With the mature development of information and communication technology, the application of digital signage is becoming more and more popular, and as different industries develop different application models and needs, from the perspective of the retail industry, digital signage is not only the first line of contact with customers, but also the first line of contact with customers. The best channel for corporate marketing.
In the early days, retailers introduced digital signage simply to play advertisements or provide information. However, the secretary group of DSMA Taiwan (Taiwan Digital Signage Multimedia Alliance) pointed out that after integrating different hardware peripherals, application software and cloud technology, digital signage There are more interactions with consumers, which can not only achieve the purpose of precise marketing, but also create an O2O (Online to Offline) marketing integration model from online to offline. For example, consumers can download discounts through digital billboards volume, and then go to the physical store for consumption.
Precise marketing through digital signage to maximize advertising effectiveness
For retailers, what they most want to know is the identity, preferences and behavior patterns of their target customers? Is the current marketing campaign successful in generating customer interest? In the traditional operating model, it is difficult to have a clear answer to these questions. Retailers can only speculate based on experience. Now, through digital signage combined with smart image analysis technology, retailers can clearly grasp this information and plan marketing more accurately. Activities or adjustments to product structure. Fang Ziyin, marketing manager of Taiwan Color and Imaging Technology (TCIT), said that smart image analysis technology was initially used in image surveillance systems, focusing on face (or identity) recognition, while in digital signage applications, feature recognition will be emphasized. Such as: gender, age, human form (i.e. upper body, lower body, or back), expression (emotions, anger, sorrow, joy)...etc. Currently, the analytical information that TCIT products can provide includes the gender and age of consumers, the time consumers stay in front of the digital signage, the distance between the consumer’s standing position and the digital signage, and the number of visitors (divided into exposure times and effective viewing times). species), the length of stay of a single customer in this area, etc. After obtaining this information, retailers can further conduct precise marketing, measure advertising effectiveness, identify VIPs or blacklists, and confirm the actual customers and their own settings. Whether the target customer groups are the same...etc. Fang Ziyin pointed out that in fact, smart image analysis software can provide a lot of information. It depends on the application needs of enterprises. For example, TCIT recently received a very special customer request. The customer is a garment brand and hopes that smart image analysis software can Identify the color of clothes of customers visiting the store and adjust the purchase inventory and product placement accordingly. Compared with smart image analysis software currently on the market, TCIT’s biggest advantages lie in accuracy and low power consumption. Li Dongyang, special assistant to the general manager of TCIT, believes that TCIT products have three major features. The first is high identification accuracy. During laboratory testing, the accuracy of TCIT products was as high as over 90%, and the accuracy in field environmental testing also reached 80%. % or more; in addition, TCIT products have low power consumption and can run on Atom single-core chips. In other words, digital signage does not require very high system specifications to perform image recognition and analysis, which can relatively reduce the company's hardware requirements. Third, the speed of feature recognition and face detection is very fast, which can help retailers conduct real-time marketing. For example, when a specific ethnic group is detected, the digital signage will display the corresponding promotional information. There are many application models for digital signage combined with marketing. In addition to smart image analysis, Zhang Youxuan, vice president of business of Baisheng Technology, also shared the practices of South Korean retailers. He pointed out that Baisheng has cooperated with a large consortium in South Korea in recent years to build smart shopping malls. Digital signage plays a very important role in this, and there are two application modes. First, the electronic signage placed in the mall is mainly used for targeted marketing to members. The digital signage uses NFC technology to sense membership card information and provide preferential information or play advertisements based on the member's identity and consumption habits. For example , if the member often purchases cosmetics of a certain brand, the digital signage will provide cosmetics-related information. In addition, it also combines indoor positioning technology to recommend the best shopping route for the member based on the consumer's past shopping habits and special offers; second, Because the mall occupies a large area, there is a shuttle bus inside the mall, and the electronic signboard on the shuttle bus uses cross-industry alliances to display advertisements. For example, when the shuttle bus drives to a certain area or counter , the digital signage displays the promotion or new product information of the counter. This application is a regional, targeted, and real-time advertising playback.
Regardless of the application of digital signage, there will be a need to integrate peripheral equipment. Taking the example of South Korea's smart mall, digital signage must integrate NFC sensing devices. This kind of hardware integration is not a big problem under the X86 architecture. Because Intel has integrated peripheral devices very well, especially in the driver area, retailers do not have to spend too much thought. However, nowadays, the emphasis is on green energy and environmental protection, and digital signage mostly uses the low-power ARM architecture. At this time, hardware integration capabilities It becomes very important.
