El Corte Inglés digitizes its signage

Inves has supplied El Corte Inglés shopping centers with digital signage devices customized down to the last detail for the broadcast of their own advertising and brands sold in the establishments themselves..

Help and guide clients on their tours inside the center and guide them in searching for departments and offices, communicate and remind visitors of ongoing commercial campaigns, etc, all of this resolved so far with static elements, These are just part of the reasons why El Corte Inglés, always attentive to technological developments that can help in your commercial activity, has launched the implementation of these advertising and dynamic information devices.

El Corte Inglés has implemented digital signage solutions in its shopping centers, after carrying out assessment studies, in order to take advantage of the advantages offered by this type of devices and cover the aforementioned aspects in addition to creating advertising circuits to offer the brands of the products for sale, that until now had been made with conventional static signage.

Qualitative advantages:

The benefits identified in the use of digital technology compared to static panels are clear:

-Eliminating paper items, metacrilatos, vinyls, etc. what, as single-use components, after expiration of the validity period, must be removed, discarded and replaced with new ones.

-Elimination of the complex logistics of printing and distribution of these elements that involve high running costs.

-Elimination of manual assembly and disassembly tasks, that must be done at night, interfering with daily merchandise replacement activities and that are also costly.

-Flexibility of content, that can be modified without more cost than their creation.

-Immediacy and simultaneity in its presentation: Once the decision to be shown has been made, they can be sent instantly and simultaneously to all affected display devices..

-Dynamism. A static panel always displays the same image for as long as it is exposed. In a digital one you can vary the content for time slots as small or large as you wish.. Allowing, For example, change the language of the texts on the same image, or play videos or moving images, impossible in statics.

-Attraction to better capture attention. The notoriety and effectiveness of digital screens together with the dynamism of the content improve consumer perception.

-Substitution of expenses for investment, which can be amortized based on the expected return on investment period.

-Improvement of corporate image, transmitting quality and modernity, in line with the perception that customers have of the company.

Component parts:

Leaving aside the content creation activity that, in any case, It is common to static signage and is, therefore, already resolved, To launch the digital project, the following components are required:

· Repository (server) where the contents that must be distributed for presentation are stored.

· Content management application, that will allow them to be organized, combine them, program them into time and device matrix grids, and distribute them to playback points, along with indications of times and permanence. Both, This application allows you to exercise control over devices to verify that they are working as intended.

· Display devices, consisting of screens of different technologies and sizes and LED module panels for large dimensions (paredes, facades).

· Players, industrial-type personal computers that are generally integrated into display screens and are responsible for receiving content, that have been sent to you by the management application, and?, thanks to a breeding program, They are responsible for displaying them on the screen according to the time and duration indications..

· Communication network to connect content repository servers, with playback computers integrated into display screens. The network can be established with physical media (fiber optic cable) or wireless (Wi-Fi or 3G modems 3G).

The projects

Los “mupis”

The first phase of the implementation of the digital implementation focused on the installation of semi-outdoor screens, "muppie", outside the main access doors of the most important shopping centers. With them, a first advertising circuit was configured, managed by In-Store Media, in order to be offered as digital advertising support to the brands of the products marketed in El Corte Inglés.

It started with 46” screens, developed and manufactured by Inves, the technological brand of the ECI group, at its Tres Cantos plant (Madrid), Consisting of a piece of furniture with protective glass and ventilation elements to evacuate the heat generated. They have a specialized integrated player, with 3G modem for communication.

Later, larger screen sizes were developed., 55” y 65”, and solutions were incorporated to place inside shop windows overlooking the main entrance, which were equipped with special support elements, also with 3G modem, for communication, with integrated players.

The “directories”

Another different phase has been the development of digital directories. Its purpose is to show the organization of the plants and the location of the departments, but they are also used to present promotional campaigns and as an advertising circuit.

Also manufactured by Inves, These are different indoor screens, of dimensions, characteristics and aesthetic customizations in accordance with the location and the contents to be presented:

· 43” horizontal super panoramic screens (aspect ratio 16×5), para las que se ha dispuesto un mueble integrador que recoge dos pantallas opuestas (one for each face) and a player that serves both. A telescopic tubular support allows the furniture to be hung from the ceiling. They are arranged along the hallways and at the exits of stairs.. Its main function is to guide customers on their tours of the plant..

· Vertical furniture supported on the floor (totems), in various versions:

• a single 46” vertical screen
• two 46” vertical “video wall” type screens, on one side and joined on their shortest side
• two 46” vertical screens opposite each other (one for each face), also with the integrated player.

The typical placement is inside the entrances and mainly shows the plant directories..

In this case, The playback computers are specific developments adapted to very particular requirements that have also been designed and manufactured entirely by Inves.. communication, here now it is by fiber optic cable, to connect to the internal network.

This is a project carried out by the El Corte Inglés group of information technology companies., with installation and commissioning by Ruybesa.

The future

The implementation has begun coinciding with the remodeling of the ground floor of the building on Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid, after the annexation to this center of the recently built Titania, has continued with the new center in Córdoba and will continue to take advantage of new openings and remodeling of centers.

As is logical, a long-term project like this, will evolve with the incorporation of new technologies that appear. An example of this is the implementation of a pilot “audience measurement” project that, with the integration of the “Intel AIM Suite” solution, It will allow you to determine the optimal dwell times for each image to achieve the best result and analyze the profiles and attitudes of customers who pass or stop in front of the display devices..