The digital signage market in Australia is expected to grow to more than 12% per annum to reach $58.4 million by 2013, reported consulting company, Frost and Sullivan.

Their report, ‘Australia Digital Signage Market Report 2010′ is an examination of Australian market trends and opportunities but also a competitive analysis.

In 2009, a huge driver for sales was the decline of hardware prices, specifically among plasma and crystal display (LCD) systems. The report suggests that a continuing shift in advertising spending from print media to channels such as the internet and digital signage will further increase momentum and drive growth in the digital signage systems market.

Interactivity with digital signage systems is expected to increase with the advancement of mobile devices such as the iPhone and the Android. A growing use of social media platforms such as Twitter will also create closer linkages between advertising, social media and mobility with digital signage systems.

Demand for digital signage systems in the last 12-18 months has mostly been focused on public display areas such as airports, customs halls, cinemas and retail outlets. Frost and Sullivan predicts the rise in new signage opportunities within financial services outlets, transports locations such as train stations and bus stops, real estate companies, education and car dealership organisations and medical centres.

“The single biggest issue facing the digital signage systems market remains the challenge of demonstrating return on investment. Every company needs to be able to identify the right metrics to measure activity that links their screens to actual customer purchases. For those that successfully solve this, there are vast opportunities to get in early and capitalise on the many public locations in Australia that haven’t yet moved towards digital advertising,” said Audrey William, information and communications research director at Frost and Sullivan.