LED: is it better to buy or rent for your in store display?
When it comes to retail store windows we know there can sometimes be a consideration of whether to rent an LED screen from an AV supplier like ourselves, or to purchase one that can be permanently installed. On first glance, you may think that buying the screen would save you money and time in the long run, giving you an owned asset that you can use over and over again. Unfortunately, due to the fast-paced nature of AV, the cost of LED and the sensitive nature of many retail environments, this isn’t usually the case.
Here, we explain the five reasons why it’s usually better to rent LED for your retail store windows:
1. You’ll always get the latest product
LED technology changes at a lightning pace compared to many other technologies. To give an example, just a few years ago 3.9mm pixel pitch LED was the best in class for retail campaigns. Then it quickly became 2.5mm LED and today, 1.9mm LED is available, showing just how quickly things change over a short time period.
If you purchased an LED screen for your store today it’s likely within two years (or maybe even less!) it would be out of date and an inferior product to what your competitors may be using in the store windows next door.
As an AV hire company we’re able to very quickly make a return on investment of our LED products which are used by multiple retailers every single month. This allows us to reinvest in the very latest technology within a short space of time which means that when you hire LED for your new campaign, you’re always getting the most premium and up-to-date product.
2. You’ll know the LED is fit for purpose within a retail environment
As retail specialists all of our hire stock is designed for windows. This means it’s been spec’d to ensure it’s fit for purpose and can be utilised in the retail environment, considering the space needed, lighting, power requirements, footfall distance from screen and so on.
When purchasing LED not only do you need to ensure it’s fit for purpose but you’ll also need to facilitate installation, maintenance and usage which can place a lot of responsibility on your team. With renting LED this is all taken care of for you as part of the hire cost, on every single install.
3. You can ensure LED actually works for your brand and store
Permanent LED is an expensive option which means once you’ve invested you’re likely stuck with it, whether or not it meets your objectives in the short or long term. With rental you have the opportunity to test concepts in your store windows for a shorter period, without the full commitment of purchasing and permanent installation.
This allows you to have the latest LED product in your store windows for a few weeks or months to measure that it actually works, looks good and meets the objectives for your campaign - without incurring a huge cost.
4. You’ll have the benefit of an experienced AV team around you
Some retail environments can be difficult to work in and knowledge is power when it comes to ensuring a smooth installation. At VAST we’ve worked in some seriously challenging retail environments, as well as regularly installing LED throughout most of the UK’s shopping centres and luxury department stores, which has given us a wealth of knowledge and experience that we can now provide to our clients.
This is the reason why we’re specialists in retail AV, as it allows us to have in-depth knowledge in this area and is why major retail brands and design agencies in the UK use us for all of their retail campaigns.
When you hire LED it’ll be installed by experienced technicians who know how to work and what pitfalls to look out for which isn’t always the case when you go down the permanent install route. We’re also always close by in London, meaning that if something goes wrong you can ensure an experienced technician will be there - we may even already be around the corner!
5. You’ll get to test and see your content - before you spend any money
With our large rental fleet of LED we’re always happy to work with our clients to test their content, before it ever makes it to store. For example, for our client the White Company we recently provided a screen FOC in their offices so that they could see the content on screen to test and ensure they were happy with everything, before installing it in a very visible store window.
When you hire AV this gives you the ability to ensure your content looks good and that it works on LED with a FOC demo or in house test, so that when it does get installed you know it’s going to look great!
If you want to discuss renting LED for your next in store campaign we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch today to discuss how we can help bring your creative vision to life.