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Newest Software Trends Enable Businesses to Better Engage Customers, Drive Results

03. 03. 2023

Martin Hagen

by Martin Hagen, SocialScreen

Pushing the boundaries of what is possible, (from cloud-based software to interactive content and automation), the latest trends in digital signage make it easier for businesses to engage with customers, provide relevant and timely information, and gather valuable data and feedback.

In this article, we will take a closer look at some of the hottest topics within digital signage software and how they improve the way businesses communicate with their customers.

Cloud-based software

Cloud-based digital signage software allows users to remotely manage their digital signage content and network from any location with an internet connection. This eliminates the need for on-premises software, servers, and hardware, making it easier and more cost-effective to manage and update digital signage content. It also allows users to access real-time analytics and data on their digital signage network and make updates or changes remotely.

The use of cloud-based digital signage software is on the rise. With benefits such as remote management, scalability, analytics, and remote monitoring & support, cloud-based digital signage software is an attractive option for businesses looking to improve their digital signage operations. As technology continues to advance, we can expect to see even more exciting developments in cloud-based digital signage software in the future.

Interactive content

Interactive digital signage is another emerging trend capturing the attention of businesses. Interactive digital signage software allows users to create engaging and interactive content, including touchscreens, games, quizzes, and surveys. These types of interactive experiences can increase customer engagement and help businesses gather valuable data and feedback from customers. Interactive digital signage can be used in a variety of settings, such as retail stores, museums, and trade shows to provide a more engaging and memorable experience for customers.

By giving customers the ability to interact with the content, not just view it passively, businesses can gain valuable insights and feedback. Personalization is another key feature of interactive content, that helps companies to create more relatable and memorable experiences for customers. This can lead to increased brand awareness and customer engagement. Furthermore, interactive content has the potential to drive sales, boost conversions and create promotions, coupons, or loyalty programs. With the advancements within digital signage, we can only expect to see more inventive ways of this trend, too.

Analytics and reporting

Analytics and reporting features allow businesses to track and analyze the performance of their digital signage content and network, including metrics such as viewability, engagement, and conversion rates. This data can be used to optimize the content and placement of digital signage for more effective communication with customers. Additionally, real-time analytics allow businesses to monitor the performance of their campaigns in real-time and adjust as needed.

Businesses need to react quickly to changes in audience engagement and ensure their content is always performing at its best: the analytics and reporting system allows businesses to gain a deeper understanding of their audience, improve the performance of their campaigns, and make data-driven decisions to drive results.

Automation and scheduling

Automation and scheduling features in digital signage software allow users to schedule and automate their digital signage content, making it easy to keep their displays up-to-date and relevant. This can be especially useful for businesses that need to frequently update their content, such as retail stores that want to promote new products or sales. It can also be used in public spaces like airports, train stations, and hospitals, where real-time information needs to be displayed to the public.

Integrations with other content systems

Integrations with other systems allow businesses to integrate their digital signage software with other content systems (social media, weather, news feeds, and more), to deliver real-time and personalized content. For example, a digital signage display in a mall could be integrated with social media to display the latest posts from nearby stores or restaurants, or a weather feed to display the current temperature and forecast. This allows businesses to provide relevant and timely information to their customers, increasing engagement and customer satisfaction.

Remote monitoring and support

Remote monitoring and support features can be especially useful for large networks or those located in multiple locations. This allows businesses to keep an eye on their digital signage network, even when they are not on site, to detect and to fix issues more quickly, minimizing downtime.

The net impact of these trends

Today’s trends in digital signage make it easier for businesses to engage with customers, to gather valuable data and feedback, and to act on relevant and timely information. All the latest high-tech features in digital signage software are more accessible to all businesses (not just the bigger companies) and cost less than ever before.

The advantages of affordable digital signage draw more and more companies into understanding the many uses of digital signage software for customers and for internal communication. For example, one large German factory recently replaced all their analog signage to add the expediency of digital signage to their public communications.

That’s right: a factory. Today even factory owners can see the attraction of the digital transformation to digital signage. Digital signage now plays a role in B2B as well as B2C businesses.

