The Sharp Future of Digital Signage Solutions

Today’s digital signs are far ahead of their paper-based cousins, but not far enough. Advances in Internet of Things (IoT) technology, machine learning, and personalization have much to offer the future of digital signage.

For the most part, the technology needed to fully expand the potential of digital signage already exists. As consumer attitudes towards personalized data analysis and IoT data leverage change, so too will the market space that digital signage inhabits.

Global equipment manufacturer Sharp is already ahead of the curve. The company took home six awards for innovation at the NAB show in April 2018, held in New Jersey. Right now, the major trend in digital signage is cutting-edge 8K display technology. Tomorrow’s digital signs will make use of future digital infrastructure to deliver an even more impressive experience.

Personalized Content is Key to the Future of Digital Signage

Today’s consumer tech environment is totally focused on the user. Tech companies that provide personalized experiences hugely outperform their competitors, no matter how good the competing universal experience may be.

Users are increasingly asking technology to conform to their specific needs and wishes. New advances in personalized data analysis and machine learning will make this possible in the world of digital signage.

For instance, tomorrow’s digital menus may be able to securely and privately process the health information of restaurant visitors. In this case, digital signage technology combined with IoT connectivity could suggest a meal that aligns with a specific visitor’s diet or health goals. It could even point out which menu items contain allergens or other unwanted ingredients.

Most of the technological hurdles to achieve this have already been jumped. What stands in the way right now is widespread-enough adoption of IoT technology for demand of personalized digital signage to increase. These displays will feature forward-facing cameras and connectivity options for mobile devices.

To satisfy consumers’ privacy concerns, regulation for the communication and use of user data in public places must exist. The right regulation will prevent everyday retail visitors from experiencing the Big Brother feeling.

IoT for Personalized Content, Machine Learning for Recognition

Many digital signage users will opt for facial recognition in order to enjoy the fastest and most comprehensive experience. The more data digital signs have on passersby, the more adequately the signage system can choose what – and how – to display branded messaging that speaks to consumer needs. Try to follow and see page that offers exciting and interesting signage designs to place it at your building entrance.

Data will be at the core of this new signage experience, and powerful machine learning engines will have to be able to intelligently assess the identities of individuals who have opted to be represented in the sign’s database. Advanced facial recognition applications can already accurately predict peoples’ emotional state.

But delivering personalized content means more than simply recognizing a customer in a store and greeting them by name. A smart digital sign needs to be able to respond to human social cues, which makes the recognition process more complicated.

Future versions will be able to identify individual’s cognitive capacities and personality traits. Naturally, adoption of this advanced technology cannot become widespread until the ethical dimension of predicting strangers’ private and personal lives is fully explored.

Artificial Intelligence for Automated Decision-Making

With technology in place to accurately identify individuals and to personalize content for their consumption, the next step in the future of digital signage is creating systems that can accurately deliver results based on subtle contextual clues available in the surrounding environment.

When a customer visits a store, the artificially intelligent digital signage system should know what to suggest and what not to, based on that customer’s preferences. The display can show bargains and special offers, including ones that are personalized to that individual customer, but it must be able to do with restraint.

A drugstore visitor may find automated, personalized guidance useful when purchasing a potentially embarrassing item. That same visitor would not be very happy to see advertisements based on past purchases prominently displayed upon his or her return – especially if accompanied.

Solutions to these problems are underway. The future of digital signage will incorporate the benefits of personalized, customized content with users’ expectation of privacy and respect, creating a dynamic environment that responds to peoples’ needs authentically.

To experience Sharp’s 8K display technology, visit Infocomm 2018 this week of June 6-8, 2018 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Are you thinking about implementing a cutting-edge digital signage or collaborative solutions in your place of business? Learn more about the Sharp products we have to offer. Also visit sharpusa.com