Month: June 2024

Digital technology is driving rapid change in the car-parking industry — electric cars, driverless cars, car sharing, app-based searching, booking, digital payment systems — the list could go on. The two key areas where digital technology is changing the car-parking industry landscape are the use of Big Data and the use of digital screens to enhance the customer experience.

Big Data

The development of Big Data has provoked great expectations for those who manage parking facilities. In plain terms, Big Data collates data from different sources to reveal patterns and trends associated with human behavior. This data can then be used to help create personalized and engaging digital signage customer experiences. The car-parking industry is data-rich, comprising integral data points, such as payment transactions, occupancy data, sensor data, length-of-stay data and more.

Making use of Big Data and analytics can help parking managers to optimize pricing and parking availability based on factors such as the weather, special events or flight schedules for airport parking. Potential takeaways from data could be to create a dynamic pricing strategy — similar to Uber — based on demand and even offer promotions to attract customers.

Digital screens

The parking facility is often the first touch point for the customer journey but can frequently be overlooked in terms of the overall customer experience. The use of digital signage within parking facilities can not only inform customers of parking-related information, but also display safety and journey information as well as providing timely and targeted promotional messages from nearby retailers or businesses.

Integrated approach

Let’s go through a few ways parking companies can use digital technology to improve the customer experience;

• Book online — An online reservation system allows for a more streamlined customer experience as visitors can pre-book a parking space to reduce the hassle of driving and searching. Companies can collect data through this system by requesting general, vehicle and payment details.
• License-plate recognition — If the customer has registered and pre-booked a space online, the car can be recognized via license-plate recognition, allowing quick entry. If payment details have been registered, the parking costs can be calculated and charged to the customer’s account on exit. This is much easier than having to remember to pay before making their way back to the car.
• Digital parking signs — Located at the entry of parking facilities, digital parking signs can integrate with license-plate recognition software. Once data has been gathered about a customer, the digital sign can display customized and tailored content. This content can include welcome messages, pricing information, available parking spots, car wash and valet specials, and promotional messages from nearby retailers or businesses.
  To help manage supply and demand, parking operators can also quickly and easily adjust parking prices. With a traditional, static parking sign, a price change would entail a minimum two-week turnaround time with approvals, printing and shipping. Digital parking signs allow parking managers to alter pricing within minutes due to cloud-based content management systems.
• Digital video walls — Digital video walls can be based anywhere and everywhere within a park facility. Similar to digital parking signs, these can be linked to license-plate recognition software, allowing video walls to be used for directions — if the customer has an allocated parking spot — or relevant promotional messages.

The Brisbane Airport Corporation in Brisbane, Australia is a great example of innovative parking facility management. The company began their digital disruption with an installation of a video wall above the parking pay machines. Accessible through a cloud-based content management system, BAC can instantly update or schedule content, ensuring no promotional opportunity is overlooked. Digital parking signs have also been installed at the entry and exit of the state-of-the-art AIRPARK allowing the ability to dynamically manage pricing changes and promote parking specials.

Digital technology is a critical enabler in creating the seamless end-to-end experience that customers now expect. Enhancing the parking experience with the clever use of digital technology will help parking operators attract new customers, grow market share and increase revenue. Most importantly, though, digital integration into the delivery of parking services will help generate data and customer insights, allowing parking operators to proactively manage and improve the customer experience.

Featured on DigitalSignageToday.

Digital Signage Expo (DSE) in Las Vegas is the world’s largest and longest-running conference and trade show exclusively dedicated to showcasing innovative digital and interactive technology solutions. Now that CV Media & Design’s resident digital tech guru, Matthew Taylor, has returned and settled back into life post-DSE, let’s go through his top picks of the show.

