EFI Introduces SmartSign Analytics Monitoring System at ISA

FOSTER CITY, CA—April 5, 2013—At the ISA International Sign Expo in Las Vegas, EFI unveiled SmartSign Analytics (SSA), a system that automatically captures and analyzes signage viewership and engagement data. Conceived and shown as a technology demonstration by EFI’s Online Print Solutions (OPS) unit, SSA will help signage providers and retail marketers better measure and understand the effectiveness of their efforts.

“Print can drive relevance, revenue and profit in the age of big data, and this technology demonstration can show how that will happen with signage,” said Mark McGowan, director of EFI’s OPS products. “SSA has the potential to provide unprecedented insights on the best strategies and execution to drive retail sales.”

A single SSA unit includes a webcam attached to a sign, connected to a computer or tablet running a partner facial recognition software and EFI’s proprietary SSA software for data organization, analytics and reporting. In an actual retail implementation, most marketers will likely deploy multiple units to measure, compare and improve signage performance at different stores or at different in-store locations.

The SSA system’s webcam and software combination detects the presence of people within viewing range and determines which of them are actually viewing a sign. Eye-tracking tools on the SSA system also allow it to calculate how much time is spent viewing signage.

Beyond those useful metrics, the advanced SSA technology provides even more-detailed demographic information. Using advanced, proprietary facial pattern algorithms, the SSA system assigns a gender and age range to each viewer, providing a wealth of market-segment information that businesses cannot quickly or easily collect by any other means.

An embedded, failsafe routine in the software ensures that the SSA system discards facial pattern data on the fly, with no actual images of faces stored during operation.

SSA will enter beta testing this quarter. Visitors to EFI’s International Sign Expo booth can see an EFI SSA kiosk attached to a sign capturing and reporting live data.

About EFI
EFI is a worldwide provider of products, technology and services leading the transformation of analog to digital imaging. Based in Silicon Valley, with offices around the globe, the company's powerful integrated product portfolio includes digital front-end servers; superwide, wide-format, label and ceramic inkjet presses and inks; production workflow, Web-to-print, and business automation software; and office, enterprise and mobile cloud solutions. These products allow users to produce, communicate and share information in an easy and effective way, and enable businesses to increase their profits, productivity, and efficiency.

Source: EFI.