Article

Intel takes aim at 'omnichannel problem' with digital signage CMS

Intel makes a move on content management systems for digital signage.

June 20, 2013 by Christopher Hall — w, t

What Intel did to digital signage hardware with its Open Pluggable Specification, the chipmaker is now trying to do for digital signage software with its new Retail Client Manager.

Intel Corp. is announcing its new RCM digital signage content management system today, saying it is working to help retailers and brands solve the "omnichannel problem."

The OPS for media player hardware has become widespread, if not a de facto standard, in the digital signage space in the three years since its announcement, and Intel hopes the RCM achieves the same level of ubiquity.

When Intel worked with partners such as Microsoft and NEC Display Solutions to develop the OPS it was a "powerful growth engine" for the digital signage industry, according to Jose Avalos, Intel's director of visual retail.

"We are now trying to fill the same gap in the CMS world by providing this standardized, connected, managed and secure platform," Avalos said in a recent interview.

According to Avalos, Intel is describing the RCM as "an intelligent software solution for aggregating and distributing and managing content across multiple digital touch points in the retail environment." It's essentially a traditional CMS that helps end-users create campaigns in the network operations center in the cloud, he said, with an easy-to-use interface and the ability to schedule consistently branded content and campaigns across multiple touch points. "The intent is that the people who are creating campaigns can do this in minutes," Avalos said.

There are several reasons for introducing the RCM, Avalos said, from helping retailers and brands keep up with the pace of innovation to driving cost efficiencies that will help accelerate the growth of the digital signage industry. But the main reason is that Intel's customers have been asking them for it, he said.

"One of the key challenges that retailers have today is that it's difficult for them to deliver branded experiences; it's difficult for them to deliver one-to-one marketing messages across all the different digital touch points in their networks," Avalos said.

The list of those touch points is growing, and becoming more difficult to manage consistently, as digital signage becomes increasingly integrated with POS solutions, ATMs, intelligent vending and dispensing machines, and interactive kiosks, he said.

"We see this trend where digital signage technology is being integrated into all these different devices now, and the challenge the brands have is 'How do we deliver a consistent branded message across all these digital touch points?'" Avalos said. "So customers are asking us to deliver a platform that is standardized, that is connected, managed and secure, that they can use to deliver this content across digital touch points and solve the so-called omnichannel problem that we see in the industry."

According to today's announcement, the Intel RCM also enables marketers to create multiple zones within each digital sign and supports most formats including HD video, FLASH, static image and Web content. The RCM also can be paired with Intel's Audience Impression Metrics Suite anonymous viewer analytics technology, to enable brands and retailers to tailor advertising content based on audience demographics.

Intel's market strategy is to work with distributor partners Avnet Embedded and Seneca who will integrate the CMS into turnkey digital signage solutions, Avalos said. Intel also is working with more than 25 system integrators, retailers, brands, agencies, OEMs and IDMs to deploy the Intel RCM solution, including tech companies like Arrow, Flextronics and NEXCOM, agency Spafax and retail giant Tesco.

Spafax Networks, an international content marketing agency and division of WPP's tenthavenue division, is working with Intel to integrate the RCM into their buying platform for advertising, Avalos said. According to the announcement, Spafax "believes solutions that address the need for simplified content management and relevant advertising are greatly needed in the industry in order to push digital signage forward as an advertising platform."

"As shoppers take more and more control over their shopping experience, retailers and brands have to provide anytime, anywhere marketing campaigns to make an impact on buying decisions," Spafax COO Patrick Bonomo said in the announcement. "Standardized and manageable digital place-based signage platforms are a key industry requirement that allows marketers to reach these tech savvy shoppers. We are working closely with Intel to integrate the Intel Retail Client Manager into our buying platform to offer advertisers an efficient method of reaching on-the-go audiences and delivering experiences that are relevant, effective, managed and secure."

Intel talked to a number of CMS providers in the digital signage space before launching the product, Avalos said when asked if there would be pushback from software providers. In today's technology ecosystem, companies have learned that in some areas they compete and in others they complement each other, he said. "Depending on what we're talking about, we can be competitors or customers, and I think that's just the reality of how the modern technology ecosystem has developed."

"So eventually we're hoping that an ISV ecosystem will develop that will deliver customization and applications that sit on top of this Intel Retail Client Manager to address the specialized needs of the different digital signage vertical industries, because what's needed in quick-service or retail is different than what's needed in an airport or in a transportation venue," he said. "We hope that as this platform evolves over time that the ISV industry will endorse it and will want to develop specialized applications and value-added services for specific industries."

But Avalos also said Intel is keenly aware that its primary business continues to be the silicon business, "so we will continue to work with the ecosystem to make sure that all software in the industry runs best on Intel architecture."

Another main reason for developing the RCM, Avalos said, is that retailers and brands need help keeping up with the pace of technology, and a standardized platform like the RCM should help technology providers infuse vertical markets with new tech. It's a big need in the industry, he said, because in parallel consumers have been accelerating their adoption of technology.

"Consumers now have access to the latest consumer electronics at home, at work, pretty much anywhere, from smart TVs to smartphones to advanced ultraportable computers," Avalos said. "But many times when they walk into a retail environment it's like going back to the 1970's. There's a void of technology, and so were trying to help the industry bring in the technology so they can deliver these more personalized, interactive, fun experiences for consumers inside the retail environment."

(Intel announced the launch of its new RCM at the end of its webinar about retail digital signage, "Content Management Strategies for Digital Touchpoints in Retail." Click here to watch the on-demand version of the free, hourlong webinar.)

Learn more about retail digital signage.

About Christopher Hall

---

None

Connect with Christopher: