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Bridging the communication gap with technology

As we look ahead to 2012 and as multichannel paths to purchase grow in popularity and use, we consider how technology — specifically digital in-store technology — is working to bridge the communication gap.

October 26, 2011 by Ben Stagg — CTO, Vital Media, Inc

As we look ahead to 2012 and as multichannel paths to purchase grow in popularity and use, we consider how technology, specifically digital in-store technology, is working to bridge the communication gap.

Digital in-store programs attract shopper attention and continually get better at combining the divergent channels of the path to purchase to initiate relevant, engaging and influential communication with shoppers at the point of purchase (POP).

So how does digital in-store do this? Technology makes it possible. According to Alan Brawn, principal, Brawn Consulting, "When application, technology and price converge, an opportunity is created." Today computing and playback devices are smarter, faster, cheaper, greener and better built than ever. As confidence grows and risk shrinks regarding the viability of the digital in-store concept, adoption will naturally increase and give us even more component options in the future. And that's just hardware.

Where the real magic happens is in the software, where we are able to integrate with inventory databases, and adjust content based on geography, weather, time of day, day of the week, you name it. It's where we can offer control of a digital device's content to shoppers via their mobile device, allow them to tie in their social persona and really capitalize on the inroads to those three critical functions: relevance, engagement and influence.

As technological advances continue to push the most capable devices closer to commodity, developers, designers and integrators of retail applications are witnessing the creation of a very unique opportunity. Utilizing current technology and the modern trend of "self publishing" (such as Facebook and Twitter), brands have more access to the attitudinal, anecdotal and factual sales conversion and marketing effectiveness intelligence than ever before. Two-way communication between digital devices has changed the way those informational transactions are delivered and received.

As the consumer side of the informational ecosystem drives faster response times, nearly instant transfer of information constructs the framework for businesses to be on the receiving end of these transactions as well as the distribution. This two-way communication with the consumer as well as the increase in relevance, engagement and influence are ways we're seeing technology bridge the communication gap.

How have you seen technology bridge the communication gap?

About Ben Stagg

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