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| SoundScape radio solution offers centralised management portal and audio players at multiple locations |
Barix has long been a global provider of in-store radio solutions, bringing value to retail shops and other businesses through brand awareness, consumer engagement and revenue generation. The introduction of SoundScape, its next-generation in-store radio solution, positions Barix as a technology leader in the retail market, helping businesses enhance flexibility and fuel new business opportunities from an advanced yet easy-to-use platform.
SoundScape is a comprehensive solution to manage audio distribution over IP networks, offering a centralised management portal and audio players at multiple locations. Music service providers can efficiently power in-store radio networks with SoundScape, using the portal to manage, configure, group and monitor SoundScape audio players and device status network-wide. SoundScape also enables content scheduling through built-in software, or allows service providers to use custom scheduling solutions.
Barix previously offered live streaming and Store and Play programs as separate applications, each available via software downloads for its IP audio encoders and decoders. SoundScape supports both applications on the same device, allowing retailers to switch between live feeds and stored playlists that playback at scheduled times. Both applications support targeted, location-based advertising insertions that seamlessly fade in and out of music programs.
The network-wide management capabilities of SoundScape further reduces costs and complexity by enabling customers to remotely deliver firmware updates, create and monitor logs, and track play reports for sponsors. This takes the onus off content providers who previously used in-house or third-party monitoring solutions to perform such services. Retailers can also integrate SoundScape with music suppliers to minimise licensing costs.
“Businesses of all kinds, including many retail chains, have long used Barix in-store radio solutions to deliver live streams and file-based playlists to stores and locations,” said Guggenheim. “SoundScape retains the core Barix competency of efficiently and reliably moving audio across IP networks, while introducing new features that will ultimately help businesses create better brand awareness, improve the shopping experience and increase basket size as part of their omni-channel strategies.”
SoundScape additionally provides value through an ability to target content across the network. The end-to-end architecture ensures that businesses can group devices to receive specific ads, other languages or completely different programs – whether by location, by department or otherwise.
The ability to switch between live streams and stored playlists brings additional flexibility. Retailers can take advantage of true, dynamic ad insertions within live, branded radio programs for part of the day, and switch to stored content at busier shopping times to preserve network bandwidth. The Store and Play application otherwise allows retailers to switch to special, customised playlists for holidays, events and local store promotions. To the latter point, retailers can easily take advantage of system flexibility to insert special ads for real-time promotion of price drops and other in-store specials.
Barix will demonstrate the complete solution in simulated retail environments at ISE 2014, taking place February 4-6 at the RAI Exhibition Centre in Amsterdam (Stand 8-E275); and one week later at Digital Signage Expo (Booth 1716), taking place February 12-13 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
