digital signage Archives

January 25, 2022

HYPERSVN 3D Holographic Signage

This article has been reposted from www.hypervsn.com.

HYPERVSN 3D Holographic Signage for Hospitals and Healthcare

Now we realize that COVID-19 was both scaring and unexpected at the same time, which made it even more awful. The financial and psychological crisis was the first and the smallest damage produced by the pandemic. For a long time since the last war, we had to acknowledge how fragile civilization is in general and human life in particular.

Made to step forward to the forefront of global battlefield hospitals and other medical institutions took unprecedented and heroic efforts to meet the latest challenges. It is not only about the avalanche-like number of patients. Hospitals also faced a lack of medicines, equipment, and a critical shortage of staff.

But selfless fighting for human lives is not enough to stop the disease. It asked for everyone to observe precautions and think about other people around us.

Informational and educational technologies in healthcare industry

The need to get complete and professional advice about the virus puts informational and educational technologies in medicine in high demand.

On-the-spot visual displays and digital signage took on consulting services and this way helped hospitals to increase the number of personnel actively fighting COVID-19. The technology also helps hospitals to effectively communicate public safety measures without a chance to spread the virus from humans to humans since communications were replaced by human-to-technology interactions.

But since delivering the right message quickly and effectively is important, traditional banners and displays lose to next-level technologies. That is why more and more companies hire HYPERVSN informational holographic displays to do the job.

Why choose holographic displays

Holographic displays present critical information in a way that cannot be ignored and focus all patients’ attention on COVID-19 safety measures and other important announcements.

HYPERVSN 3D displays increase chances of a message being seen: twice likely than 2D videos or messages and 4.5x more likely than printed ads. They also obtain higher emotional engagement: 40% longer view and engagement time than 2D digital ads and 60% longer view and engagement time than printed ads.

So, our original solutions for hospitals and other institutions, Informational Signages and Holographic Doctors, changed the way patients perceive and embrace the information.

HYPERVSN Informational Signage

Holographic Informational Signage effectively educates visitors and clients about the approved public safety measures, helps to provide instructions and communicate critical manuals.

Depending on the purpose and placement, we offer a great variety of 3D visuals for medical signage from COVID-19 precautionary measures recommended by WHO to safety reminders and instruction animations. We can also create custom 3D holographic content based on your needs and peculiarities

Placement options

Making HYPERVSN signage easily noticeable you can make use of the following usually most crowded places:

hospital entrance zones;
receptions and lobbies;
elevator areas;
checking rooms;
cafes, etc.

HYPERVSN Holographic Doctor

If you not only want to attract attention but also strive to put words in the minds of your patients you will need someone they can trust. In this case, we have something great to offer.

HYPERVSN holographic doctors are good enough to make people listen and follow the announced health care measures, medical and social recommendations. People love human-like holograms, they like to compare the holographic technology with real consultants and start this game happily.

Holographic doctors can reduce the burden which falls on real staff and this way help fighting the disease more effectively.

Notice that you can use either the ready-made 3D holographic visuals with the COVID-19 precautionary measures recommended by WHO or contact us for some custom announcements.

Holographic doctors in Birmingham Women’s Hospital

One of the real-life cases that describe good use of holographic doctors was Birmingham Women’s Hospital. It is one of only two women’s dedicated hospitals in the UK. The hospital uses HYPERVSN Wall of 9 Devices with custom holographic human content telling visitors about the hospital safety measures during the pandemic.

The 3D content and character created by our in-house Design Studio were enthusiastically received by patients and the staff.

More options

In addition to the medical sphere, HYPERVSN can be used in any area, including retail, HORECA, entertainment, offices, transport, etc. So, when the pandemic ends, you can easily take advantage of it for promoting sales, attracting new customers and visitors, advertising products, telling stories, etc.

To learn more about the awesome HYPERSVN technology, contact us today!

March 21, 2019

3 Reasons to Use Interactive Digital Signage

The following article has been re-posted from digitalsignagetoday.com

No matter what industry you use it in, interactive digital signage can make your content more impactful, engaging and exciting.