Planar LookThru Transparent OLED Display

An overall favourite of DSE visitors, it was virtually impossible to take a photo of this without people surrounded. Planer’s display enables users to view video content, digital images and text on a virtually frameless glass video screen whilst still being able to see through it. Transparent technology such as this can generate high-impact engagement by placing call-to-action messages in the shoppers’ line of sight and within arm’s reach of the product, precisely where purchase decisions are made. Planar’s display offers creative, new digital signage opportunities that can take this medium to a new level.

LG Transparent Cooler display 49WEC

LG’s Transparent Cooler Display features a transparent display that can be customized to showcase digital content as well as allowing customers to view offerings inside the cooler. At a distance, the display can appear non-transparent, and communicate content such as infotainment or promotions. As the user steps closer to the cooler, the opaque screen can transform into a clear panel to display the cooler’s offerings. Using advanced video solutions such as this are not only highly effective, but allow retailers to stand out from the competition.

Going far beyond traditional merchandising display media, these advanced transparent digital signage tools by Planar and LG will be extremely effective for businesses to increase sales and improve communications. In addition to influencing purchase decisions, transparent technology is sure to be essential in engaging with customers, particularly with the digital generation.

Another two highlights included the revolutionary LG Dual-View Curved Tiling OLED 4K Display and LG 86-inch Ultra Stretch Signage. Both of these present a number of digital signage solutions for retailers to provide customers with a multimedia experience in those previously avoided tricky spaces.

Contact the CV Media & Design team for a custom innovative digital signage solution for your business now.

Digital signage is a powerful communication tool; its ability to attract, engage and retain audiences of all types is incomparable. It creates endless opportunities to deliver personalized, effective marketing strategies and increase your customer engagement. It’s main feature? The content.

The aim of digital signage is to enhance your customer’s experience and without spending time on getting the content right this isn’t going to happen.

Firstly your digital signage content needs to suit your objectives, branding, target audience and the surrounding environment.

Plus you need to make sure that your content works in the digital screen format. You’ve chosen your hardware. You’ve picked your media player. It’s all been installed and you’re ready to go. But hold up, the content is warped, stretched, or perhaps it’s skewed all over the sign. How do you make sure that this does not happen to you?

To make sure you get the most out of your digital signage the starting point is great design – and specifically content that is designed for the digital format. A key advantage of digital signage is its ability to branch out from static images. Including a combination of images, animations and films allows you to entice, entertain and retain the interest of your audience.

Holly who heads up our Design & Animation team, has compiled her Top 5 design tips for creating effective digital content;

• COLOUR: Keep colours harmonious and minimal. The correct use of colour is vital to establish a clear understanding of the message and effective design.
• TYPOGRAPHY: Choose legible fonts to compliment the communication style. Ensure the number of font styles are kept to a minimum as an over-indulgence will confuse and spoil the design.
• LAYOUT: The arrangement of content needs to be considered carefully to guide viewers logically through the design. Alignment, placement, size and space are all factors to be mindful of when creating any layout of content.
• SPACE: Determine the size of the area you have to work with to help establish the amount of content you can use. Excessive information and images crammed into a space will make the design incoherent and unprofessional. Negative space is necessary to convey a clear message and appeal to the eye.
• KEEP IT SIMPLE: Unnecessary design elements can clutter content and spoil the design. Keep these to a minimum and ensure they compliment your message and design rather than over-power it.

Our greatest tip though? Get in touch with the CV Media & Signage team.

Walking into a quick-service restaurant these days often means seeing a row of digital displays behind the counter, as LCD screens rapidly replace static back-lit posters.

With an estimated 50 to 70 percent of QSR sales occurring in the drive-thru, taking digital menu boards outdoors is the next logical evolution for the industry. A report by Futuresource Consulting in 2014 suggested that only 1 percent of the potential market for outdoor displays had so far been tapped.

As a reminder of why the drive-thru is important, much of Australia’s eastern seaboard recently copped an unseasonal lashing from the weather gods. As the rain pelted down, the number of drive-thru QSR customers surged as they avoided the drenching that comes from the 100-meter parking lot dash.

