Flatvision Industry News

For the past few years, DSE has polled exhibitors on the digital signage technology trends attendees can expect to see at the show and in the near future. The responses we received this year include a number of notable departures from our DSE 2012 Top 10 Trends list.

For example, no one mentioned “transparent LCD displays,” for which we expect to see further adoption in retail, grocery, convenience store, drugstore and vending machine applications. Nor did anyone mention “large format video walls,” though we continue to see significant growth in this area with applications to almost every type of venue. Also not appearing on the 2013 list are “all-in-one-displays” and “cloud technology,” though we know that adoption of these technologies remains robust.

So, what is new? Though we won’t pretend that this is a definitive list, here’s what some future-thinking exhibitors had to say:

1. LCD EXPANSION INTO OUTDOOR MARKETS

2. 4K DIGITAL SIGNAGE

3. ANALYTICS-DRIVEN DIGITAL SIGNAGE

4. AUGMENTED REALITY TECHNOLOGY

5. HTML5 FOR CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

6. LIVE VIDEO FEEDS

7. TABLET TECH: First iPads and now Android-based tablets are finding a place in the digital signage industry and generating a variety of accessories and applications.

8. CONNECTED CONSUMER

9. INTERACTIVE DIGITAL SIGNAGE:

10. AUTOMATED RETAILING/INTELLIGENT VENDING: As vending machines become smarter, the self-service “little box” is taking on more of the work of the traditional “big box” in the retail segment. The new generation of high-tech vending systems features such innovations as digital signage, interactive touchscreens, cashless payment systems, mobile interaction, telemetry for remote data collection, etc.

Among the other new trends DSE exhibitors say attendees should watch for are content management system advancements, display image quality improvement, intelligent signage, solid state digital signage players, real-time social media integration and RF/coax distribution.

(For full article please see: http://www.digitalsignageconnection.com)

Here at Flatvision we have the ability to offer a comprehensive range of wall-mountable and freestanding multi-touch displays solutions suitable for all environments.

Within this range we can provide a variety of different format multi-touch displays ranging in size from 32″ up to 82″, which include wall-mountable options and free-standing podium units.  Benefitting from Infrared touch-screen technoloy these displays are ideal for public location applications where a finger, gloved hand, pen or even stylus can be used to operate the screen.

Wall-Mountable Multi-Touch Units:

These interactive displays are simple to use and are ideal for a wide variety of applications.  For locations where space may be restricted these wall-mountable displays provide a flexible solution that can be mounted in either landscape or portrait mode.

40″ Multi-Touch Infrared Touch-Screen Demo

Housed within a black metal-cased enclosure with protective glass (Mohs hardness rating of 7), these displays are suitably robust for use within public location environments, whilst still providing a professional looking solution.

 Key Features Available Include: 

Free-Standing Podium Units:

Available in sizes 40″, 46″ and 55″ we have engineered a range of free-standing touch-screen displays ideal for applications where wall-mounting is not an option.

Our ‘Multi-Touch Podium’ unit’s contemporary design is specifically designed for maximum impact, providing an elegant and professional looking solution that incorporates a touch-sensitive display to enable users to find information in an intuitive and user-friendly way.

The free-standing design enables the positioning of kiosks in any location in order for people to use.

Our touch-screen podiums are used in shopping centres, museums and libraries where people can find out what they want to know easily and efficiently.

Key Features Available Include: 

* Metal-Cased Enclosure with Protective Glass 

* Multiple input configurations including VGA, Video, HDMI, YPbPr & DVI  

* Infrared Touch-Screen technology 

* Ability to display images, videos and music

* Windows OS Compatible

* 24/7 Operation Capability

* Remote Control  

Target Applications:

* Gaming/Entertainment/Multimedia

* Industrial and Medical Instrumentation

* ATMs and Banks

* Automobile Industry Market Research

For more information on our ‘Multi-Touch’ Series please refer to our  website, give us a call on: (01782) 567979 or send us an email to discuss any potentional questions or enquiries you may need our help with.

Window shopping just got a new meaning with the latest technology implemented by Adidas. A six-week pilot is taking place at the Adidas in Germany, in which the storefront window was replaced with a fully functioning virtual store with life-size products.

According to an article on gigaom.com, the touchscreen window allows shoppers to explore, play with and drag life-size products they are considering for purchase directly into their smartphones. Users visit a URL via their smartphone and enter a one-time PIN and are then interlinked in real-time with a shopping bag on the window. The merchandise selected and placed in the shopping bag on the screen immediately appears on the users’ smartphone.

Shoppers can share their purchases through social media or email and save products for a later purchase. 

