BrightSign has announced that the Emirates’ newest and most prestigious department store, the 200,000 sq. ft. flagship Robinsons, in the Dubai Festival Centre Mall, features an extensive networked digital signage installation based entirely on BrightSign players, and created by digital media specialist DigiComm.
Dubai is the first Middle East location for Singapore-based Robinson & Co. The 200,000 sq. ft. store is the largest store in Dubai and includes a 15,000 sq. ft. concession from the British store John Lewis, focused on homewares. as well as an IKEA concession. The store promises customers access to over 500 fashion, beauty and homeware brands including over 100 that are exclusive to the store. Screens driven by 47 networked BrightSign players and are central to the marketing of these brands in-store. The digital signage created and installed throughout the three-storey department store by DigiComm consists of a video wall, LED screens, brand columns, commercial screens and way-finders.
Ibrahim Bakhani, Director at DigiComm commented: “We chose BrightSign players to power this installation because they were the best product available, offering all of the functionality we needed. BrightSign is reliable and incredibly easy to use and install. The players are also compact and sit neatly behind each screen, emitting very little heat. We have been using BrightSign players for many years and they really are ‘fit and forget’ units – they need no management or updating, and failures are almost unheard of.” He continued, “We are now in talks with Robinsons about providing a similar installation for a new store they will be opening in Malaysia.”
Custom built 55” LED screens powered by BrightSign XD233 players welcome shoppers at entrances on each of the three levels. Shoppers are presented with Robinsons’ branding and information about current promotions in store such as January sales. A further LED screen which overlooks a promenade area with a creek replicates these messages. BrightSign XD233 players also deliver content to a 3 x 3 screen video wall with 47” displays, which introduces the John Lewis homeware area.
Within each department, DigiComm has located brand columns with portrait 49” screens attached on either side. These promote specific brands with video content provided by those brands. Each floor also has a VIP check out area where landscape 55” screens are used to display Robinsons’ messaging and advertise in-store promotions to the store’s most wealthy customers. All these displays are powered by BrightSign LS423 players.
On each floor, DigiComm has provided two or three 49” touchscreen way-finders, driven by BrightSign XD1033 players. These way-finders direct customers not only to departments but also to specific brands and provide information about the brands and products. Interactivity content are entirely managed by the BrightSign players running BrightAuthor software.
DigiComm created a cable and wireless LAN network to deliver content to the players. Many of the players are Wi-Fi enabled to simplify connectivity. Content is managed in an in-store media room which uses BrightAuthor on a central PC to control content on all screens across the three floors.
Bakhrani added: “Initially the DigiComm team managed the content, but we were able to hand this function over to the store staff very quickly. We provided training and support to help them get up to speed, and the drag-and-drop interface within BrightAuthor proved to be very intuitive and straightforward so that non-technical staff were quickly comfortable with it.”
Robinson & Co. Limited is a retail company which has department stores in Singapore and Malaysia. The company owns the Robinsons department store, John Little in Singapore and has franchise outlets of Marks and Spencer in both countries. The company has grown into one of the country’s most renowned department stores. Robinsons celebrated its 150th Anniversary in 2008.
