AURES AUTUMN NEWSLETTER 2016
T UCH KICKING GOALS AT ANZ STADIUM AURES THE SOLUTION OF CHOICE
DIGITAL SIGNAGE THE FIRST STEPS SETTING UP FOR LOYALTY
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IT NEWS BUSINESS
WELCOME
Over the past few months I have had the opportunity to attend some customer conferences and industry exhibitions. Throughout my travels I experienced a vibrant community of retail and hospitality businesses and an equally vibrant technology industry supporting them. At the Subway conference I met with many franchise owners that were looking at investing in new hardware to support their businesses. At the Liquor Legends conference there was a distinct push on increasing customer loyalty which extended to the solutions needed in store to support this. At the Total Retail and Payments expo I met with many POS solution providers that were busy showcasing their solutions. The bottom line is that there is no better time to be in the POS industry. The demands of the modern shopper that now mingle between online and instore has placed heightened emphasis on having the right solutions in place to provide customers with a seamless shopping experience. The right solution also includes the hardware that is required to support business processes. Customer displays, integrated barcode scanners for scanning loyalty cards, mobile POS and digital signage solutions are all growing in demand. Also growing in importance is the want to have stylish hardware that fits in with store fitouts. Gone are the days where the function of a POS terminal was the most important criteria. Not only do modern businesses want a functional terminal but also one that looks great. Businesses are transforming to this new digital age of operation and with this brings a rethink of the systems in place. All this bodes well for us at AURES as we confidently meet these demands. We are expanding our range of solutions to meet customer demands with our latest edition being a new range of digital signage solutions which you can read more about in this newsletter. Our sales continue to be strong but we know more great things are to come. Yours sincerely, Phil Wild Managing Director
NEWS
THE MEETING OF MANAGERS IN FRANCE Once a year, the AURES management team from around the world come together to share country updates and discuss new products and the strategic direction of the business. This year the team met at head office in Paris, France. Representing the Australian and New Zealand marketplace was AURES Technologies Managing Director Phil Wild. Phil reported that the meeting was a great success. “We are fortunate to have great head office support for what we are doing down here and they were very pleased with our performance and the direction in which we are taking the business”. This meeting was the first for the now unified AURES group an important one as each region begins to work more closely.
HIGH INTEREST AT SUBWAY CONVENTION In April, the team at AURES were invited to attend the Subway Franchise Convention in Adelaide. As an authorised provider of integrated touch terminals to Subway, the AURES team showcased the J2 680 terminal that is in use in Subway stores around the country. When Subway franchise owners were not in information sessions they had the opportunity to speak directly to suppliers such as AURES at a dedicated exhibition hall. AURES and the J2 680 terminal have been big hits with Subway with numerous Subway service awards being won. Subway staff commented on the responsiveness of AURES to their needs, positioning AURES as a key IT solution provider to the group.
IT’S ALL ABOUT LOYALTY AT THE LIQUOR LEGENDS CONFERENCE Liquor buying group, Liquor Legends, held their group conference in April and AURES was invited to attend and showcase their solutions. With a strong focus on loyalty programmes, AURES demonstrated a 14” customer display with integrated 2D barcode scanner. This hardware combination allows for loyalty promotions to be displayed and the easy scanning of loyalty cards or mobile phone based promotions. Liquor Legends showcased AURES products in a special technology session as well in a supplier exhibition area.
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SHOWCASE
VEO NANO Micro PC for digital signage A critical component of any digital signage solution is having the right mechanism that can play the digital content. The VEO Nano is an ultra-compact, micro PC that connects to a digital sign to enable a range of content to be displayed, even up to 4K videos. Small enough to fit in your pocket, the VEO Nano plugs into an HDMI port and can be powered via a suitable USB port on the screen providing a compact, unobtrusive solution. An Intel Bay Trail chip provides the processing power of this fanless device and a 32GB eMMC card provides ample storage capacity.