Making it easy

The drive-thru customer experience is all about speed and convenience. Having the right menu and message at the right time is important. In the past, business owners had two choices: Display all menu items — breakfast, lunch and dinner — on the one menu board all day long, or use two-sided menu boards that could be flipped during the day. Talk about overwhelming the customer.

The National Restaurant Association’s 2015 Industry Forecast showed 41 percent of the critical 18- to 34-year-old target demographic says technology is an important factor when they choose a restaurant, and the next age bracket — 35 to 44 years — wasn’t far behind at 39 percent. The NRA’s research found that technology improves speed and convenience for consumers. Are drive-thrus and technology the perfect combo meal then?

Let’s go through a handful of the top reasons outdoor digital displays go hand in hand with drive-thrus.

• Enhance customer experience through content
  Digital menus can be adjusted and scheduled to change according to the time of day. For example, a breakfast menu can be scheduled to only appear between 5 a.m. and 11 a.m., being replaced by the all-day promotion for the remainder of the day. It can also offer greater flexibility for promotions and help unclutter visually busy menu boards, which can accelerate order-taking and improve order accuracy.

• Less printing. More marketing.
  A simple price change or menu switch-out for static menu boards would take businesses weeks due to the graphic design time, approvals, printing and shipping. Going digital allows updates to be made in a matter of minutes, including being able to be responsive to the market conditions. Digital also allows for centralized control, with no need for the head office to rely on franchises to changeover static signage.

• Increase sales
  Digital signs can respond to orders as they are placed, so upselling can be an automatic, simple process. The screen can display complimentary items as the order begins to be inputted into the point-of-sale system. A high-resolution screen also allows businesses to tempt customers with eye-catching images of the menu.

Is digital up to the challenge?

But how will outdoor digital displays withstand the vagaries of unpredictable weather, I hear you ask? Rain, snow, heat and cold have for a long time made leaving digital screens out in the elements (i.e.., a drive-thru lane) a costly, complicated and unpredictable proposition. However, the barriers that limited how digital screens could be used outdoors and in direct sunlight have been tackled, making it possible to place high-impact, dynamic messaging in front of customers in nearly any situation.

Outdoor digital displays are now been designed to work flawlessly, for years, despite extreme high and low temperatures, heat from full days of direct sunlight, rain, frost, dirt, dust and fumes, to unpredictable things like power spikes and vandalism. Most notable is the Samsung OH series, which has all the engineering and design needed for ultra-bright, high-reliability, high-durability displays.

The digital edge

QSRs that embrace the opportunity to engage their customers through digital will not only outperform their competitors but will also differentiate themselves from other operators who have not changed the way they do drive-thru business for decades. By combining the influential capabilities of digital menu technology with outdoor digital displays, QSRs can drive sales increases, improve the speed of service and create happier, and hence, more loyal customers.

Is now the right time for you to install outdoor digital displays?

 

Featured on DigitalSignageToday.

It can be tricky to communicate important messages in a workplace landscape. Often organisations find people are busied by their overlapping meeting schedules, endless to-do lists and an inbox of emails that no matter how many we action, never seems to get smaller. For companies, a challenge lies in embedding communications within the culture which is both effective and has the ability to translate into different team dynamics and in different locations.

The advances in technology have seen a growing interest in how companies can digitise their communications to integrate seamlessly into their employee’s everyday environment.  How can a company replace the infrequency of a newsletter or email and have a continued cultural representation of pride and progress?

The digital progression for companies is happening at a rapid pace with more efficient workflows, paperless systems and digital data control across multiple business functions. The digital journey is happening for businesses everywhere with Alex Niehenke of Scale Venture Partners saying “If you’re not figuring out how to be a digital company, someone else will be coming around to replace you.”

