most common display device for public and business use. So if both the large display and touch screen market are growing, why would an industry leading provider such as Horizon Display send any kind of warning to the market?
The intended use of large interactive touch screens are not being well communicated between end user and reseller. Resellers are being flooded with requests, but given that they are still in a highly reactive mode, resellers and integrators of AV & IT equipment are not offering appropriate consultation on how to maximize return on such a high ticket item. A solution is easy to deliver when the end customer has plotted it for you. But when a prospect has loose intentions, and is themselves reacting to what they see competitors or correlating business partners doing with touch, the path to success requires that the lead dog has been down the path before.
Here are three very common requests Horizon Display sees when approached for a large touch screen solution. None of them receive Horizon’s recommendations:
• Viewing company website or social media sites
• Import pictures via a picture managing software and allow users to “play” with them
• Operate in a windows desktop environment and use Excel or PowerPoint for editing and presenting
There is a common thread in all of these requests. First, and the most obvious, is the fault of application. Websites and desktop computing are built with the mouse and pointer in mind, not the human finger. But if you dig deeper, you uncover the real truth. No one is asking the right questions. No one is investigating what the decision maker ultimately stands to gain by investing in large format touch screen technology. The 5 W’s are immensely useful here: Why, Why, Why, Why, and Why? By the fifth time you ask this question, you should have a solid understanding of your customer’s challenge and better yet, perception of success.
With vertical specific applications being created by hundreds of ISV’s and now even larger development companies, Microsoft being one for instance, there is no shortage of ways to fully realize the power of large touch screen displays. Spend time learning your customer’s business, or invite a solutions expert like Horizon Display into the discovery process early and often, and there should be plenty of high profit opportunity to go around.
If you are an AV or IT solutions provider, be sure you market your knowledge of interactive displays and large touch screen devices. All too often resellers wait for the end user to “pull” them into a project. There are plenty of hardware providers with the experience and desire to transfer knowledge. Make relationships with them, and they in turn will help you build a differentiating business. Touch and interactivity have been embraced – do the same.
Horizon Display specializes in large touch screen displays and interactive software solutions for more information visit Horizon Display
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