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January 17, 2010

Wishing to have its own standards-based, interactive digital signage system, Intel Corp. has demonstrated late Friday its new 7-foot-6-inch multi-user, multi-touch Intel® Intelligent Digital Signage Concept at the National Retail Federation Convention (NRF) in New York.

Intel said its new prototype device would change the way people interact with digital signage technology in public places such as shopping malls, airports, train terminals, banks, large restaurants and hotels.

First revealed by Intel's CEO Paul Otellini at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week, Intel's demonstration emulates a virtual brick-and-mortar store setting.

Store customers may use the multi-touch holographic screen to explore merchandise, find out about promotions, submit feedback on products, read customer reviews, view past purchasing histories and share what they have discovered with their friends via social media and mobile phone integration.

"As stores seek more competitive advantages over online retailers, digital signage has become a valuable technology for dispersing targeted and interactive content to shoppers," said Joe Jensen, general manager, Intel Embedded Computing Division.

He added "We therefore designed the Intel Intelligent Digital Signage Concept to show that retailers can engage and interact with consumers in a more personal and compelling manner through new usage models such as increased reality and interactive product explorations, which in turn could yield an increase in revenue and customer loyalty for the shop keeper or store owner."

Now, multiple consumers can use this side-by-side window display simultaneously to explore augmented reality-enabled maps of each floor of the store, on which retailers can superimpose images such as coupons and sales promotions next to the product visualizations on the glass, improving the customer's overall shopping experience.

Intel's new digital signage system also brings a new opportunity for advertisers through the use of anonymous video analytics.

As a viewer looks at the system screen, the built-in camera technology analyzes data such as gender and age, audience composition, time-of-day and other criteria, which enable the system to display tailored content and graphics based on estimated demographics.

Intel's new "intelligent system" anonymously sends audience information to interested advertisers who can use that data to understand the exact type of content and messages that are most popular with viewers. This, in turn, helps these same advertisers target their marketing efforts to maximize the impact on their intended audience.

Overall, the consumer retail and digital signage markets are continually evolving, and Intel is actively working with other leaders in technology to provide 'intelligent' solutions that address industry challenges.

Kevin Dallas, general manager for the Windows Embedded Business Unit at Microsoft said "traditionally, retail and digital signage application development has been fraught with difficulty as system development requires the use of many different platforms. To address the need for a more streamlined solution, Intel also announced a strategic relationship with Microsoft to develop an open-standards validated platform for digital signage applications."

He added "with Microsoft's Windows Embedded™ and the Intel platform, we will provide industries such as the digital signage market with scalable and interoperable solutions that enable applications with rich graphics and interactive capabilities. With this solution, we look forward to delivering endless possibilities to the digital signage industry and beyond."

Source: Intel Corp.

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