Baisheng Technology, which has invested many years of efforts in ARM-based product development, due to the incomplete drivers of some peripheral devices in Taiwan under the Android system, it takes a long time to integrate the system when importing digital signage. For this reason, Bosun spent nearly 4 years developing drivers and integrating hardware. When customers ask for integration requirements for peripheral devices such as fingerprint recognition, cameras, barcode scanners, etc., Bosheng will recommend which brands of products can be used. , speeding up hardware integration. Baisheng Technology also specifically emphasized that we have the ability to fully develop applications and integrate software and hardware in this field, but we will not operate such a business. Instead, we will use our software development capabilities for firmware integration and assist customers in de-buging. Make the integration of software and hardware smoother.
Alliance cooperation to create digital signage solutions
After retailers successfully attract customers’ attention through digital signage, what should they do next? Naturally, we want to find ways to promote consumption, so Qiren Technology connected smart shelves and digital signage, successfully attracting consumers' attention. Zhuo Jianxiang, associate manager of Qiren Technology, said that digital signage is mainly used to play advertisements, and what we do It is to highlight the advertising content, make consumers pay attention to the advertised products, and then arouse his desire to buy.
Zhuo Jianxiang further pointed out that Qilu's main products are ARM-base CPU and Android platform. Because there are so many CPU interfaces that the Android system cannot control them, Qilu uses Linux source code to write communication interfaces so that the Android system can communicate with Linux. The drivers communicate and then control these devices for different applications, creating things that the original Android system cannot do.
This experience has also been recognized by a foreign retail company, which cooperated with Qilu to build smart shelves. This company spends several million yuan every year to replace the posters on the shelves, so it hopes to introduce IT technology to wirelessly and automatically To update product content, QiRhen embedded CPUs and screens on the shelves to make traditional shelves smart. Not only can products be automatically updated, but it can also be linked to the digital signage. When the digital signage plays an advertisement for product A, the screen on the shelf will match Different changes such as bright lights, flashes, etc. appear to attract the viewer's attention and promote consumption.
From customer or advertising benefit analysis, target marketing, to linked smart shelves, there are many different types of digital signage applications in the retail industry. It depends on the needs of the company. Yang Wenze, Director of the Integrated Marketing Department of AOpen MiND Market, believes , Today's retail industry is undergoing innovative changes, and it is necessary to contact and understand consumers through platforms such as digital signage. Therefore, for retailers, digital signage should be a tool for making money and not just a display device.
Unfortunately, most companies in Taiwan do not know what their needs are, and they do not know enough about digital signage. Therefore, Aopen has built a new digital signage application experience field "Big MiND Field" to combine consumer movement and services. Different aspects such as processes, products, etc., rather than simply displaying the functions of digital signage, allow companies to find out their own needs through personal experience, so as to plan suitable digital signage solutions.
Due to the different operating models of the retail industry in different regions, digital signage solution providers must not only understand the local culture, but also provide local services to meet the needs of retailers. Therefore, AOpen has built "Large MiND Fields" in its branches in various regions. We work with industry-specific consultants, and through cooperation with local system integrators and software vendors, to provide digital signage solutions that truly meet customer needs.
Yang Wenze emphasized that digital signage covers software, hardware, content, peripherals, equipment and networks in different fields. Only through alliance cooperation can the scale be expanded. In particular, Taiwan has a strong industrial supply chain, but because of going it alone, The relationship between the two can only stay in the project stage, rather than a solution that can be quickly copied. Therefore, AOpen proposed the "mind-in-body platform concept (mind + application + experience), from made in to mind in". Create future market space for digital signage through profit sharing.
For retailers, what needs to be evaluated when introducing digital signage is the marketing benefits it brings, rather than how much money can be saved? How much hardware cost will be invested? Only in this way can retailers find a truly suitable application model and maximize the value of digital signage.
Original URL: Applying digital signage in the retail industry to create maximum marketing value http://www.digitimes.com.tw/tw/iot/shwnws.asp?cnlid=15&id=0000401554_TKT6IBKG4SZEQS5Q1DKII&ct=1#ixzz3JfcWrkKy