K-12 Education Drives Record-Breaking Growth for Interactive Displays

The COVID pandemic brought a unique set of challenges for the education sector. Schools closed their doors overnight, and teachers were faced with the task of enabling learning in an environment neither pupil nor teacher was accustomed to. Teachers focused on equipping students with personal devices to make remote learning smoother – a trend that dominated much of 2020. Now, interactive displays are witnessing heavy investments in K-12 education. Schools are mostly back to in-person teaching, with collaboration and a readiness for remote and hybrid learning at the heart of current and future investments.  

Interactive Displays Meet the Needs of the Classroom 

There are multiple factors that are causing this shift towards interactive displays. A desire and, most significantly, a need to improve student engagement is high on the list. Interactive displays encourage students to actively participate in their learning, shifting the focus away from consuming information, and instead onto creating it.  

This desire is reflected significantly in the record-breaking growth felt across the industry during 2022. Futuresource Consulting’s Interactive Displays Tracker found that volumes have been consistently high across 2022. Q2 of 2022 was up +15% YoY globally, with Q3 of 2022 up over 20% YoY. Overall, the education sector accounted for 80% of global interactive displays volumes in Q2 of 2022. This underscores the value of IWBs and, increasingly, IFPDs in the classroom. Overall, it paints a picture of strength for the market.  

Other significant market interactive displays milestones in 2022: 

• Q2 2022: Italy recorded its largest ever quarter, eclipsing its 2021 Q1 record by +29% 
• The Indian market is taking off. Total sales in 2022 H1 were 50k units, with Q2 up +38% on Q1, and Q2 the largest ever in India. Q3 2022 also brought a significant volume of 23k units sold-in 
• Q2 2022 also brought the USA’s largest ever quarter, with sell-in volumes up +27% on 2022 Q1, reaching 194k units 
• Just over 700k units of Interactive Displays were sold in globally in 2022 Q2. This was the largest sell-in volume Q2 since Futuresource began tracking Interactive Displays in 2004 
• Q3 2022 delivered global sell-in volumes of 1.2 million units, as K-12 IFPD demand in China (which is traditionally strong in Q3) recovered from a COVID-related slump seen in H1 2022. This was the largest ever global sell-in volume quarter for Interactive Displays since Futuresource started tracing this sector in 2004 

Features and Software Become Key Selling Points 

Now that pandemic is more comfortably behind us, the scrambling for devices and tools has subsided. Rather than focusing purely on price, education providers are looking for features and software that most adequately meet the needs of the classroom. This is opening a window for higher-price point products with a concentrated focus on quality.  

Teachers are seeking IFPDs that create a collaborative and engaging environment. Features like multiple touchpoints, compatibility, screen size options, mobile device management (MDM), and screen mirroring will undoubtedly be major considerations for education providers. With the market encountering promising growth, these features can be implemented on a greater scale and rolled out globally. The result will be an easier and smoother learning environment, enhancing education across the board.   

Stay On Top of Interactive Displays 

Interactive displays are clearly well-positioned to meet the educational needs of future generations. Futuresource has provided invaluable data on the industry in both education and corporate environments for nearly twenty years. To gain a precise understanding of the shifts and evolutions of this important market, enquire into our Interactive Displays Tracker here. 

About the author

Jeremy Wills

Jeremy joined Futuresource Consulting in 2001. He holds a degree in French from Kings College, University of London. Jeremy is a member of the Professional AV team. He focuses on Signal Distribution, Meeting Room Control, AV Managed Services, Interactive Displays, Professional Lighting and Esports.

In previous Futuresource roles, Jeremy was part of the Imaging team covering consumer camera and photo output markets and, prior to this, a member of the Home Entertainment team, tracking the global pre-recorded media manufacturing and storage media sectors. Jeremy has managed two research and analysis teams during his years with Futuresource, as well a wide variety of syndicated and custom research projects.

About the author

Olivia Lowden

Olivia Lowden is responsible for the long-form content, press, and partnerships at Futuresource. Prior to her career at Futuresource, she completed an MA in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia, demonstrative of her lifelong love of words.