While many newcomers embrace digital signage for the first time, early adopters (for example, retail and malls) carefully evaluate their current software to make sure they too can take advantage of the recent trends in digital signage software.

These trends in digital software expand the marketplace by attracting companies (with more features, easier-to-use technology, and lower entry costs) and by compelling incumbents (through the latest tech like cloud, Big Data and AI) to look at their older software and consider new solutions.

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About SocialScreen

SocialScreen is a leading digital signage software solution. Developed in Norway to help businesses everywhere enhance their brand communication and customer engagement, SocialScreen software has been tested and proven in the Scandinavian market, considered one of the top technology adoption areas in the world.

Managing content for digital signage has never been easier with features such as drag & drop content and automatic dependencies (which can adapt to external variables like weather and fleet management support). No matter what size your business is, SocialScreen makes it easy to manage and optimize your digital signage displays when you are looking to showcase products, share company news, or inform/entertain customers.

Go SocialScreen

Go for the free trial, to experience the ease and latest features of SocialScreen

Edbak Appoints New Commercial Director

12. 08. 2021

Dylan Card

Mounting/Installation

Edbak welcomes back Michal Strzelec in his new role of Commercial Director.

Michal Strzelec

As the market for AV projection, displays, and digital signage morphs to follow market shifts, Edbak continues to launch new and innovative mounting products. In August, Michal Strzelec re-joined Edbak to lead the company’s domestic and international sales growth as Commercial Director.

Strzelec spent more than 11 years in commercial positions in the AV industry, including the eight years he worked in Edbak. Most recently he has worked for the last three years in LG Electronics. Edbak expects his knowledge of the market, customers and vendors will contribute to the overall development of the commercial business at Edbak.

“The Edbak company has a great potential in terms of human capital and technological facilities. It is also a stable and trustworthy business partner, which is the basis for building long-term relationships,” says Strzelec.

“There are many changes in the way the sales channel functions and organizes, as well as updating the product offer. Our goals are to increase the recognition of the Edbak brand and to expand the sales network on the Polish and international markets. I am glad that I can be a part of these changes and contribute to the further success of a Polish family business in the international arena.”

As a producer of mounting systems for LED / LCD screens and projectors, Edbak is a leader in the Polish market as well as a well-known brand on the European market. They sell video conference carts, stands, multi-monitor video walls, wall and desk mounts, projector mounts, info kiosks and solutions for the retail industry.

Based in the center of Europe in Poland, Edbak is a family company with manufacturing experience accumulated during its 29-year history. They manufacture their own products under the Edbak brand for the AV and Digital Signage industries-- as well being a contract manufacturer of metal components for industry.

Go EDBAK

Rebirth of the Digital Signage Expo

02. 08. 2021

Bob Snyder

Industry News

The parent company of the Digital Signage Expo, Exponation LLC, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Sept. 2020, liquidating its assets and shutting down. Any death certificate, any autopsy would show the event was another victim of Covid-19: the event had been delayed twice in 2020 due to pandemic travel restrictions.

As the world voices optimism in its battle with the virus, the new owner (Questex, an events and publishing company bought the rights and assets of Digital Signage Expo at auction earlier this year) confirms a re-launch March 21-23, 2022 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Questex buys DSE assets

But it won't be the usual DSE.

First, it will have a sister event-- the Bar & Restaurant Expo (formerly Nightclub & Bar Show) which Questex also owns. It attracted 8738 attendees for its last show in June 2021.

And it's that type of synergy that compelled Questex to acquire the assets. The acquisition complements Questex’s business and builds on the recent acquisition of LDI, which connects design, technology and production to the live audience experience, and with Questex’s Technology assets including Sensors Converge, StreamTV Show and Fierce Electronics.

Questex CEO Paul Miller comments, “...Digital Signage Expo complements our portfolio perfectly and we’re excited for the opportunity to grow these properties as part of the Questex family. We hope to build upon the past.

The CEO also said he and his team felt picking up where Exponation would be a bad strategy. Questex believes an industry talking to itself is a limited conversation.

