While digital signage created buzz at InfoComm, the Platt Retail Institute was finishing off its North American Digital Signage Index. And this report now shows Q1 faced the first drop in seven quarters!
On the show floor, companies like Black Box iCOMPEL saw large crowds gathered around their stand where the iCOMPEL platform recognized the members of those crowds and rotated advertising appropriately. Despite the state-of-the-art feature on display, iCOMPEL’s all-in-one integrated hardware/software solution mostly features an affordable digital signage solution. And that drew crowds at InfoComm.
The Platt Retail Institute may have been ignorant of the buzz at InfoComm as their Current DS Index is down sharply from the 3.82% increase last quarter and fell behind GDP for the first time since PRI began publishing the Index in Q4 2009.
The Near-Term DS Index, an indicator of future business/industry activity, revealed a more optimistic view on the part of survey respondents.
“The decline in the Index for the first quarter is disappointing, but certainly not unexpected,” says Steven Platt, director and research fellow of Chicago-based PRI. “Looking ahead, we anticipate a moderately improving economy and industry during the second half of 2011.”
According to Platt, the industry results during the quarter reflect the struggling USA economy.
