Microspace Addresses Market Need with Pay-For-What-You-Use Digital Signage

MCC’s Greg Weaver navigates the digital signage market for Microspace.

Recently, Microspace Account Executive Greg Weaver interviewed with a reporter from Satellite News, explaining Microspace’s new partnership with Scala, Inc. “to create a satellite-based, digital signage offering aimed at small companies that may find the cost of current networks too expensive.” Weaver, along with Scala President Jeff Porter, talked with Gregory Twachtman for his article “Microspace, Scala Looking To Tap Growing Digital Signage Market” in the June 13, 2005 edition of Satellite News.

Microspace and Scala announced their partnership on June 8th They are working together to provide a shared network solution “that charges customers based on the amount of service they use, rather than forcing customers to pay for an entire network.”

Digital signage is part of the solution to a growing problem advertisers are facing. As Tivo and other digital recording devices have given viewers the ability to record programming and watch it at their leisure, usually while fast-forwarding through commercials, advertisers need to find new ways to reach their audience.

Microspace is working with Scala to tap the digital signage market.

“The basic reason for most Digital Signage is up-sell or ‘Lift’, or in other words how to get additional sales dollars from a customer that you have in your store,” Weaver told capcom. “There are studies that show that retailers see an immediate increase in sales when displaying COMPELLING product content in-store”.

The Point-of-Purchasing Advertising International (POPAI) figures released recently continue to inspire digital signage as a merchandising tool. These figures show that 98% of customers buy in stores (rather than by telephone or Internet), 91% of customers shop without a list, 70%+ of purchase decisions are made in-store and in-store marketing vehicles are proven to lift up to 65% sales.

Microspace and Scala are currently targeting small retail, convenience and hospitality chains that do not have a large number of locations and may only have a regional presence.

“One of the banks we are working with is using this technology to inform their customers of other types of services that are offered,” Weaver told capcom. “With the Ditech.coms, E-trades and other financial services taking a bite out of their revenue streams, banks are realizing ‘if I’ve actually got a customer in my bank, I need to educate them on what else I’ve got to offer.’  The average dwell time in a bank is over seven minutes.”

Weaver said that the bottom line in this new market is “wherever people are idle for a given length of time, that location is a candidate for digital signage.”