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News - This & That
(updated 15 September 2008)
(15.09.08)C-nario's new worldwide, value added partner programme for selling and marketing its digital signage software based platforms is based on a managed service provider, MSP, model, in which integrators and distributors will grant C-nario's digital signage software licenses to end users for a certain period, based on a monthly fee.
The MSP programme further enhances the ability to meet perfectly clients' requirements for high quality, fully operated service tailored to their needs, and affordable monthly payment. Implementation and service will be provided by C-nario's partners.
The new programme, which meets the global trend of an increasing demand for software as a service, was offered first in EMEA in March 2008, and was accepted enthusiastically by C-nario's partners. Several contracts, based on the new program, have already been signed for operating thousands of channels.
Through the programme, C-nario offers its qualified partners the opportunity to offer high quality services to its customers, emphasising partners' added value by being close to end users and capable of developing close relationships with them. In order to guarantee the high quality of services expected, partners participate in special courses at C-nario College before they join the new programme. C-nario's robust and simple to use products do not require special capabilities to deliver top quality services to large scale networks.
"Once again, C-nario demonstrates its open and customer orientated approach, focussing on the best interest of its customers and leaving enough room for its partners to provide top notch services and to be rewarded accordingly," says Rami Bahar, C-nario's VP of Sales & Strategy Planning. "Our mature and easy to use platforms, such as C-nario Messenger and C-nario Advertiser, enable our partners to pursue business opportunities and to maintain and enhance their competitive advantages."
Back to top(15.09.08)Screen Expo Europe 2009 takes place at London's Olympia exhibition centre on April 7 and 8. Visitor registration is now open for Europe's biggest and longest running event for digital signage and digital media networks Out-of-Home, says organiser Screen Events. With a projected growth of 50% in 2009 and BroadSign once again confirmed as title sponsor, the show is already attracting a raft of new exhibitors and many existing clients have dramatically increased the size of their displays.
Commenting, Mark Pigou, Director, Screen Events Ltd, says, "The screen media market gets bigger and more exciting every year. 2008 was a resounding success attracting over 100 exhibitors and over 3,000 visitors, 44% of which were from overseas and a total of 51 countries. According to exhibitors, the quality of attendees was high class, providing the perfect platform for networking and lead generation with companies in France, Pakistan, India, Israel, Greece, Portugal, USA and UAE to name a few. Next year, international exhibitor and visitor attendance will expand even further with a broadened technology profile, ramped up learning programme, and enhanced floor theatres and workshops."
The show’s 2009 learning programme will include three full conferences in addition to the free show floor presentations and workshop programmes – Display Technologies, In-Store Digital Signage & Media and Digital Out-of-Home Media. Each will run as independent conferences inside Screen Expo's walls, endorsed by leading industry associations and focused on a targeted audience interested in digital screen networks, for example, display professionals, brand marketers, point-of-purchase designers and manufacturers, creative agencies, media buyers, retailers and suppliers.
www.screenevents.co.uk/screenexpo2009
Back to top(15.09.08)Digital menu board displays at Berry Chill, a new yogurt bar in Chicago, have been installed by IDS Menus. Berry Chill opened its first location in January this year and now two more locations are planned to open soon. Berry Chill provides a daily menu of Original chilled yogurt and rotating flavours that include chocolate amaretto, pina colada and lactose-free pink guava. Customers can customise their yogurts or choose from a list of signature creations. Berry Chill prides itself on having a commitment to the community, providing its customers the health benefits of their custom made yogurt, and the overall enjoyment of the in-store experience.
IDS Menus provided Berry Chill with a turnkey solution that included creative content, the Scala InfoChannel software and expert project management. The installation includes four LCD screens at the order counter: two for menus and two for Berry Chill promotions, including clothing line, nutritional information and charitable efforts in the community. Powered by InfoChannel, Berry Chill's digital signage network can be easily scaled to incorporate additional locations that are currently under construction.
Berry Chill’s main goal in installing digital signage was to wow its customers, exceeding expectations on every level. In addition, Berry Chill desired to educate customers about the healthy benefits of yogurt. With IDS Menus Digital system, both of these goals have been met.
“The Digital Menu Board system that IDS Menus installed has exceeded my expectations,” says Michael Farah, Founder and CEO of Berry Chill. “The entire process went very smoothly, from the customer service I received to the superior work of their design team. The digital system that was installed was an exact fit for the environment and overall brand image that Berry Chill desired to implement. Our customers have reacted very positively towards the IDS digital content. I would definitely refer IDS Menus to anyone considering a Digital Menu Board system for use in their food establishment.”