The integration of digital screens across business locations can provide a continuous feed of information and updates which reflect 3 core aspects of any company;

1. Progress: job wins, project updates, key milestones reached, project completions
2. Pride: team success, internal and external recognition, individual accomplishments
3. Information: safety updates, company information, important news, industry specific information

Similar to the feeds we engage in across social networks, digital corporate communications can bring life and activity to the office and site space. Building integration from the different facets of a business can be particularly beneficial in providing a layered culture of recognising progress, understanding peers and motivate a strong feeling of company pride.

A key aspect and positive of digitalisation within organisations is engagement. Moving from hierarchies to networks and shifting the sense of top down control to an empowering environment will be crucial for the future of work (figure 1.responsive org manifesto). Companies that want to stay ahead will be looking to move from the more predictable focuses and start experimenting with less predictable opportunities. Enriching company culture through consistent engagement can be achieved through active digital message delivery across different offices, locations and from different sources. The flexibility of real time digital communications empowers employees to engage other employees and offers a platform to spark internal conversation.

Figure 1. Responsive Org Manifesto

---

Case Study

CV Services Group integrated digital corporate communications over 18 months ago and have seen a number of key positives as a result. With 8 locations in 3 states and across two countries, CV Services Group have strived to deliver company coordinated communications simultaneously across all locations. Each office has 1 – 3 screens which displays rotating content inclusive of messages around pride, progress and for informative purposes. The simplistic design of digital screens allow them to blend into any space without interference yet still deliver messages with impact.

Commercial Director, Ian Norman said “integrating the digital signs into the communications mix has seen a number of key positives, with the delivery of up to date and topical content that can be refreshed on a regular basis. The teams have stated how useful they find the information and feel much more informed about what is going on within their own division and on a companywide level.”

The ability to adjust and change content in real time and in reaction to the external and internal environment is reflective of the digital progression being seen across many companies. For CV Services, reinforcing company culture is no longer left to intermittent team meetings or toolbox talks; the digital technology allows it to become part of everyday work life.

---

The digital progression of work spaces is ongoing, as digitisation across the workforce is in full swing. Rather than fear the future, companies will seek to adapt, integrate and develop their business culture around the digital space. Assisting with all aspects of corporate communications from the technical to the function and delivery, CV Media & Design can integrate the best digital corporate communications for your company today.

The automotive industry is undergoing an era of digital disruption. With a modern, tech-savvy target audience, creating a high-energy, interactive and visual experience is no longer optional for automotive dealership showrooms – it’s a necessity. Static signs and posters simply do not captivate an audience anymore. Digital signage is engaging and interactive with the ability to be updated anytime, anywhere.

Digital disruption enables companies to provide a new level of customer experience. According to a Harris Interactive study conducted on behalf of Verint Systems, 88 percent of customers prefer doing business with a company that offers a quality customer experience over a company that has the latest and most innovative products. With the ability to create a wow factor in the showroom, digital signage enhances the automotive industries’ customer experience, leading to stronger engagement, increased loyalty and improved conversion rates.

The potential for digital technology to enhance the customer experience within the automotive industry is limitless. The list below covers only a handful of the many opportunities available:

