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Hughes Network Systems to Deliver Total Digital Signage Service to Retail

Hughes will now offer a Managed Digital Signage Service, the first of several new services planned in 2006 under the company's Digital Media Services umbrella. The company says that their "offering will facilitate the trend in the retail industry towards increased use of electronic in-store branding and promotion."

Hughes is looking to capitalize on recent research from AMR, which says that "shoppers make 70% of their actual buying decisions only after they are inside the store." The report suggested that if retailers can build in-store customer interaction, and differentiate their in-store experience from that of their competitors, they will be more likely to satisfy customer expectations, increase their overall basket size, and gain longer-term loyalty.

Hughes aims to make it simple for retailers to capitalize on the trends reported by AMR and to stay competitive through on-the-fly, targeted digital signage communications. Of course the package enables retail implementers to change content based on anything from time of day to the weather conditions, to the amount of customers in the store at the time. With this feature, retailers will be able to send more targeted and precise digital messaging to their customers. For example, a restaurant may have business clientele early for coffee and breakfast in the early morning, but at lunch hour, they may have students, stay-at-home-parents, or job hunters. The different groups respond very differently to marketing, and thus, retailers would benefit from being able to make appropriate changes at key times of the day.

Ken Cohen, assistant vice president of marketing, HNS says that "Hughes' Managed Digital Signage service gives retailers the power of their own television network at their fingertips. With traditional media and static displays, retailers are limiting their ability to communicate with target audiences. Our offering gives them the flexibility to customize their message at every site, at every moment. And because of Hughes' deep retail technology experience, our team can quickly assess a retail operation and recommend the right technology to maximize brand investments and expedite ROI."

The complete digital signage solution offered by Hughes is a single-vendor solution to help retailers large and small to solve a logistically complex operational challenge.

The result of a Hughes Total Digital Signage Service implementation is a complete, integrated electronic branding and promotional infrastructure that includes:

Installation and operation of the entire in-store media network;
Provisioning of high-definition video screens;
Media optimization and resolution reformatting; and
Playback affidavits.

Cohen added that "this as an opportunity for retailers to focus on brand building and increasing customer loyalty while Hughes, an experienced managed services provider, handles all aspects of technology management. We believe that our service will allow retailers of every size to realize the benefits of digital signage."

Hughes is not new to turnkey digital signage solutions. They have been managing digital signage implementations for retail customers across Europe, including Tesco PLC. Hughes is also is in the process of introducing the digital signage service in the U.S. Other existing and planned offerings under the company's Managed Digital Media Services branch include business IPTV and distance learning services.

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