Just like people are more likely to remember something if they write it down, they are also more likely to remember something if they have to engage with it, rather than just see it. We only remember 10 percent of what we read. We only remember 20 percent of what we hear. We only remember 30 percent of what we see. But we remember 80 percent of what we personally experience. That’s where interactive signs come in.

Not convinced interactive digital signage is for you? Here’s three reasons why interactive digital signage is a must.

It’s engaging

What are you most likely to stop and look at: a screen with a slogan and photo OR a screen that offers you the choice to look at whatever content you’re most interested in?

Probably the second option, right? 81 percent of survey respondents said that interactive content grabs attention more effectively than static content. So yes, it’s pretty obvious that we’re more likely to approach an interactive kiosk than a static sign (even if it’s on a digital screen). With interactive marketing your business can grow brand awareness, differentiate from your competition, increase customer loyalty, and increase profits!

In retail, making digital signage advertisements interactive increases a shopper’s likelihood to impulse buy. In fact, 70 percent of marketers found that interactive content is more effective in converting visitors. So, instead of displaying a photo or video of your products, get creative and think of ways your customers can engage with your products digitally!

It’s memorable

What are you most likely to remember: a screen with a slogan and photo; or a screen that offers you the choice to look at whatever content you’re most interested in?

Again, probably the second option! That’s because digital signage is inherently more memorable than traditional, static digital signage. Interactive advertising manages to hold the attention of the consumer longer, leading to a better chance of that consumer remembering your brand. Actually, unaided brand recall was 8 percent higher for interactive ads, and 10 percent higher for aided brand recall — for example when viewing a subsequent ad or piece of marketing.

Today the average person is bombarded with the equivalent of 174 newspapers of data every single day. That’s a lot of distracting information! In reality, the average person only retains about 10 percent of the information we hear, 3 days after we hear it.

So, by making our digital signage interactive, it increases the likelihood that your content will be retained among the 174-newspapers-worth of information we absorb in a given day.

It’s impactful

We can’t emphasize enough that consumers are demanding more and more from businesses. They’re looking for personable, meaningful interactions among a sea of constant distraction. This is exactly what makes having the ability to actually interest and engage them with your content so impactful.

By integrating interactive content into your digital signage strategy, you make it easier to gather impactful metrics — how many people are interacting, what are they interacting with, for how long, where are they dropping off, etc. You open up the doors to help make data-driven decisions that will ultimately impact your bottom line.

At the end of the day, it is of course important to carefully consider what content works best for your digital strategy and customer profiles. If interactive digital signage sounds like a good fit for both, you could be on the cusp of something incredibly impactful!

April 18, 2018

Wyrestorm Creates Case Study for Elite Football’s Audio Visual Solution

There’s no doubt that we had a ball with Wyrestorm’s AV-over-IP solution when crafting and delivering the audio visual solution for Elite Football in Maribyrnong. Now, the wonderful team at Wyrestorm have collated and released their very own case study summary of the project, highlighting the scope of works along with some in-depth analyses from James Sismanes of our projects team.

Click here to view the full case study or check out a snippet below:

Elite Football in Maribyrnong is Melbourne’s ultimate indoor soccer experience. The team at Vision One Technologies – with no shortageof their own indoor football fanatics – collaborated with the team at Elite to create a stunning audio visual showpiece for their new facility powered by WyreStorm NetworkHD AV over IP. Vision One’s James Sismanes notes the decision to use WyreStorm to handle the AV signal management for this unique project was based on previous experience with the brand and the reliability offered by the company’s products: “We’ve been actively using WyreStorm’s range of HDMI extenders, splitters and switchers for some time now and have grown to rely on their durability. We’re in the business of automated upkeep without the constant need for service/repair/replacement and with WyreStorm’s product range, we’re confident knowing that any scope of works we recommend will be self-maintainable and as close to bulletproof as possible.”

