Amazon Launches $100 “Signage Stick” And Small Digital Signage CMS Partner Roster
October 1, 2024 by Dave Haynes
Updated …
Well this is intriguing … Amazon has started marketing a lean version of its Fire TV HDMI sticks with the digital signage market in its sights – even calling it the Amazon Signage Stick.
The $100 USD device looks like most Fire TV sticks, but the difference is that the stuff that’s loaded for streaming services like Netflix has been stripped out – in the same way PCs running Windows for digital signage applications ideally have much of the bloatware stripped out when they get loaded with a software image.
I had a quick chat with a couple of Amazon guys at ISE or InfoComm or somewhere in the past few months, and they wanted to talk more. But we didn’t – or I didn’t – get that together. This is likely what was going on.
Amazon’s main selling points for the device are:
- Seamless content management software integration – works out-of-the-box with multiple leading CMS applications (separate CMS subscription required);
- Designed for digital signage – auto-launches content management software in kiosk mode for unattended operation, increasing uptime without requiring user involvement;
- Easy set up – connects to screen in minutes with no technical expertise. Setting up one or many Signage Sticks with a supported content management software is easy, using a hassle-free process that can be completed from a mobile device.
Amazon also stresses the devices are locked down: Secure and reliable, with a secure boot loader, data encryption, and regular updates that keep signage safe and running smoothly.
There is a dedicated signage.amazon.com page with a login to Signage Manager.
Amazon is launching this with a set of CMS software partners – primarily ones that target small businesses, but also ScreenCloud, which started out in SMB and using low-cost devices, but has since evolved into an enterprise/workplace-centric offer.
Screenshot
One of the partners is UK-based PosterBooking, and CEO Jannatul Choudhury tells me his team tested the stick for months and has been very happy with the performance.
“The new Amazon Signage Stick, when combined with our platform, makes managing screens easier than ever. Whether you’re running a single shop or overseeing thousands of screens, this is the perfect solution to enhance your business’s visual presence,” says Choudhury.
To stimulate sign-ups, PosterBooking is offering a one-year free subscription to its CMS for all users of the Amazon Signage Stick, with unlimited licenses included.
“We’re proud to offer this one-year free subscription,” adds Choudhury, “as it empowers businesses to realize the full potential of digital signage without any upfront cost.”
The Israeli software firm NoviSign is another early adopter, and CRO Danny Hen tells me they see potential.
NoviSign is excited to be selected as a pre-installed CMS in the Amazon Signage Stick product. After collaborating closely with the Amazon team to rigorously test and validate our CMS on this innovative platform, we are confident in its potential to receive a significant demand from the market.
We believe Amazon’s entry into the digital signage space marks a significant milestone for the industry. One that will accelerate the adoption of digital signage across a broader spectrum of businesses, from SMBs to large enterprises. This development will lower the barrier for new audiences to explore and engage with digital signage and do so via a trusted provider most of them are already doing business with on a daily basis. Now they can get their signage needs met via that trusted provider. Easy, fast, affordable and robust. Soon we might see businesses order a gallon of milk to their office, and add a Signage stick to it 🙂
We have already received significant interest from our customers and reselling partners, eager to learn more about the product and how they can integrate it into their operations.
This is, of course, interesting on a whole bunch of fronts. Consumer-grade devices are designed, of course, for consumer applications. The rock-bottom low price of Fire TV sticks has made them attractive to software and solutions companies who sell into small to medium businesses – a market that has its share of end-users more fixated on low price than performance.
So you could get digital signage running on set top boxes and HDMI sticks, but the manufacturer may not have even known the devices were being used for signage. There was certainly little or no attention paid to it by developers, and support was likely going to be patchy.
A lean, purpose-designed version for commercial uses dodges that problem, with the CMS app auto-launching to kiosk/fullscreen mode when power comes on.
As laid out here, Amazon sees an opportunity with some scale.
Companies who want to add support for this device should reach out to Amazon’s Dvir Doron, who is running this project. He wrote on Linkedin: With the vision of affordable professional signage, we focused on creating a hassle-free experience, with powerful performance, easy set up and seamless integration with select content management software.
Good day
How would I go about listing our signage product as a CMS option for the Amazon Signage stick?
Dvir and his team observed those using Amazon devices for digital signage and instead of shutting down unintended use, they doubled down on removing the concerns and technical issues and leaned in to the needs of digital signage CMS providers and use cases.
Whilst the Signage Stick is not a BrightSign LLC or other hardened digital signage device, it has a place in our ecosystem for SMBs and non-mission critical use cases.
This is Amazon formally dipping their toe into the digital signage market, if they get the traction they expect, we could see other Fire devices brought to market that address the concerns of using a Signage Stick.
Amazon’s commitment to digital signage shows our industry is growing and I welcome the opportunity and interest this brings to us all.