• Outdoor LED
  LED, whether this is in the form of an LED trailer or an LED display installed on the dealership’s facility, provides a high impact, flexible advertising option to attract passing traffic. Digital signage allows marketing teams to effectively and efficiently communicate messages to consumers with the ability to update content instantly.
• Digital Screens
  Digital screens can be strategically placed throughout waiting rooms and showrooms. Keeping customers entertained in the waiting room with digital displays helps reduce perceived wait time while also creating a defensive marketing strategy for dealers by providing a dealership specific channel. Content for the screens can include current product and service promotions; latest model releases and features; up to date financing options; and generic information such as time, weather, news and social media feeds. By the time a sales person greets the customer, the customer would have already been exposed to numerous marketing messages. The screens deliver stimulating full color images or video capturing the interest of customers, creating a sense of curiosity and a desire to find out more. Video walls can be designed in different formats, allowing for large screens or custom designs and content, to have maximum impact, and deliver an in-store experience beyond the customers’ expectations. With the ability for screens to function independently and display different content or combining numerous screens to display one large vibrant video, marketing teams are provided with endless opportunities.
• Interactive Screens
  Many of today’s customers are “digital natives” – those who have grown up with touch-friendly devices – and assume everything can be swiped, pinched and zoomed. Accenture’s Auto Digital report (2015) indicated that more than half of the respondents would be interested in an interactive touch display that provides information on the available models during a visit to a showroom, proving that today’s customers value the efficiency and speed of using self-service tools to find answers. Not only could an interactive screen provide extra details about a car, a dealership could also take it that step further and enhance the customer experience with an interactive car configurator. Using an interactive screen, customers could alter the model choice, accessories and colors and immediately see on a screen what their dream car looks like. As technology continues to advance, customers would also have the option to rotate the car and be able to view their selection from every angle, including close-ups of different parts of the interior. Strategically positioning interactive screens within dealerships will further assist in reducing perceived wait times and provide customers a sense of empowerment by putting them in charge of accessing new information which is relevant to them.
• Beacon Technology
  According to research by Marin Software, “Consumers increasingly use smartphones at dealerships to research and validate brand choices pre purchase, driving a surge in mobile auto app usage in 2015.” Beacon technology allows businesses to tap into this vital marketing opportunity by communicating with customers on the one device everyone keeps close – their mobile phone. Messages can be pushed to a customer’s mobile phone when in a predetermined proximity of a beacon. Using a customer data base, dealerships can send messages to customers and potential customers when in proximity to particular models.

Digital disruption is the key to succeeding in the automotive industry. As Accenture’s report says, “Dealers who are innovative, aggressive in pursuing digital strategies that engage the connected customer, and proficient in communicating the right message through the appropriate digital channels at the right time, will become automotive disrupters that can sustain growth in the global automotive market into the future.”

Featured on DigitalSignageToday.

Often the customer’s first point of physical contact with a brand, a car park has the opportunity to create a strong impression and brand connection. Typically, when customers arrive at a car park they are stressed, in a hurry and looking to find a space as quickly as possible. As the focus on providing a positive, unique and engaging customer experience continues to grow, car park operators are embracing new technology.

Put simply, wayfinding is the information systems that guide people through a physical environment and enhance their understanding and experience of the space. A vital aspect of wayfinding is signage – directional, information and identification. In high-stress environments such as car parks, an effective wayfinding system helps contribute to a sense of well-being, safety, and security.

Linking technology such as online booking, number plate recognition software and sensor systems with digital wayfinding signage ensures a seamless parking experience. For example, a customer has booked a space online. Upon arrival the number plate recognition software recognises the customer and automatically opens the entrance gate. A digital parking sign, linked with the sensor system, outlines the number of available spaces on each level of the car park, whilst digital wayfinding signage throughout the car park guides the customer towards the most convenient or booked space.

One of the latest innovative wayfinding solutions is software with the ability to be integrated within a smartphone app, touchscreen kiosk or pay station. Linked with number plate recognition software and a sensor system, customers can enter their number plate and be directed to their parking space.

Making the shift from traditional to digital not only enhances the customer experience, but provides operators with an opportunity for increased revenue. Engaging with nearby businesses, digital wayfinding signage content could also include advertisements, car wash and valet specials.

The efficiency and visual engagement of digital technology builds a level of customer satisfaction resulting in repeat business, positive word-of-mouth, and increased market share for your parking facility.

Featured on Parking Australia.

The retail environment is in a transient state. Traditional brick and mortar stores are adapting to the emergence of e-commerce and the growing integration of digital seen through the popularity of online shopping. To stay relevant, retail environments need to remain on the front foot. They need to ensure they are offering an in-store experience that lives outside the digital space but also can’t afford to be afraid to push digital boundaries, integrating the digital and physical elements to elevate the customer experience to a whole new level.

