Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM NOVEMBER 2017 56 N ationwide Marketing Group—North America's largest buying and marketing organization for independent durable good dealers— continues to blaze new paths in digital signage technology with the introduction earlier this year of MemberNet TV UHD. Integrating 4K Ultra Definition to the group's proprietary digital signage network, the fourth-generation players began shipping to dealers in March. Nationwide PrimeMedia's Chris Bryant, who leads the development team for MemberNet TV, shared insight on the technology, saying, "We drew heavily on everything we've learned in over a decade of providing advanced digital signage to independent dealers as we developed the Ultra Definition signage solution. We've known since the beginning that housing content on the player allows MemberNet TV to be very stable in-store so that performance isn't dependent on the speed of the internet connection. This has never been more important than today, as 4K content requires a large amount of bandwidth." In order to keep bandwidth open for the multitude of functions needed in store operations, MemberNet TV Ultra takes advantage of the hours when the store is closed to update content. This allows unprecedented stability during the hours the system is in use. Doug Wrede, who leads Nationwide's CE division, elaborated further, adding, "Our CE-focused members obviously had a need for UHD content in order to demonstrate the full capabilities of today's most advanced TVs, but we've seen implementation and use in every other category as well. The ability to stand out in the marketplace has never been more important, and the stunning clarity of UHD video in the appliance, furniture and even bedding departments creates a show- stopping moment for consumers." Nationwide has further invested in UHD by upgrading all their in-house video production capabilities to 4K. According to the leader of Nationwide's production team Kevin Bryant, "In 2016, we began producing our highest quality cinematic-grade marketing assets in 4K and have since upgraded our industrial production cameras and post production facilities at the beginning of this year. Nationwide was the first team to shoot training programs about UHD, on UHD. Of course, the technology requires a greater investment in time, equipment and creative, but the difference for our members is definitely worth the effort." Nationwide's evolution as the industry pioneer in digital signage technology hasn't stopped with the introduction of the Ultra HD player. The group's MemberNet TV MAX displays allow dealers to implement coordinated multi-screen displays into their stores. Currently, both a two- by-two and a three-by-three option are offered, and the group's exclusive multi-screen routing technology allows the screens to be used to create one massive multi-screen picture, or to distribute the same picture concurrently to each screen. According to Bryant, "This technology allows our members another merchandising tool that is unique in the market place, and communicates in-store messages in a way that consumers are sure to see. Several members have installed MemberNet TV MAX, and it really enhances the experience in-store with something that's sure to grab the consumer's attention." The enhancements and introductions continue with MemberNet TV Micro, which allows digital signage to become further entrenched in dealers' merchandising strategies. MemberNet TV Micro uses a custom- built kiosk display and allows the digital signage software to be deployed on a purpose-programmed tablet to allow for item-by-item deployment on the sales floor. The on-demand technologies that have been part of MemberNet TV since 2013 allow front-line sales teams to use video- based content to enhance presentations and deliver immersive experiences for consumers. From the inception of the MemberNet TV platform, all players in the proprietary digital signage network have housed all content on the device, as research has shown clear disadvantages to streaming players in retail store environments. Chris Bryant shared more detail, saying, "We've found that while connection speeds have increased quite a bit over the past decade, the average retail store environment suffers when a streaming player is added to the network. The additional draw on bandwidth can be disruptive to store operations, slowing connected activities like POS Systems, shopper's smartphones, and employees' tablets. Complicating the issue further, the slow connection can cause streaming players to struggle as they compete for bandwidth, often rendering them unable to display content. While streaming technology is easier and less expensive to develop, we've found it just doesn't perform in-store." The new MemberNet TV UHD, along with MemberNet TV MAX and MemberNet TV Micro will be featured at Nationwide's upcoming PrimeTime show in Las Vegas, Nevada, allowing Members to experience and purchase the revolutionary new assets for immediate deployment in their stores. Visit www.nationwideprimetime.com for more information. RO NATIONWIDE'S MEMBERNET TV CONQUERS UHD Fourth generation of Nationwide's digital signage network integrates 4K ultra high definition B U Y I N G G R O U P N E W S RO

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