The hidden costs that digital signage vendors don't put forward

Choosing a digital signage solution calls for caution. Many suppliers do their best to hide the additional fees and costly constraints the customer will run into once committed. The result: it becomes hard to know what you are really paying for. Here are three hidden costs to examine before you sign.

Hidden cost no. 1: the cloud

Cloud-based solutions let you update screens remotely over an internet connection. Convenient, but some vendors charge up to 288 EUR per year per screen.

Take the example of a kebab shop fitted with three screens. With a cloud solution, the bill climbs to 864 EUR per year, not counting the internet subscription and the hardware. By contrast, a local software installed on a PC, such as Easy Multi Display, is paid for once and can drive up to 24 screens. Over five years, the gap represents a saving of nearly 4,000 EUR.

Hidden cost no. 2: additional hardware

Dedicated media players are a significant expense, up to 1,000 EUR per unit. For a business managing fewer than 25 screens, these boxes are pointless: a work computer that is already on site, equipped with the right signage software, does the same job at no extra hardware cost.

Hidden cost no. 3: the mandatory internet connection

Depending on the internet means adding a recurring cost and a point of fragility. According to a study by Cable.com, broadband in the United Kingdom cost on average 30.30 GBP per month in 2018, that is 363.60 GBP per year, to which data overage charges may be added. A solution that works without a connection removes both the expense and the risk of a network outage.

In summary

Before choosing, ask yourself whether the features being promoted really justify these extra costs and constraints. Easy Multi Display offers a free 30-day trial: all you need is a desktop or laptop computer, a cable and a screen. No additional hardware and no internet connection required.