Projects: Smart Signage End Caps In Loop C-Stores

June 16, 2013 by Dave Haynes

Here’s a small pilot in Silicon Valley that’s interesting for several reasons.

It’s using HTML5 as the content platform. It’s a digital signage deal coming out of the print sector. It integrates mobile interaction.  And it is using Samsung’s system on chip Smart Signage displays.

(Disclosure: I work with or am tight with some of these companies, but that’s not why this is interesting.)

Loop Neighborhood is a new upscale convenience store chain in the San Jose area that recently lit up a pilot digital signage program featuring animated product promotions with QR code coupons built on Samsung’s Smart Signage Platform.

The project lead is Ingage Solutions, a new division of Federal Heath Sign Company, which is a very large mainstream sign company expanding into the digital space (there’s no end of people who said this would never happen, but pffffft, it is happening). Ingage worked with my friends at Insteo (who get the HTML5 thing way more than most) to produce, install and deploy the project.

The install has Samsung 32” ME-C Series displays in portrait format, showing animated product promotions. Shoppers can scan the QR codes embedded in the content to receive on-the-spot discounts.

Loop had been looking for a simple, dynamic and cost-effective way to deliver product promotions and increase customer engagement and loyalty, says Steve Resnick, Executive Vice President of Ingage Solutions. Using Smart Signage cut out the requirement and associated cost of a separate media player, as the panel has the equivalent of a smartphone CPU, memory and networking embedded in the enclosure.

“We stepped out of the box and took a leap of faith that the Smart Signage Platform worked as advertised. It did – installation was as simple as plugging in power and LAN, and pointing the display to the Insteo URL,” says Resnick. “Working with Insteo has been a dream relationship. The content displays beautifully and the resolution is excellent. We both realize that digital signage has to be strategy based, and the Samsung Smart Signage Platform supports that ultimate goal and enables brands to enjoy the benefits of digital signage at a much more affordable price-per-screen than has been typical in the past.”

“Samsung’s Smart Signage Platform allows us to write native HTML5 web apps with dynamic animations combined with client managed content,” adds Jim Nista, Insteo CEO and Creative Director.

“We have a number of exciting customer deployments in the pipeline and it’s fantastic to see the industry embracing our vision for smarter, simpler digital signage,” says Kevin Schroll, Samsung’s senior product manager for digital signage. “The Loop deployment is a great example of how a brand is able to tap into the power of digital signage more easily and cost-effectively on the Smart Signage Platform.”