(For further details or to see full article: http://www.digitalsignagetoday.com)

Every business wants the ability to communicate with its customers constantly, whether that communi­cation is non-verbal or face-to-face. Years ago, hotels stood at the forefront of the digital signage revolution, using screens inside rooms to promote on-site amenities and in the local area.

These days, the hotel industry is increasing the visibility of digital signage and making those screens the centerpiece of a visual campaign that reaches consumers from the moment they enter the lobby.

Digital signage provides everything from directions for incoming visitors to stand-alone stations with touchscreens that en­able patrons to check in on their own.

Thousands of hotels worldwide already employ some sort of digital signage. Even more anticipate adopting the technol­ogy as a means to engage the consumer base. Digital signage is considered a difference-maker in a hotel’s ability to effectively deliver information and generate valuable feedback from patrons. That feedback is considered pivotal, as it is used to shape its operation.

Where to use digital signage

An array of opportunities exist throughout a hotel to effectively use digital signage. Three prime ar­eas in which to focus are the lobby, confer­ence centers and in the rooms themselves.

Lobby

Upon entering any business, whether a ho­tel or a store, the visual aspects are the first things that define the customer experience. For hotels deploying digital signage, that first impression begins in the lobby.

Digital signage can be integral in creating an appealing hotel lobby for travelers, but digital screens can be used for much more than just attractive visual appeal.

In most cases, room rates at hotels are like drinks at a bar or gasoline. The price fluctuates depending on the time of day or year or the demand.

Although hotels do this for many reasons, mostly stemming from competition with other hotels, digital signage is allow­ing more hotels to post their room rates in clear view. Since the rates change so frequently, hoteliers are finding that the in­stant update capabilities of digital signage are useful and considerably cheaper than constantly printing rate cards.

“A hotel can use digital signage to inform travelers of value pricing before they even walk in the door to check in,” said Jeff Bohnert of Drury Southwest, a division of Drury Hotels based in Arizona. “Digital signs also can help reduce vacancies by offering special rates and deals at a mo­ment’s notice.”

Concierges are vital resources for hotels, disseminating information or simply being a friendly face to visitors as they enter the facility. The services concierges provide, however, can be greatly expanded through the use of digital signage. Some hotels have added screens in the lobby, which are particularly useful at times when the con­cierge is not on duty, or for hotels where there may not be a concierge at all.

Whether they are digital signs or kiosks with digital signs incorporated in them, these units are useful for travelers on the go, while saving hotel employees time by not having to give directions or answer some common questions to travelers.

Conference center

The first thing people attending a trade show or convention need to know is where to find the conference center. So a good deal of digital signage acts as wayfinding guides for visitors. Such tech­nology is key in particularly large locations or in those where accessing meeting space requires detailed directions.

The signs can be most effective in situations where hundreds or thousands of people are walking the halls of the hotel each day for conferences and trade shows. During conferences, room names and numbers can change several times per day. Also, every conference or expo is different, so the look and visual feel of the signage may need to change depending on the event.

Using wayfinding signage can pay divi­dends financially for event organizers, instead of spending thousands of dollars on large banners and stand-up signs.

Because digital signs can be changed quick­ly, a wayfinding system also solves problems associated with room and time changes.

Guest rooms

Hotels constantly look for ways to improve their customers’ experience and, at the same time, the image of their business. In recent years, hotels have spent countless dollars replacing outdated, bulky tube TVs with flatscreens in guest rooms, enabling operators to use the sets to communicate with patrons.

In-room channels can be controlled with the same software that handles the room and event schedules, making it easier to deliver the same information and promo­tions throughout the facility. These mes­sages can be controlled from the hotel’s back office, the hotel chain’s central office or an offsite PC set up with the appropriate content-management software.

Most travelers know that when they turn on a TV at a hotel, the first channel that appears is the welcome screen. Hotels set that up by design. Sometimes the welcome channel shows movie trailers and promos, while other times it gives pertinent infor­mation, such as restaurant specials, ameni­ties and other hotel services.

In-room channels can be controlled with the same software that handles the room and event schedules, making it easier to deliver the same information and promo­tions throughout the facility.

An in-room hotel channel, on many levels, is a digital signage network. It plays dy­namic digital content in the form of movie trailers and local TV spots. Like digital signage, the in-room channels also can be used as an advertising venue to help create additional revenue for the hotel.

(To see full article: http://www.digitalsignagetoday.com)

U.K.-based retail and grocery giant Tesco says the new digital signage kiosks it’s piloting are a way to make sure travelers coming home from holiday don’t come home to an empty refrigerator, or one full of food that’s gone off.

But if its new “virtual grocery store” pilot at London’s Gatwick Airport takes off, it could mean more than just that to the future of grocery shopping and mobile retail.