You can bet will leverage its assets to not only bring together the digital signage industry but also designers and buyers in a wide range of markets (particularly those industries it already serves).

In fact, Questex expects the DSE exhibitor list will expand beyond digital signage equipment providers to those who use digital technology to design and implement experiences that attract, inform, educate and entertain.”

To reach their new vision for the rebirth of DSE in 2022, DSE announced an Advisory Board last month who met over Zoom. Some smart folks in there.

Rich Ventura, VP, Sony B2B
Rick Robinson, Chief Strategy Office, Billups
Dorothy DiStefano, Director of Research, Immersive Art, Digital Placemaking Institute
Marcos Terenzio, VP, Creative & Strategy, iGotcha Media
Laura Davis-Taylor, Chief Strategy Officer, InReality
Nick Belcore, EVP, Peerless-AV
Jeff Hastings, CEO, BrightSign
Jackie Walker, Digital Signage Subject Matter Expert and Strategy Lead, Publicis Sapient
Stephanie Gutnik, Global Head of DOOH, Verizon
Sandra Richter, CEO, Soofa
Cherian Thomas, CEO, Octopus Interactive
Brad Gleeson, Managing Partner, TargetPath

DSE 2022 Advisory Board

Questex acquired the rights to the live and digital assets of DSE including all trademarks, tradenames, websites, domain names, databases as well as customer, vendor and attendee lists. Questex has the backing of its owner MidOcean Partners, a New York-based alternative asset manager specializing in middle-market private equity and alternative credit investments.

So Questex has the money, the experience from other events and an industry board. In March 2022, we'll get to see what they can do with DSE.

Go Digital Signage Expo 2022

4TheWall Intros Designer S for Videowall Control Management

01. 04. 2021

Dylan Card

Digital Signage Software

By design, Designer S operates on any standard computer as a video wall control without need for any special graphics cards. Computers (including mini-PCs) can be mounted behind the screen-- without requiring expertise in most projects.

4TheWall

A web (HTTPS) based software, 4TheWall’s Designer S targets customers who run crisis management centers, command and control centers, CCTV monitoring centers and operator centers with web pages such as NOC, SOC (dashboard, local sites or external sites) -- and anywhere IP-based sources are mostly used.

4TheWall CEO Cihangir Karalar notes, “We aimed for more effective software by developing additional features to our existing software. We have created an area where our customers can integrate the Designer S software to their existing systems, and this will provide flexibility to the customers.”

The new software provides borderless web page source view. Its easy-to-use interface is compatible with Android / Windows / IOS operating systems and has a web-based automation module that can be used in many devices. Audio and video sources in the environment can be controlled from a single point with the automation module.

Supported source types: 4K physical video and audio input (HDMI/DVI/SDI or analog), H.264 and H.265 decoding, IP stream, video, browser, YouTube, Google Maps, PDF viewer, image (JPG, PNG, BMP etc.) and others.

4TheWall developed its first version of a videowall controller management software (for crisis management center and command centers of defense industry in Turkey) in 2012.

Go 4TheWall Designer S

HidraLink: What’s in a Name

24. 09. 2020

Dylan Card

Agencies and Media

Hiperwall has “a shiny new visual communications product” that makes it extremely easy to put content on multiple displays driven by a PC.

HidraLink

It lets you manage displays that are not in line-of-sight. In addition, it can spread content across groups of displays for mini-video walls.

And it’s called HidraLink.

Sure, the basis for the name is the mythical multi-headed Hydra, since the software uses a single PC with multiple heads (displays). Then, in keeping with Hiperwall’s naming tradition, they took the “Highly Interactive” part of the Hiperwall name and made “Hidra” as the product family name.

It can still be pronounced “hi (as in hello)- dra” like the Greek and Roman mythical beast. At least in English.

HidraLink is their first Hidra product-- and it's designed for visual communications in lobbies, hallways, and high traffic areas.

For example, a timely and useful application for HidraLink is displaying thermal camera feeds in lobbies for temperature screening of employees and visitors.

The company added the capability to flip the application feeds as they are shown on the displays to provide a natural view to the people being seen by the thermal detection camera.

Go HidraLink