Without doubt the highly visible centerpiece of the project is a 3×3 video wall comprising 9x Phillips Display Panels hanging 6m above the artificial turf below a Vogel custom mounting structure. The video wall primarily transmits content from Foxtel beIN Sports and Optus Fetch box.

November 9, 2016

BrightSign Unveils New Media Players

BrightSign, LLC^®, the global market leader in digital signage media players, today announced the first major overhaul of the company’s players in nearly two years. BrightSign’s lineup of digital signage media players has been completely redesigned and will ship with a portfolio of technology updates including an M.2 interface for Wi-Fi antennae or a solid-state drive (M.2 SSD). BrightSign’s free BrightAuthor software and the BrightSign Network are also updated with advanced digital signage features for enterprise-level performance.

“The digital signage marketplace is evolving rapidly. For that reason it’s important that our technology solutions not only support signage as it’s being used today, but that they also work flawlessly many years from now,” said Jeff Hastings, BrightSign’s CEO. “Customers can install our players today knowing that BrightSign software, hardware and networking solutions will serve them well in the future as they implement new and exciting digital signage features.”

BrightAuthor software v4.5 will enable a new feature on the HD, XD and XT players called Mosaic Mode, which allows a multitude of lower-resolution videos to be played in multiple video zones that add up to the total resolution decoding power of the player’s video decoder. CEA HDR 10 is supported on all players delivering a much higher contrast ratio and much wider color palette, complementing the higher resolution of 4K displays. And the ability to real-time encode and stream content from the player to another end-point or device is now incorporated in XD and XT players.

B-Deploy, a powerful new feature that allows customers to set up and deploy from tens to thousands of players all at once, can be used with the BrightSign Network, a BrightSign Partner CMS, or an on-premise secure corporate LAN with internet access.

BrightSign Network, including the new B-Deploy feature, now supports media and player tagging for highly targeted content distribution to large networks of players.

Each of the seven new players boasts a sleek new industrial design with a very slim profile under 1” in height that makes it possible to place the players virtually anywhere. All new players integrate H.265 (HEVC playback features) and HTML5. The top two product lines (XD and XT) offer a hardware-accelerated H.265 video decoding engine capable of 4K HDR 10-bit video playback.

BrightSign’s portfolio of digital signage media players is now comprised of seven players spanning four product lines:

BrightSign LS: Affordable, Compact and Fully Featured

BrightSign’s LS423 is a fully featured, commercial-grade player offering a superior alternative to consumer devices often chosen for price-sensitive digital signage installations. Based on the award-winning BrightSign HD platform, BrightSign LS423 delivers signature reliability and affordability, with a robust feature set including H.265 Full HD video decoding, a basic HTML5 engine, USB 2.0 type C, and networking.

BrightSign HD: Updated Classic with Mainstream Performance

BrightSign’s new HD models are updated with advanced technology that delivers power and performance for mainstream applications at a very affordable cost. Both the HD223 and HD1023 offer hardware-accelerated HTML5 engine and 1080p60 decode, along with BrightSign’s highly reliable media-handling platform and signature ease of use. All HD models support Gigabit Ethernet, as well as robust interactive controls and dynamic live content features.

BrightSign XD: True 4K Playback and Advanced Performance

BrightSign’s two new XD players are capable of decoding either two 1080p60 videos or a single 4K video and a single 1080p60 video simultaneously. Both the XD233 and XD1033 have Gigabit Ethernet and offer an advanced hardware-accelerated HTML5 engine.

BrightSign XT: State-of-the-Art Technology with Enterprise Performance

The BrightSign XT243 and XT1143 offer unsurpassed performance with the company’s fastest HTML and graphics engine and the most powerful CPU. This state-of-the-art technology for enterprise level digital signage installations supports dual video decode of one 4K and one 1080p60 video simultaneously. The hardware-accelerated HTML5 engine enables flawless playback of multiple modular HTML5 assets including CSS animations, Web GL and swipe/gesture interactivity. Both XT models support PoE+ and Gigabit Ethernet, and the XT1143 offers HDMI-in for Live TV playback.