Imagine being at the mall and realizing you forgot to get milk — and being able to go by a digital signage screen in the mall to buy some and have it delivered to your home, without having to make a side trip to the grocery. Or imagine seeing a new pair of shoes on a digital display as you walk down the street, and deciding to buy them on your smartphone right then and there.

Tesco recently rolled out what it’s calling the U.K.’s first interactive virtual grocery store in Gatwick’s North Terminal. The Gatwick virtual grocery store pilot is basically a large digital signage kiosk, a “virtual fridge,” on which shoppers can browse through a range of everyday products to buy, selecting items via smartphone.

Travelers begin by scrolling through the “moving” screens — touch interactive digital displays on which they can slide from screen to screen by hand — on the virtual fridges. By scanning the barcodes with their smartphones they can add their chosen products to their online baskets, book a home delivery time slot and check out. Their shopping will then be delivered when they return from their trip.

To use the digital displays, customers first have to download the Tesco app from the App Store, Google Play or Android Market to scan products using their smartphone, and to register with Tesco.com.

The Gatwick opening builds on Tesco’s launch of what it dubbed the world’s first virtual store in South Korea last year, an innovation which generated 25 million online posts around the globe. The Korean virtual store allowed commuters to shop in subways and at bus stops by pointing their mobile phones at billboards. Tesco is now piloting the concept for the first time in the U.K., but this time using interactive digital displays.

(To see full article please view: www.digitalsignagetoday.com)

Window shopping just got a new meaning with the latest technology implemented by Adidas. A six-week pilot is taking place at the Adidas NEO Label in Nuremberg, Germany, in which the storefront window was replaced with a fully functioning virtual store with life-size products.

According to an article on gigaom.com, the touchscreen window allows shoppers to explore, play with and drag life-size products they are considering for purchase directly into their smartphones. Users visit a URL via their smartphone and enter a one-time PIN and are then interlinked in real-time with a shopping bag on the window. The merchandise selected and placed in the shopping bag on the screen immediately appears on the users’ smartphone.

Shoppers can share their purchases through social media or email and save products for a later purchase. Before leaving the window, shoppers can touch hotspots on the screen to interact with the digital mannequin, making the person engage with the products or make playful actions and movements, according to the article.

(For full article please view: www.digitalsignagetoday.com)

Connecting the digital media community for two days of purposeful learning and networking, ad:tech is a marketplace for buying & selling; a forum for exchanging ideas; and an opportunity to contribute to industry trends & initiatives.

The event brings together leaders who are also doers shaping the industry: the exhibition presents progressive, innovative solutions and the conference features insights from high performing brand marketers.

(To register or for more details please view: http://www.ad-techlondon.co.uk/)

Ever-narrower bezels that allow banks of displays to be perceived as a single screen are increasing the popularity of video walls in major digital signage sectors such as retail and transportation, according to new research.

A report from Futuresource Consulting forecasts that 380,000 video walls will be installed this year, up 60 percent on 2011’s shipments.

“Recent innovations have breathed new life into this comparatively mature industry,” said Parmjit Bhangal, a market analyst with the firm. “Since 2009, LED backlight solutions have been integrated into rear projection displays, negating the costs of bulb replacement and maintenance.

“However, LCD super-narrow-bezel displays have been the real game-changer, finally offering a viable alternative to rear projection devices and plasma screens, allowing vendors to drive new revenue streams from new markets, most notably retail and public display, as well as defending their positions in video-based verticals.”

The main markets for video walls are control rooms such as air traffic control; retail and public spaces; corporate offices; exhibitions; and broadcasting.

(To see full article: http://www.screenmediamag.com)

It’s more than halfway through 2012, and digital signage is increasingly becoming the preferred method for retail and service establishments to communicate with their clients. However, their networks usually fail to yield significant return on investment due to a lack of knowledge, research and effort. These shortcomings result in subpar networks that do not meet a network operator’s goals and expectations.

When deployed the “right” way, digital signage networks are the best way to extract a desired response from customers. Compared to broadcast television, costs are very affordable. Not only can custom networks yield more than a 30-second commercial, but the content can be targeted with more precision and displayed directly to those most likely to buy products and services from a vendor. CARE Media’s three networks, PetCARE TV, KidCARE TV and Women’s HealthCARE TV, are viewed more than 90 million times each year, and are displayed in more than 6,000 medical offices.

Just to give a brief history, PetCARE TV was launched in 1992 as a place-based network. Initially, due to technology – or the lack thereof – videocassettes were mailed on a monthly basis to the veterinary offices and were manually inserted and played in the waiting room. The network transitioned to mailed DVDs and then to a centralized digital signage network, with content delivered via the Internet, in 2002. And although the network has been moderately successful since the early years, it wasn’t until the digital age that results could be quantified accurately, and the content could be fine-tuned to maximize return on investment.