There is no sign that the evolution of the online market is slowing down, and there are a multitude of benefits in providing consumer goods through the Internet as people actively seek out the variety and convenience available through online retail (e-tail). However, there is still a place for a physical shopping experience. Understanding the customer journey and delivering a brand experience unique to the physical channel, as well as being inherently aware of the omnichannels, is important for brands as they navigate this new landscape.

In-store technology can be used for;

• Campaign integration,
• Visual merchandising,
• Store aesthetics,
• Branding,
• Wayfinding,
• Store information, and
• Collecting customer data

Digital tools including video walls and digital screens, social media integration, interactive touchpoints as well as virtual and augmented reality are all available to enhance the in-store experience and the emotional reactions associated with the physical purchase.

Video Walls / Digital Screens

Bringing your omnichannel campaigns to life through internal digital screens and video walls allows an engaging brand extension in your physical retail environments. Moods, colors, lifestyles and stories can be told through screens that display different content or combine to deliver large-scale videos and visuals. Take your product off the shelf and deliver images and videos of how customers can interact with your offering to build real desire around its potential place in their lives.

Social Media Integration

Integrate online platforms into your physical space through interactive photo walls, uniquely integrated brand uploads and hashtags. Let your customers be the star of their experience through customized brand filters, personalized messages, product information and the ability to share across social networks.

Interactive Touchpoints

Customers love having information at their fingertips, allowing them to feel empowered in the physical retail environment. Offer your customers wayfinding and product identification, or link products of interest through preference by following similar algorithms to online retail. Have an exclusive brand app or story? Bring it to life through interactive touchscreens and journey mapping by providing customers with digital access directly on your shop floor.

Virtual and Augmented Reality

The future is here with the growth of virtual and augmented reality. Leveraging VR and AR into the retail space allows a range of opportunities for further customer engagement, increased personalization and constantly changing environments, injecting a digital edge into your in-store retail experience. Purchasing a snowboard? Take your customer to the slopes. Looking to paint the walls of your kitchen? Experience the color coming to life in your space. The opportunity for retail brands in this space is truly exciting and will see a whole new world in relation to the customer experience.

Our recent visit to the PWC Chair in the Digital Economy on Retail 5.0 highlighted a shift from customer relationships towards proactive retailing and the future of customer managed relationships where the power within a physical environment lays in the consumer’s hands. The merging of physical and digital presents the ‘phygital’ retail space where the unique elements of environment and digital possibility find harmony.

Top 4 digital retail stores to pin on the Inspo Wall

As featured on Digital Signage Connection.

As part of the Retail Food Group, Pizza Capers is a franchised pizza store with over 70 outlets within Australia. Pizza Capers has continued to evolve since its inception in 1996 as it brings a fresh pizza product to the competitive market, continuing to challenge on taste and customer experience.

With the expansion of digital technologies and the rising value of the customer experience within the QSR industry, Pizza Capers have begun the transition to digital menu boards. After successful trials at three stores, Pizza Capers have selected national digital technology and media solutions company CV Media & Design as the official supplier of digital menu boards.

Sunny Olak, Pizza Capers General Manager, said: “We chose CV Media & Signage for their one stop shop approach to our digital menu board needs. Having a dedicated team to support our business is priceless – nothing is impossible with Wayne Randerson and his team. We are very satisfied with the results and highly recommend the services of CV Media & Signage.”

The technology allows all of the screens to sync together and alternate through traditional menu content, animations and displays of new products and special offers. CV Media & Signage provide Pizza Capers with the complete digital solution including the development of new art works and animation by their in-house design team.

The choice to go digital not only allows Pizza Capers to cut printing costs but will also ensure consistency across franchises. Digital menu boards will be installed as each store becomes due for refurbishment and for all new Pizza Capers stores as the digital screens become a compulsory part of new store layouts.

Featured on Digital Signage Connection.