For more information about BrightSign’s complete portfolio of digital signage hardware and software, contact Vision One on (03) 9467-3777.

December 11, 2015

Art and Interactivity Painting a New Digital Signage Experience

As digital signage is an inherently visual medium, graphics and animations are increasingly used to visualize data from business applications or other feeds. In fulfilling its capability to improve branding or the ambiance and vitality at a location, content as art is emerging, and art through interactivity is providing an engaging and immersive experience.

Data Visualization is especially well suited to customer-facing applications such as retail, food services, trade show or promotional exhibits, hospitality and sporting events, education and in corporate communications, where there is dwell time and value in viewer engagement.

“The growing infatuation around the creation and visualization of data within our always-on world has given technologists, designers and artists an evergreen input to deliver something unique, beautiful and relevant to the audience,” said Wade Forst, senior director of emerging experiences at Razorfish. “The art of data is a necessity to both illustrate trends and to ground the abstract into a tangible and engaging medium. Since 90 percent of the world’s data has been created over the last two years, we are just beginning to understand how to express this new language and medium.”

But it’s not just data from the rapidly growing wellspring of information people are calling the Internet of Things that can be used to create new and novel experiences via digital signage.

“The inclusion of user-generated content has made the Internet richer and has made social media one of the most widely used forms of communications globally,” said Marcos Terenzio, director of digital creative experience at Shikatani Lacroix Design. “As the lines continue to fade that separate digital experiences online and at location, we have also seen a significant increase in user-generated at-location content … Entertainment, music and art all make up content that has the power to affect emotional connection. Digital communication has allowed traditional content like art to be delivered to more canvases quickly and more widely.”

And the fact that the information is being presented in a novel way can make it stand out even more in a world where on-screen content delivery is becoming more commonplace.

“People are accustomed to being presented with information and data and often have expectations about how it is delivered,” said Matt Arnold, lead engineer for Second Story, part of SapientNitro. “Displays which employ an unusual or even artistic approach to displaying information can have an emotional effect on viewers, resulting in a more impactful and lasting experience.”

In some creative use-cases, Arnold said, information can be delivered to viewers in an ambient way that “envelops” them without their explicit awareness.

“If you want to engage an audience through displays, you first must recognize that the display canvass is only a small part of a wider context of information that they are witnessing. When they are idle, the displays which blend into the environment and provide an ambient layer of story and information have more impact than those that are ‘always on,'” he said. “When content reacts to the presence of viewers or adjusts with the context of their surroundings, it becomes more relevant to viewers. Displays that show the same messaging regardless of their environment can become background ‘noise’ and ignored by your audience.”

The human brain, which makes up only 3 percent of body weight but eats up to 20 percent of body energy, is hardwired to conserve energy wherever possible, said Ed King, vice president of strategy at MaxMedia, and that means it usually takes the path of least resistance.

“When confronted with words, numbers or icons/graphics, the brain always looks for the ‘quick answer.’ By creatively visualizing data, wayfinding and other digital signage, retailers stand a better chance of communicating their message more efficiently and effectively to customers,” he said.

And while digital signage displays are becoming more commonplace in the retail environment, King said, if they’re just being used to show the retailer’s latest TV commercial or to overtly sell to customers while they’re held hostage in the queue, “retailers are missing a huge opportunity to communicate something meaningful.”

“Seventy percent of a human’s sense receptors are in the eyes, and more than 25 percent of the brain is used to process visual data,” he said. “It’s clear that, during the act of shopping, what we see can be a huge determining factor in what we buy. ‘Mood media,’ as we call it at MaxMedia, is highly emotive video content that is designed to reach into the non-conscious brain and emotionally ‘activate’ shoppers and turn them into buyers. This tactic is growing in popularity as more retailers realize that these visceral visuals can help bottom-line results such as selling more, higher-margin items and increasing customer loyalty.”

