Blog

A look at complexity and retail content scheduling

Imagine digital signage content going to hundreds if not thousands of locations, each with their own specific needs; are you ready to manage the magnitude?

November 19, 2014 by Daryl Stokes — Media Solutions, Hughes Media Solutions Group

Too often technology providers lose track of the "work" that needs to be done for a digital signage solution to be truly successful in a retail environment. In recent conversations with customers I have come to realize this fact — specifically looking at the need to schedule content based on multiple variables. 

Consider the following: A retail organization with 1,200 locations will place digital signage next to their service desks. The goal of this signage is to promote brands, specials, events and other in-store activities.

Add to this that you will have events that are regional, and you will have inventory that is carried at certain stores but not all stores. If you carry the inventory you want to promote it — if you don't carry the inventory you want to point the customer to the service desk to place a special order or to the website to self-order. And don't forget the average retailer has more than 100 different brands.

I am not a mathematician, but I believe that with the above information you have the potential of nearly 120,000 permutations of the playlist. That doesn't take into account one-time, ad hoc events and promotions. And this is just one screen by the service desk, what if you expanded into multiple departments?

On one extreme you would create 1,200 unique playlists, which could be delegated to each of the stores. Approved content could be provided, and the store delegate would choose from the approved list for what is displayed at the local store. Changes would be handled entirely at the local level. This has some appeal, because of the ultimate flexibility. But the reality is that store personnel are already fully engaged in serving customers and making sure that the store functions. Digital media scheduling would fall to the bottom of the priority list.

The other extreme is to bring the management of 1,200 playlists into the central marketing organization. This would move the priority up, but managing 1,200 unique playlists would require a large dedicated staff and this is not realistic either.

The answer is a "smart playlist" one that can, at the player level, determine whether or not it should play a piece of content that has been provided.

But what does it take to create that smart playlist? Do you have to learn a scripting language? If you want to manage this level of complexity with a portion of an existing staff member's time, you need a user interface that is organized, disciplined and quick to learn.

What are you doing today? Are you ready?

(Cover image courtesy of Masakazu Matsumoto.)

About Daryl Stokes

---

None

Connect with Daryl: