Why is smart digital signage important, and what is STRATACACHE’s experience in bringing digital solutions to market?
Mark Mayfield: STRATACACHE is a global leader in digital media and marketing technology. Our range of capabilities includes hardware manufacturing and software development, as well as integration and creative services, which makes us one of the largest and most comprehensive providers of marketing technologies in the world.
STRATACACHE creates a seamless travel experience with smart digital signage and location-based technology, allowing airports and airlines to present highly personalised digital content to specific passengers or relevant information to groups of passengers. With more than 30 years of experience in entertaining, informing and educating audiences, STRATACACHE is well known for its innovation and ability to leverage best-of-breed technology, such as mobile and predictive analytics, to create award-winning solutions that are easy to use, yet infinitely customisable.
STRATACACHE is known for its retail expertise. Why has it chosen to focus its attentions on the airport sector?
In short, the airport sector is a global market with a demonstrated need for display technology. Furthermore, in the past four or five years, the industry’s preference has trended towards the use of a single digital-signage content management system for all display needs – and away from display systems with a limited purpose.
Our growth strategy is simple: we bring industry expertise into the company while expeditiously delivering on our clients’ expectations. What has proved successful in sectors like retail, quick-service restaurants and entertainment – where digital shopper or audience engagement is prevalent – translates directly into the world of transportation. Airports are an intersection of all these different sector experiences. Indeed, there are multiple opportunities for passengers to be informed, as well as entertained, through digital engagement.
What can airports learn from the retail industry, and how can STRATACACHE help airlines?
For the past several years, brick-and-mortar shops have been in a battle with online retailers, because the latter can easily monitor a consumers’ needs and buying behaviours. With that advantage in mind, STRATACACHE created its platform for marketers, retailers and innovators to easily create and centrally manage the deployment of shopping experiences, while retaining the flexibility to rapidly adapt to local business conditions and the preferences of customers in store.
Airports can apply STRATACACHE’s solutions in their concessions now, but there are also many untapped opportunities to engage passengers. With STRATACACHE, airports can reach passengers in new and interesting ways, using location-based technology, interactive digital signage, and mobile technology that will drive loyalty and passenger satisfaction.
Our mission is to deliver scalable, high-impact solutions that directly enhance traveller experience and convenience, as well as improve airport operations, which ultimately increases revenue, efficiency and safety. Airlines have the most to gain because of their ability to have the greatest adoption of apps, which are key to presenting highly personalised content and concierge-level services to passengers exactly where they are located, whether they are pulling into the parking lot, walking through the terminal, resting in the lounge or in the gate-hold room.
Airlines will also find value in the marketing insight it can leverage with an enterprise-wide awareness of passenger location in proximity to digital signage in lounges, hold rooms or anywhere location-based technologies are installed. Our investment in the retail industry will help STRATACACHE continue to develop similar solutions and experiences for the air transportation industry.
How will airport digital signage evolve in the years ahead?
Several principles currently guide our product strategy. Our focus will continue to be on seamlessly tying mobile and display technology together with interaction and personalised content. STRATACACHE is focusing on streamlining information sharing, such as wayfinding and messaging, to fluidly move passengers throughout the facility; entertaining with managed multisourced internet protocol television programming across the entire campus, or with fun, interactive games; and delivering consumer activation with captivating visual content and welldesigned campaigns through mobile engagement.