Doug Bannister, CEO and CTO of Omnivex Corp., said his firm views the digital signage experience as extending beyond just the screens themselves and encompassing the surrounding environment.

“By using real-time data collected from sensors and feeds along with data-triggered content and devices, the viewer can be immersed in an all-encompassing multi-sensory experience,” he said. “Displaying pre-prepared, attractive artwork on digital signs is easily accomplished. Installations that incorporate synchronized area lighting, sounds and images that react to elements such as the movement of viewers, sports scores, temperatures, sunlight or wind, and incorporate the motion of physical objects such as products, patrons or fans can make an art installation truly impactful.

“As long time advocates of real-time data driven dynamic content,” Bannister continued, “we see huge opportunities for impressive and creative installations that make a rich data experience truly come to life. The competition for viewers’ attention is increasingly intense, and expanding one’s view of digital signage beyond merely showing an ad on a screen to marrying data with artists and their creations to establish a unique environment will pay dividends.”

As an example, MaxMedia this year created a window display for AT&T’s flagship store on Michigan Avenue in Chicago as part of a larger competition among all retailers on the city’s famed Magnificent Mile shopping district. The theme for 2015 was in support of the Art Institute of Chicago and featured many masterpieces brought to life on mobile devices.

With the help of MaxMedia, AT&T was recognized with two awards including the Most Engaging award and the People’s Choice award. Financial outcomes are not disclosed, but the display was a showstopper and compelled many passersby to enter the store and investigate the Samsung devices featured in the display.

In another example, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. is making use of ambient digital signage to create a particular atmosphere and experience for shoppers, according to OLGC Manager of Digital Signage and Game Marketing Michael Tutton. In some of its properties, the lottery makes use of what it calls “ambient” content as part of architectural feature walls, he said. In the entrance to those properties, digital signage screens are situated behind an indoor waterfall in waterproof casings, displaying custom-designed content not aimed at communicating a specific message but rather to simply add color, shape and texture to the waterfall feature.

“This helps define the atmosphere as patrons enter our space. An excellent argument for ‘artistic’ content is that it provides visual relief from incessant marketing messages. It can make it ‘safe’ for customers to look at the screens again. And, if done well, it can provide one more positive layer to the overall customer experience,” Tutton said. “The more exposure someone has to your content the greater the chance they’ll ignore the screen. Having ‘artistic’ or non-marketing content reintroduces customers to your screens, reframing the screens’ purpose in viewers’ eyes. If the content connects with the viewer, it can alter their perception of the property. By showing this type of content customers may see themselves aligned to your values.”

October 29, 2015

LG Digital Signage Adds Value & High Exposure

A digital information display system building company is conducting a large-scale project of installing information-delivery signage at Seoul Metro stations, which are crowded all the time. In order to grab the attention of people quickly passing by, it was essential to choose a display with not only a clear image but also balanced color and high resolution from any angle.
“Since it is a large-scale project – installing 500 information delivery signs at 112 Metro stations – we chose LG’s product. LG’s IPS technology has a vivid and lifelike quality. It has no variation or color distortion and its color depiction is very detailed. Moreover, considering the large number of people always present where the signage was to be installed, the IPS panel was perfect for the project since it displays a clear, even image from any viewing angle.”
The LG product used for the project is the webOS 65-inch model just launched this year. As SoC Built-in model, it can play contents simply by plugging a USB without separate media player, making it easy to change and update contents.
Signage can be used as an effective advertising medium, carrying information about nearby shops. The contents can be updated easily and consumers can receive information about the shops close to the station on a wide screen display with a high-quality picture.

The public offered many favorable reviews about the signage at the Seoul Metro stations:

“The quality is absolutely fantastic with the best resolution and clarity.”

“It is the real No.1.”

“It seems to be displaying really vivid images.”

As usability is enhanced, the signage that accurately delivers diverse information through a vivid, high resolution display is becoming a popular advertising medium.

Along the passageway from Trade Center station to COEX, there is an eye-catching digital signage tunnel. Whereas the previous lighted advertisements at stations were static, the digital signage displays attention-getting video advertisements as well as media art.