Because CARE Media networks are advertiser-supported, the effectiveness can be measured by the ability of the viewer to recall advertisements. The ability of the content to engage and educate the consumer is what allows advertisements and other intended messages to be impressed into their minds. In the PetCARE TV network alone, which is displayed in more than 5,000 veterinary offices and receives 2.2 million views each month, pet owners recall 29 percent of the advertisements, with 37 percent of viewers recalling at least one specific commercial shown during the viewing time. These numbers are from an October 2011 study.

The research from Women’s HealthCARE TV yielded some expected results and some impressive results. Being a network with screens in offices of OB/GYNs, 91 percent of the viewing audience is comprised of females, most of whom are ages 18-44. Though not surprising, it is a very useful statistic when approaching advertisers that are aiming to reach this target market. Another stat that is of great interest to advertisers is the amount of viewer impressions on a monthly basis. In the Women’s HealthCARE TV network, more than 80 percent of the audience reported to Arbitron that they actually paid attention to the content that was displayed in front of them and planned to watch it again. Women’s HealthCARE TV network is exposed to a monthly audience of more than 1.4 million patients, with nearly 1.2 million actually viewing the programming.

As of October 2011, KidCARE TV network played to an audience of more than 3.5 million each month, up 12 percent compared to 2010 and up nearly 60 percent compared to 2009. We also know that more than half of the viewing audience is heading to the grocery store immediately after viewing the network’s content, with another third heading to the drug store.

(To see full article: http://www.digitalsignageconnection.com)

Consumers are more versatile than ever, better informed and often acting less than loyal to brands. They want to buy at the best price and expect excellent service from retailers. Traditional mass marketing is losing impact in a world in which customers are confronted with thousands of advertising messages daily. Newly empowered customers have nearly unlimited access to information on products and prices through the Internet and mobile devices. And they use this information, even if they continue to shop in brick-and-mortar stores.

Retailers will continue to invest in technologies that allow them to reach their customers more individually and efficiently across all channels. These customer-facing technologies comprise online and mobile applications, as well as in-store solutions, such as kiosk systems, electronic shelf labels or digital merchandising equipment.

Retailers Will Invest in Digital Merchandising
Use of digital media for advertising and information purposes has become extremely popular in public spaces and customer areas, such as malls, restaurants, banks, petrol stations and retail stores. In some cases, digital media were installed simply to create a specific ambience in a store or a mall. The use of this technology is showing significant growth rates inside as well as outside of the retail space. In the world of retail, digital merchandising solutions so far mostly support promotions or new product introductions, provide more detailed product information, or help to create an atmosphere that engages customers and enhances the shopping experience.

Many retailers are still experimenting, trialling different options of implementation and business cases. The most common business model is based on selling advertising space and time to suppliers of consumer goods brands or other third parties, which allows the system to practically pay for itself.

A Look at Tesco’s Failed Digital In-Store System
Tesco, one of the pioneers of in-store TV, began using screens in its stores in 2004. Five years later, Tesco shut down the network of 5,000 screens across 100 stores because the equipment was “outdated and energy inefficient.” But instead of another green initiative, this decision was more likely a general problem of the in-store advertisement market in Europe and the U.K. In truth, Tesco TV wasn’t living up to its expectations and always had a lack of advertisers.

The end of Tesco’s network changed the way the retail industry discussed digital in-store media. Other major European retailers were also complaining about not enough investments of brand manufacturers into digital in-store advertisement. For Tesco, advertising sales didn’t even cover the expenses of the network.

How Walmart Set Benchmarks With its Smart Network
In September 2008, U.S. retail behemoth Walmart presented a revised in-store media concept to agencies and marketers. The Walmart Smart Network was the result of two years and U.S. $10 million in research and development used to identify the optimal locations, applications and programming for reaching the millions of consumers who visit the retailer’s stores each week. Walmart completed the chain-wide deployment in early 2010.

Walmart is the first retailer in the U.S. that has rolled out a next generation of in-store media that is supported by a flexible, open enterprise platform powered by Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) technology that allows the retailer to monitor and control more than 27,000 screens in more than 2,700 stores across the country.

One pillar of the Smart concept is the so-called Triple Play. In a first step, a welcome screen greets shoppers entering the store.

Department screens, mounted only a few steps away from the products show content related to the category. Finally, smaller end-cap screens at each aisle provide customers with the final piece of information needed to make a buying decision.

Walmart’s “Triple Play” comprises Welcome signage, category screen and display at gondola end.

All of the content on the Walmart Smart Network is customised and designed to deliver product information to consumers at the point of decision, when and where they need it. The network deploys response measurement and message optimisation technologies to enable delivery of the most relevant content to shoppers – by store, by screen, by day and by time-of-day.

(To see full article: http://www.digitalsignageconnection.com)