How digital signage evolves in travel retail

When the traveler moves, the screen accompanies it. On this platform, Monica Fernández Bové, general director of nsign, explains how smart digital signage is redefining the experience in transportation environments, anticipating passengers' behavior and emotions in real time.

A traveler lands after thirteen hours of flight. Leave behind a country where it was day to enter another where night has fallen. Tired, with altered rhythm, and still with a new train or flight to take. At the moment, does not seek inspiration. Seek clarity. Efficiency. Humanity.

In the fast-paced environment of travel retail, every second counts. And that is why technology can no longer be limited to being functional.. It has to be useful, Yeah, but also sensitive. Able to interpret what is happening around you and respond in real time. In 2025, digital signage is not a medium that informs. It is a system that thinks. And think about how to connect better with people.

From showcase to contextual intelligence

for years, the digital signage was seen as a visual channel to show scheduled promotions. A modern showcase. But that's not enough anymore. Today the screens not only show: they also listen. They observe. They learn.

Thanks to the artificial intelligence and to data analysis in real time, digital signage becomes a living layer that adapts to the environment and the traveler. Can recognize flows, schedules, consumption profiles, even moods. And from that constant reading, adjust content, the tone, the suggested route or the language.

Real-time personalization allows you to show the right offer to the right person, at the right time. In stations and airports with hundreds of thousands of daily trips, That precision translates into direct impact: in experience, conversion and average ticket.

Much more than screens

When we talk about digital signage in stations or airports, We are not talking about loose screens. It's about designing frictionless experiences, to accompany people with different needs and tight times. People who have no margin for error.

A well-integrated system can reduce queues, show alternatives, guide to accessible elevators or even detect the user's language and automatically translate the information. And all without the need for anyone to touch anything because the screen has already understood what is necessary.

In this sector, where every minute matters, the contextual intelligence makes the difference. Screens can connect to human traffic systems, inventory, climatology or urban mobility. Show a hot drink when it rains. Detect saturation on a platform and redirect flows. Or suggest a nearby point of interest according to the traveler's profile. Everything happens in real time. Frictionless.

Travelers already experience it

In it Josep Tarradellas airport Barcelona – The Prat, Self appears as the first robotic managed restaurant. The customer chooses their food from a screen, pay contactlessly and watch a robotic arm deliver it to you with precision. No waiting, no errors, frictionless.

What does the traveler gain?? Time, control, comfort. What does the operator gain?? Optimized flow, less queues, more sales. Win-win. It is the perfect example of how AI applied to the physical point is no longer a promise, but a reality. And how technology, when combined with a well thought out experience, multiply its value.

Another case to highlight is On Your Way, the first autonomous store in a Spanish airport, under the Areas operator, that digitizes the passenger experience at self-service points, integrating signage, menus and promotions in a single interactive environment.

Meanwhile, las e-paper screens they start to gain ground: they don't shine, they don't move, They are hardly noticeable... but they are alive. They discreetly replace physical posters, with minimal consumption and an aesthetic that imitates paper. It is digital signage without looking like it. And that also transforms.

Content also travels

The traveler's path is not linear. Arrives, wait, decide, moves, wait again. What if digital content accompanied that flow as if it were a story by chapters?? Signage upon arrival. Immersive visuals while waiting. Personalized promotions on the go. Everything connected. Everything with meaning.

To achieve, systems capable of thinking in real time are needed. CMS platforms connected to sensors, cameras, external sources, inventory or climatology. If it's raining, make a hot drink appear. If the flow slows down, to guide you to an alternative point. If you detect stress, slow down the content. Because when every second counts, the screen must react before the traveler requests it.

Propose, not just react

The mistake would be to think that digital signage only responds, when the most powerful thing is what it proposes. Suggest more efficient routes. Highlight relevant products at the exact moment. Generate impulse purchases without seeming invasive.

It's not about showing more, but to show better and at the right point in the journey. Timely content is what influences, and in the context of travel retail, that ability is a direct competitive advantage.

Digital empathy: the next frontier

We are on the threshold of a new evolution: the ability of digital signage not only to adapt, but to anticipate the emotional state of the traveler. The incorporation of environmental sensors, non-invasive biometrics or microgesture analysis opens the door to empathic systems, able to detect frustration, tiredness or stress… and respond with appropriate content: a shorter route, a comforting recommendation, kinder music. The screen thus ceases to be a unidirectional device and becomes an empathetic interface..

That is the qualitative leap. It's not about impacting more. It's about taking better care. To be there without imposing. To offer value without asking for attention. When technology becomes empathetic, improves not only the experience, but the relationship.

When the screen understands, the trip improves

Many still see digital signage as simple billboards. But when designed intelligently, becomes a system that accompanies, that not only informs, but take care. That not only optimizes, but it transforms how the traveler feels.

Because a screen that emits is a resource. But one who listens, think and react... she is an ally. of the traveler, and business.

Monica Fernández Bové

General Director of nsign