The media tunnel, made of 126 55-inch IPS interconnected digital signage displays together reaching a total length of 27m, has created the biggest media advertising space in Korea. In addition, it has an action recognition program and interactive contents, enabling various communications with users. The space filled with LG digital signage is gaining attention for its increased advertising effectiveness thanks to its live contents and outstanding interior effect.
A video wall made of LG digital signage can also be seen at the exit of Gangnam station, which has the highest floating population. The applied model is the 55WV70MS, which has improved visibility due to its shine-out technology that provides a clear image even under direct sunlight or bright lighting. Although nine screens are used to compose one large display in a 3×3 format, the entire display overwhelms the space thanks to the ultra-slim bezels, combining to create an immersive viewing experience.
On either side of subway exit stairs, there is a 55-inch display that gives the impression of a photo frame due to the slim bezel. These displays provide up-to-the-minute information as people pass by, and thanks to the IPS panel they can be read from any angle.
A large video wall near the exit and display advertising board next to the stairs provide realistic and vivid contents benefiting the public by presenting necessary information and allowing corporations to maximize their promotion efforts.

LG Digital Signage not only offers advertising solutions but also adds beauty and value to any place. Its advanced technology has displays that are so visually appealing they serve as media art.

June 29, 2015

HTML5 Ushers in Big Advances in Digital Signage Interactivity

The evolution of digital signage followed quite a linear path to where we are today. We first saw static imagery used for basic signage such as restaurant menus – at the time this was quite a breakthrough. It wasn’t long until video content was part of the mix. Explosive growth of video content was driven by affordable management and authoring tools that were increasingly easy to use. The next step in this evolutionary progression – and we’re already heading down this path — is interactivity.

The single-most important tool driving the next wave of interactive digital signage is HTML5, which opens up near-limitless possibilities for customer engagement. It enables a rich viewing experience that builds on the interactivity popularized by today’s smartphones and tablets. HTML5-authored content takes advantage of touch interactivity, including the ability to tap, swipe, pinch and zoom. This is an important breakthrough, as people are now engaging with signage displays in the same way they interact with their own personal devices. This marks a significant point in the evolution of digital signage. People are no longer viewers of digital signage, they’re participants. The ability of the viewer to self-navigate signage content ensures a highly personalized experience, creating a vital touchpoint between proprietor and customer. They’re engaging directly with the content and as a result their comprehension and retention of the signage increases dramatically. This increased brand engagement is music to marketers’ ears because in most cases deeper brand engagement translates to increased sales.

Beyond the touch interaction described above, HTML5 delivers other extremely rich experiences for applications like the “endless aisle” in retail, powerful wayfinder solutions and real-time social media applications. And what’s especially impressive is that we’ve really just begun to see what HTML5 is capable of. The new generation of media players allows for the use of the flexible HTML5 authoring combined with superior media handling. The new media processors allow for smooth video playback, chroma/luma keying (green screen-type media composition) eliminating the typical “browser” experience with HTML5 video playback. But regardless of what the future holds, it’s clear that HTML5 is changing the way proprietors use digital signage to engage their customers.

June 16, 2015

Rise of the Network Video Wall

Video walls are becoming increasingly visible in our world. They make big statements, capture attention and promote brands in a unique fashion. Sales and installations of video walls are experiencing record growth as customers seek a new, high-impact approach to digital signage.

This is driving companies to seek video wall solutions that are more powerful, more flexible and yet, like everyone else in the world, they don’t want to break the bank. Unfortunately, the current video wall market is hampered with costly and complicated solutions that all too often turn out to be limited in functionality. It’s time for new approaches to bring simplicity, flexibility and affordability to the video wall market.

The answer to this problem is leveraging standardized PC hardware instead of specialized AV hardware, and taking advantage of networks to simplify delivery. Deploying video walls using PC and LAN infrastructure means less specialized knowledge is required for setup, while also reducing the hardware and support staff needed to deploy large-scale video walls.