A standard USB2.0 port accepts a range of peripherals while its Bluetooth connectivity enables a keyboard or mouse to be added. The VEO Nano’s small size allows it to be hidden behind a screen providing a clean solution. • • • • • • •
Micro-compact design (stick PC that fits into your pocket) Incorporates the latest generation of Intel Bay Trail processors Auto Restart (in the event of power cuts) 32GB eMMC Fanless, energy efficient platform Can be powered via external USB port Pre-installed Windows 8.1 Industry 3 year, RTB warranty.
Contact the team at AURES to find out more. Coming pre-installed with Windows 8.1 and built in wireless connectivity means this device can be easily integrated into any network.
VEO MINI Mini PC easy mounting on the back of a screen. At just 24mm thick, the VEO Mini is a compact PC that can be connected to a simple screen to turn into a powerful digital signage solution. Design to support ultra-high definition 4K video footage, the VEO Mini is powered by an Intel Braswell platform and an Intel HD Graphics chipset ensuring smooth video playback. Video connectivity is via a choice of HDMI or mini display port with VGA, DVI and HDMI adapter cable. Having both an HDMI and mini display port allows the VEO Mini to power two screens. Peripheral connectivity is taken care of by a host of ports including 2xUSB3.0 and 4xUSB2.0. The VEO Mini can be integrated into your network via built in WiFi or Ethernet cable. Fanless operation keeps the PC energy efficient while the robust aluminium housing features an integrated VESA mount allowing for
A wide range of operating systems can be used including Windows 10, 8.1 and 7 Pro making the VEO Mini an easy solution to integrate into your network. When you need the power to run Ultra High Definition video from a compact computer then you can’t go past the VEO Mini. • • • • • • • •
Compact design (220 mm x 135 mm x 24 mm) Incorporates the latest generation of Intel Braswell processors Fanless, energy efficient platform (green technology) Intel HD Graphics HDMI 4K Auto Restart (in the event of power cuts) Many input/output ports suitable for various sectors of industry and large-format digital signage 32 GB mSATA SSD Full VESA-mounting compliance (75/100/200)
Contact AURES to find out more.
Large format touch screens Whether you require a large format touch enabled monitor or implementing an interactive large format digital sign, the AURES range of LCD WIDE touchscreens could be the answer. Available in 15”, 22”, 32”, 42” and 55” screens, these slimline monitors offer an ultra-flat, glass screen equipped with pressure sensitive touch technology. Whether used as a standalone digital signage solution or integrated into a kiosk, these monitors are tough being able to withstand spills and dust. All monitors come with VESA mounts allowing for a wide range of mounting options including on poles or walls. The AURES LCD WIDE touchscreens are a perfect solution for interactive
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kiosks, digital signage, medical and health, CRM industry and automation applications. From small to large, the AURES LCD WIDE range of touch monitors offer the quality and reliability needed for effective digital signage applications. Contact AURES to find out more.
TECHNICAL
Configuring your integrated touch terminal for loyalty Loyalty programmes have become a key initiative for both retail and hospitality businesses as they strive to win the hearts, minds and wallets of customers. The key to a successful loyalty programme is in the management and when it comes to good loyalty management look no further than the IT systems you have in place. The good news is that your AURES integrated terminal plus a few add ons is ready to assist you in managing your loyalty campaigns. Here is our guide on configuring your integrated touch terminal for loyalty programme management.
Customer displays
Display mounting
scanning solution.
Customer displays are an excellent way to not only promote special offers or news to your customers but a great way to interact with your customers as well as provide a portal for customers to sign up to your loyalty programme.
Mounting customer displays is important to ensure that the customer can easily see the display and, if touch enabled, must be within easy reach of the customer.
The AURES integrated 2D Scanner can not only be used to scan QR codes from mobile devices but also scan products and employee security tags.
A second display is able to be connected to all AURES integrated touch terminals. Coming in varying sizes up to 14”, a customer display can be connected to a secondary display port and setup as an extended desktop display in Windows. Powering the display can come from the integrated touch terminal providing a neat terminal setup. Touch enabled customer displays Customer displays can also come in touch enabled form. These are the perfect solution for allowing customers to sign up to your loyalty programme as well as to allow them to interact with promotions or loyalty initiatives. Touch enabled customer displays connect as per their non-touch brothers but an extra connection is required that involves plugging the monitor into a USB port.
