News

AOpen product line aims at retail digital signage

July 2, 2013

Retailers can easily step into digital signage with a line of plug-and-play in-store products from digital signage and applied media solutions provider AOPEN, according to a company announcement today.

AOPEN calls its In-Store Showcase "a next-generation way to present products" that features a transparent display box where video, images and other graphics can be displayed in front of a product.

"Inglot, a cosmetics company specializing in high quality makeup products and cosmetics accessories in the Netherlands, enhances their beauty factor by introducing this new way of product presentation." said Gabriëlle Offringa, marketing manager for AOPEN Europe, in the announcement. "The result is an eye-catching promotion tool."

Customers increasingly expect to be engaged and entertained while they shop, the company said, so it has designed easy-to-use in-store signage solutions to enhance the shopping experience. The In-Store Multitouch Presenter wasinspired by the customer's need for a simple entertainment and information touch display, AOPEN said. It includes a stand-alone touch display that can show relevant content with an emphasis on making the customer's search for information as fun as possible.

For retailers that want to use existing screens or just simple signage, Solution To Go offers a media player pre-installed with software that can reliably handle 24/7 operability, the company said. The systems can run continuously and have very low power consumption, resulting in a long-term ROI compared to consumer products.

"Smaller retailers don't have IT departments at their beck and call, so solutions need to be quick and simple to set up and run," said Marc Janssen, business development manager for AOPEN Europe. "AOPEN's easy-to-use signage solutions include pre-installed software, so retailers can instantly create compelling visual displays, or design their own custom theme...Research shows that omnichannel customers spend up to 30 percent more when digital screens are present, according to IDC Retail Insights. We know the bulk of purchasing decisions are made within 10 feet of the cash register, so offering more visual, interactive information in the right locations is key."

The company's OpenSign has been designed for retailers that want a networked signage solution to centrally manage content on multiple displays in-store, to strengthen their multichannel marketing strategy, the company said. It allows retailers to leverage existing assets, such as images and video, as well as use live Web feeds.

"We estimate that traditionally, 80 percent of the total cost of ownership is actually the operational cost of maintaining the system and content creation," Janssen said. "Thanks to our alliance of hardware and software partners, we've reduced the cost and complexity of digital signage. We want customers to think of digital signage like they would when buying a new smartphone or tablet. Without worrying about how it works, they can just turn it on, and that's what these new products are designed to do. Instead of shopping around for all the necessary components, customers can go to one provider and get everything in one place."

Learn more about retail digital signage.