There are three different approaches to using the network to stream content to multiple displays within a video wall. The first way is to deliver the entire image to every display on the video wall and then have each display output only the appropriate cropped portion of the content. For example, with a 25-display video wall, all displays receive the entire image, but the player device located at each display crops and outputs only 1/25 of the total image. This approach works well for 1080p and lower resolution, but is not ideal for 4K and higher content because of its high-data requirements.

The second approach lets users pre-split and separately upload the cropped portions of the video. Player devices on each display talk to each other in order to maintain image synchronization. However, this method makes it time-consuming for customers to create content and upload portions to the video wall. It also eliminates many capabilities such as interactive content or real-time feeds.

The third approach to network video wall deployment involves content that is split, cropped, rotated, scaled at the server location. The server only sends the required section of the image to each display. It also uses network bandwidth much more efficiently, while also creating a high-performance and flexible video wall. This way, content is pre-split in real time and customers don’t have to waste valuable time preparing their video wall content.

More and more people are switching to network video walls, not only for cost-savings, but also for the flexibility benefits. Using the network allows for the PC or server to be placed anywhere in the building. Most other solutions require the server to be located right at the video wall, making it difficult to manage in high-traffic areas or hard-to-reach places.

Small zero-client devices can be placed at each display to connect over the network to significantly reduce downtime and allow the server to be located almost anywhere. Customers can even have displays in high-heat or greasy areas such as quick-service restaurants, without worrying about ruining the server.

Utilizing the network to power digital signage enables anyone to centralize the CPU and GPU processing. Previous approaches with network delivery required video walls to maximize the computing power at each display in order to support content and proper image synchronization. When done correctly, network-delivered video walls are more efficient and require much less hardware when computing power is centralized to one PC or server. The server connects to the client devices at each display, meaning all processing is centralized and easily supports stunning 4K content in a low-cost way.

Connecting video walls over the network provides a great range of capabilities for customers, while still remaining simple to manage and deploy. The amazing visual impact video walls have is undeniable. For those seeking simpler, more cost-effective video walls, the rise of solutions that leverage PCs and utilize the network is a very welcome improvement.

Userful Corp. is an industry provider of centralised, interactive display and virtualised desktop software designed to make it simple and affordable for organisations to implement and centrally manage interactive display infrastructure in the post-PC era.

June 1, 2015

The Rise of Targeted Content Delivery on Connected Digital Signage Displays

Over the last few months Berg Insight has been looking closely at the market for Digital Signage. This is a category of connected devices that each one of us is in contact with almost daily and includes a broad range of solutions as diverse as traffic signs, menu boards and in-flight entertainment displays. The first connected digital signage solutions were commercially launched almost three decades ago. Since then, digital signage solutions have found their way into nearly every possible vertical market and a wide variety of application areas. The untapped market potential is still vast and growth is showing no signs of slowing down. Berg Insight forecasts that global shipments of display screens for digital signage will grow from 7.3 million units in 2014 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.7 percent to reach 17.2 million units by 2019. The number of digital signage displays in active use will at the same time grow at a CAGR of 20.2 percent during the next five years from 25.4 million units in 2014 to 63.8 million units in 2019.

One of the most exciting new growth opportunities for the digital signage industry during the next decade is targeted delivery of marketing content, i.e. displaying the most relevant marketing messages to the people closest to a specific digital sign. This concept has been discussed in the industry for years. However, targeted content delivery has thus far largely stayed in the experimental phase, in part due to that the targeting mechanisms generally have relied on imprecise technologies such as facial recognition software to estimate variables such as age and gender. Consequently, while retailers and brands have adopted digital signs of all forms and sizes, the marketing messages that are displayed are still today in most cases the same regardless of who is watching.