MSR The simplest way to mount a customer display is on the back of the integrated touch terminal. AURES customer displays can easily be mounted on the back of all AURES touch terminals. When you need to move the display to be accessible by the customer then pole mounting may be an option. Various options are available when pole mounting including having both the terminal and customer display mounted to one pole, the customer display only on the pole or extended pole mounts to position the display exactly where it needs to be. 2D Scanners A barcode scanner is a great way to quickly identify eligibility for a promotions or to quickly identify a loyalty programme customer.
Magnetic stripe readers, or more commonly known as MSR’s, have been a popular choice for clubs that need to identify members. MSR’s can be integrated into all AURES terminals with them being able to be attached to the side of the terminal or customer display allowing for easy swiping of loyalty cards. From signing up members to your loyalty programme, identifying loyalty customers to the effective promotion of special offers or products, you can be rest assured that AURES has the hardware to support your loyalty programmes. If you are looking at ways to be more effective in managing your loyalty campaigns, then give the team at AURES a call.
Integrated 2D scanners attached to a terminal or customer display is a perfect
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Kicking goals at ANZ Stadium Australia is fortunate to have some great sporting stadiums ANZ Stadium in Western Sydney is one of our newest stadiums that is up there amongst the best. The showpiece of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, ANZ Stadium was built to impress and entertain. Opened in 1999, the stadium has seen more than 23 million visitors through its doors. Playing host to Rugby League, Rugby Union. Soccer and AFL, ANZ Stadium has cemented its standing at the pinnacle of Sydney sporting and entertainment venues.
FEATURE
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FEATURE
AURES J2 680 terminals with customer displays allow SAO to promote directly to customers at the POS.
The ANZ Stadium business is managed by the Stadium Australia Operations (SAO) under a long term lease. Not only does SAO manage the marketing of the stadium but it oversees all maintenance and operations of all facets of the stadium. A critical component to maintaining the satisfaction of the revellers is ensuring that the stadium outlets can effectively process the thousands of food and beverage sales during events. The challenge Managing sales at a venue such as ANZ Stadium poses a number of challenges.
reliability and performance experienced in the fixed outlets in the stadium. With POS hardware that was reaching the end of its life and becoming very difficult to source parts and repair, SAO had to find a new hardware solution that could take it into the future. The AURES Solution With approximately 530 POS terminals in use at the stadium, the decision to renew hardware and change brands was a significant step. The team at AURES worked with the stadium solution provider, InfoGenesis, and SAO management to begin an evaluation process of suitable hardware.
The venue features numerous retail and hospitality outlets. Due to the nature of the events, the outlets experience periods of intense sales processing requiring effective point of sale infrastructure that is not only reliable but quick in performance to keep the crowds moving. With the venue also hosting non sporting events such as music concerts, the need to mobilise sales areas to pop up locations is required. This involves also setting up POS areas that can be assembled and disassembled easily whilst also providing the
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The AURES 225 and 680 terminals were earmarked for evaluation. Multiple terminals were installed for evaluation purposes at the stadium with all exceeding the performance and reliability targets. The 680 terminal was destined for use in fixed outlets. The powerhouse terminal in the AURES range, the 680 offered a rugged terminal with the highest performance and reliability.
“We are able to take 40 POS units up the Hunter Valley to operate during a concert, update sales back to our central server from remote locations and then have these same terminals back at the stadium running wirelessly at pop-up bars, ready for a 80k fan attendance soccer game the following day”
Not only does the 680 offer high speed performance but is capable of driving a 14” Customer display which SAO was interested to use in their member areas for promotional advertising. The smaller footprint and size of the AURES 225 terminal made it the perfect solution for use in pop up outlets with SAO staff easily able to deploy the solution as required. “We take our role of delivering a “fans first” experience extremely seriously. We are able to take 40 POS units up the Hunter Valley to operate during a concert, update sales back to our central server from remote locations and then have these same terminals back at the stadium running wirelessly at pop-up bars, ready for a 80k fan attendance soccer game the following day”, said David Fletcher, Manager Information Technology. SAO found that the ability to pole mount terminals has assisted in freeing up valuable counter space making for a neater and more useable POS space. A 7 year warranty ensured that the hardware was effectively supported throughout its life providing SAO with the confidence that its POS terminals will be serviceable for many years.