According to Bryan Lesseraux, VP Marketing at IDS Menus, “The Berry Chill digital menu system was an ideal project for IDS. We didn’t have to convince Berry Chill of how important digital signage could be to their establishment, and they encouraged us to develop innovative, eye-catching content. We really admire Berry Chill’s business model and we look forward to helping them grow their business in the future.”
Back to top(15.09.08)Eco-friendly retailers, according to research, can reduce the carbon footprint of in-store labelling by more a third by switching from paper labelling to electronic point of purchase displays, says ZDB. In addition, intelligent use of EPoP flexibility to adjust prices quickly and easily could help retailers slash in-store food wastage with more major CO² benefits, researchers said. The news could come as a welcome boost to high street names, many of whom are keen to demonstrate their environmental credentials.
The study, conducted by environmental consultant Greenstone Carbon Management, compared the lifecycle emissions from the ZBD’s EPoP electronic label displays with a range of different sizes and types of the traditional paper labels widely used by supermarkets and other retailers.
Greenstone discovered that a ZBD EPoP produces lifecycle carbon emissions of only 1420g over its lifespan of five years, that’s 37% less than those of A6 paper tags over the same period. The reduction in CO² is said to be even more striking when compared against larger sized or laminated paper labels. Better still, says ZBD, Greenstone found that when EPoPs are refurbished for reuse at the end of their original battery life, their carbon usage for the next five years drops to just 576g of CO².
"Working with ZBD,” says Matthew de Villiers, Greenstone’s CEO, “ we recognised that individual retailers and stores achieve widely different usage levels of paper labels. These depend on the frequency of pricing, promotion and product information updates, as well as the number of paper tags actually used from each A4 perforated paper sheet put through the printer. To respond to real life conditions, we have developed a methodology that enables retailers to make realistic assessments of their paper label carbon emissions compared with those of ZBD's EPoPs."
"We examined the entire lifecycle of EPoPs,” continues de Villiers, “to assess their associated carbon savings. They showed a clear advantage over paper labels, and if their full functionality is exploited, the potential reductions in food and packaging waste make them an even more attractive option for environmentally-aware retailers. Preventing the waste of just 1kg of beef at a deli counter is equivalent to the carbon footprint of 24 EPoPs over five years. So the carbon saving through reducing food wastage has the potential to far outstrip the carbon savings of the EPoP device itself."
According to David Rogers, ZBD’s VP Sales & Marketing, "This research validates the 'green' benefits of switching to EPoPs: reducing the use of paper labels, minimising food and packaging waste and using virtually zero power. It means retailers who choose EPoPs can prove to their customers that they are making real efforts to reduce their carbon footprint right to the door of the store. In addition, customer response surveys at existing UK store installations have demonstrated a very positive level of satisfaction and confidence in the presentation of information electronically on EPOPs."
ZBD has an end of life programme in place that is said to be fully compliant with the requirements of the WEEE Directive. Safe waste disposal and recycling accounts for around 10% of the embodied carbon, according to Greenstone.
Back to top(01.09.08)ZBD has broadened its offering to retail customers with the release of SELS, its new smart electronic labelling solution. SELS brings together an expanded range of EPOPs and ZBD's Bounce software to make dynamic pricing and promotions possible for the first time, removing the need for paper labels in store.
Retailers now have the ability to engage with their customers as never before with a solution that easily integrates into existing retail systems through a software suite designed to deliver content to the point of purchase flexibly, reliably and cost effectively. SELS offers dynamic, rich content to the consumer allowing for more changes more often through minimal infrastructure.
Retailers can now dynamically merchandise to their customers with the ability to frequently adjust product, pricing and promotional information to take advantage of consumer demographics, market conditions or competitor activity.
Clive Mayne, ZBD’s chief executive officer, explained that SELS overcomes the challenge that retailers have had of controlling the information presented to consumers. “The combination of a unique display technology that,” he says, “requires zero power and demonstrates a very low total cost of ownership with the addition of a software suite that manipulates and delivers content unleashes capabilities not seen in the retail arena before.”
“We have worked closely with a number of retailers ensuring that we are business benefit driven and have shaped our solution to resolve real business problems,” Mayne adds. “We have a solution that delivers tangible business benefit and gives retailers a set of tools that offer greater customer service while delivering environmental gains such as reduced food, packaging and labelling waste.”
ZBD introduced its EPOP 300 device to complement its existing EPOP 500 model and now offers a choice of display sizes for different retail environments, where varied volumes of information are needed for presentation to consumers. It also announced the introduction of its next-generation production system, simplifying the manufacture and assembly process to make it even more cost-effective for large-scale production.
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