The opportunity for targeted content delivery on digital signs has evolved substantially in the last couple of years, due to the proliferation of smartphones and the advances that have been made in indoor location sensing solutions. In particular, Bluetooth beacons and NFC make very precise real-time positioning possible and widespread rollout of these technologies at retailers is imminent. Bluetooth beacons are for instance being integrated in lighting fixtures, electronic shelf labels and POS terminals. When the digital signage system is integrated with other IT systems – such as a customer loyalty program or a mobile wallet service – retailers and brands have the opportunity to deliver targeted content based on a broad range of parameters. In other words, the adverts that are displayed on digital signs in consumer electronics stores, supermarkets or department stores can be selected to match the profile of the persons located nearest to a specific screen with unprecedented accuracy. Berg Insight anticipates that this will be one of the key underlying factors that will propel digital signage to become one of the major platforms for digital marketing in the next ten years.

May 19, 2015

Interactive In-Store Experiences Could Make the Difference in Retail Survival

Today’s consumer is often betwixt between the power of the digital marketplace and the shiny allure of the in-store experience. They want the instant gratification of leaving a store with their purchase in tow but also information for product research to make well-informed buying decisions. The in-store experience lacks the detailed product data and customer reviews found on the store’s website, but the website lacks the tangible aspect one gets from the brick-and-mortar experience.

So, what’s a business to do about it? How do you please the customer who wants the best of both worlds?

The seamless experience

Retailers are finding that customer experience is just as important as product selection and price. Terry Jones, founder of Travelocity and Kayak, has said, “You can have great products, but if the customer can’t find them quickly, you’re dead. [Customers] care about finding and buying the product the way they want to buy it, where they want to buy it. You have to create the right experience for the right moment in the customer buying cycle.”

Understanding that customer experience encompasses what happens face-to-face, on a store kiosk, online or in a mobile app, the branding across all these platforms has to be consistent, and equally captivating.

GameStop President Tony Bartel has said that the biggest challenge for retailers is to create a customer experience that excites and inspires people to continue in an ongoing relationship, and that this is particularly challenging with millennials. “To remain relevant to them, we have to meet them where they are. They’re very seamless in the way they use data, so being able to create that consistent brand experience is very important. Authenticity is very important.”

Try different things

If at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again, right? There is no silver bullet for what is going to engage and impress your customers. For many companies, years of research and intelligence has gone into creating an optimal Web experience, yet their digital in-store touch displays and mobile apps leave features to be desired. Too often I see underutilized kiosks that lack the necessary functionality to be a useful shopping companion, and I’m frequently left wondering, where’s the software update?

At this year’s Retail’s BIG show, Kayak’s Jones provided advice to retailers: “I’m going to talk a lot about taking risks and how very important it is in today’s fast-moving environment. You have to create a culture that embraces experimentation and failure. However, you don’t have to bet the farm on your experiment. Small experiments, rapid prototyping, testing smartly and adapting quickly are important to limit your risk. You have to spend a great deal of time listening to customers to tease out where they want you to go. Yet customers won’t tell you the next revolutionary idea, you have to look beyond what’s immediately apparent. That takes reading and watching broadly, both inside and outside of your industry, to combine new technologies with social trends to create engaging new products.”

The future belongs to those who build the best consumer-facing network

“In order to be successful in today’s fast moving and highly competitive environment, retailers must offer unique products and services across all channels,” said Toys “R” Us Inc. Chairman and CEO Jerry Storch when asked what embracing an omnichannel approach means for retail leaders. “The future belongs to those that build the best consumer-facing network . . .”

And Toys “R” Us is doing just that; it has introduced a highly engaging interactive multitouch kiosk with gesture-recognition capabilities for one of their stores in Redwood, California. This interactive kiosk allows shoppers to check the availability of a specific product they’re looking for, and if it’s not available, they can order it at the kiosk and pick it up at a later time or find another Toys “R” Us location where it is available. This application is also available as a smartphone app. Customers can pay for the item they’re looking for within the app, and then pick up their item at a nearby store.

In this day and age, consumers really want to have it all and on their own terms. Companies who can successfully provide that will gain not just customers but evangelists.

Tag Archive for: digital signage