The compact AURES NINO terminals provide an easy transportable solution for semi permanent installations.
now transitioned to the 680 and 225 solution. When it comes to harsh operating environments, they don’t get much more complex than ANZ Stadium. Terminals have withstood the dust and grime that goes with a semi open environment and food and beverage service. The performance of the 680 and 225 terminals has exceeded the requirements of SAO. The ability to easily deploy the 225 terminals has allowed SAO to tap into greater revenues by being able to respond to heightened loads experienced at events. AURES terminals have also become part of other venues that SAO manages including the Sydney Aquatic Centre and Sydney Motorsport Park as well as other pop up events it is involved in managing. The performance and reliability of the solution coupled with the reliability and support from AURES and InfoGenesis in what is one of Australia largest single POS installations has given SAO the confidence that it has invested in the right solution both now and into the future.
AURES services sealing the deal It is definitely an AURES future for ANZ Stadium with all terminals
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EDUCATION
Digital Signage [ The first When the flat screen television was invented, it didn’t take long for progressive retailers and hospitality venues to see an application for them as part of their fitouts. As the costs of screens dramatically dropped since their inception, digital signage solutions have become more popular. We take a look at what do you need to consider in setting up an effective digital signage solution. Why digital signage? The first step to setting up an effective digital signage solution is understanding what you are aiming to achieve with the signage. Your outcome will determine your infrastructure requirements. For example, using signage to display static content versus streaming high definition video will require a different level of hardware and content management systems. You should consider how you wish to manage the signage content as well as the process of creating the content. The hardware The hardware required to implement a digital signage solution can be broken into the following components: • Screen • Playback device • Network Screens A wide variety of screens can be used for digital signage. Initially businesses transformed regular flat panel televisions into digital signs but now more dedicated signs are available. As an example, AURES new range of large format, touch enabled screens not only offer the ability to effectively show high definition imagery and videos without the television componentry that is redundant for most digital signage applications. Large format, touch enabled screens provide a more interactive display to allow customers to interact with the content. Such displays are allowing businesses to expand the use of digital signage solutions beyond static signage. Content playback device A device is required that manages and sends content to the screen to be displayed. For simple, single screen applications, a USB drive can be plugged into
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t steps ] screens to display content. For more complex installations, a different approach is required. If you operate multiple screens across multiple locations or have many screens in a single location, having a solution that can manage content over a network is required. In such installations a computer based solution is required that allows each screen to connect to a wireless network which allows for a centralised content management solution to be used. Ultra-compact computer devices are now available such as the AURES VEO Nano and Mini. These mini computers plug directly into a display port on a screen to provide full computer functionality and in built wireless connectivity. Their small size enables them to be mounted discreetly behind a screen. There are many digital signage content management solutions that enable remote management of content. These solutions use the power of the internet to monitor each display and the content that is displayed. Such solutions make the task of managing content a breeze across multi location installations.
The content A digital signage solution is only as good as the content being shown. Content is king! A wide variety of content can be displayed on digital signs from static photos to streaming video. Retailers have used digital signage as part of their store fitout dĂŠcor while hospitality outlets have predominantly focused on promotional activity with a growing trend to use screens as digital menu boards. Some content management solutions include software to help you build your signage content but if you do not have the time or expertise to build content, a marketing agency will be able to assist. Reliable solutions With most digital signage mounted in locations that are not easily accessible, it is important that you invest in good quality hardware to minimise the need for cumbersome maintenance. Spending a few extra dollars will reward you in the long run and allow you to not focus on the hardware but more on maximising the use of digital signage through effective content management. For more information on digital signage hardware, contact the team at AURES.
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Ph (02) 9584 5222 Email ausales@aures.com
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Every care has been taken in compiling the contacts of this newsletter, but we assume no responsibility for the effects arising therefrom. AURES Technology Pty Ltd do not accept any responsibility arising in any way (including negligence) for errors in, or omissions from, the information provided in TOUCH newsletter. All information was correct at the time of print.