AOPEN announces new digital signage software partnership with Blocks Global

MELBOURNE, Australia - April 4, 2013 - PRLog -- SAN FRANCISO, MELBOURNE, 4 April, 2013 -  AOPEN, a leading global manufacturer of digital signage and appliance computing solutions, and Blocks Global, a leading Australian developer of in-store marketing and customer experience solutions, today announced a global software partnership agreement under  AOPEN’s OpenService initiative. Under the agreement, OpenService will market and support, through its extensive network of distributors and channel partners worldwide, a white label eCommerce and mCommerce Android platform developed by Blocks.

Growth in the worldwide digital signage market is forecast to exceed 40% in 2013, growing to US$7 billion. Retail is the largest vertical, accounting for 25% of equipment and software sales. IMS predicts that retail will maintain its dominance, reaching nearly US$2 billion in infrastructure sales by the end of 2015.

But the problem, according to  AOPEN, is that many retailers don't understand the hidden cost of buying a display and a software package.  AOPEN estimates that 80% of the total cost of ownership is actually the operational cost of maintaining the system and content creation.

OpenService was created as an end-to-end solution for the retail sector: from remote management, content creation and distribution, to analytics and social media engagement.

Blocks Global was seen as ideal partner for this initiative. After rigorous testing, its software was found to have features that were completely unique. More than just signage, it represents holistic business tools for retailers, covering display, analytics and specialist services such as m-commerce. The results are a better customer experience, cheaper cost of ownership and a new feed for big data analysis.

Stephen Borg, Global Director Strategy and Market Development at AOPEN says the Blocks platform is a welcome addition to the OpenService family complementing their existing relationships with software providers, system integrators, installation partners and specialist consultancies within the network. Blocks adds a point of difference as it is agency driven and very simple to use.

“Our vision for OpenService is to create value beyond signage as we know it today, by unifying end customer channels.  We want customers to think of digital signage like they would a new smart phone. They can just pay a monthly fee and use it, without worrying about how it works. Instead of shopping around for all the necessary components, customers can go to one provider and get everything in one place.

“After 12-months of rigorous testing and in store trials, the Blocks platform stood out as category leading technology making it quick and easy for our partners to deliver a seamless Digital-Out-of-Home experience to customers who may have limited to no technical experience,” says Borg

Blocks Global managing director Paul Wilson said the company is delighted to partner with  AOPEN as a world leader in digital signage.

“Interactive web based digital signage gives retailers an opportunity to transform the way they support customers through a consistent and measurable shopping experience, which ultimately leads to more satisfied customers and an increase in sales for the retailer.

"We're thrilled to be working with  AOPEN in their industry leading OpenService initiative. By combining  AOPEN's hardware experience and Blocks Global's software and design heritage, we can sasify a holistic, market-leading vision that has the possibility of reinventing the category.

“We believe our partnership with  AOPEN OpenService is an exciting opportunity on a global scale for both companies and a win for an Australian based technology company.," said Wilson.

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About  AOPEN

AOPEN Inc., founded in 1996, is headquartered in Taiwan with offices in America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific.  AOPEN has more than 10 years of IT hardware manufacturing experience along with keen insights into IT industry trends that help drive the growth of  AOPEN. As the leading manufacturer of digital signage hardware solutions worldwide,  AOPEN continues to expand its products and services for digital signage and other vertical application markets. With in-depth market knowledge,  AOPEN can offer advice for complete digital signage platform solutions.  AOPEN has cultivated a sophisticated ecosystem of premium solution providers to offer its solutions via its value added channel network to the market.

http://www.aopen.com

About OpenService

Founded and built upon an alliance of hardware, software, and content creation partners, OpenService seeks to tackle the challenges of traditional digital signage deployments with the expertise and experience necessary to bring a total solution to any digital signage deployment and ensure it is done right. By offering an End-to-End total solution, OpenService takes the hassles of purchasing solutions, maintaining hardware, and creating new relevant content and puts it all in the hands of professionals.

http://www.open-service.org

About Blocks Global

Blocks Global is an Australian based software company specialising in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions for digital signage, that help retailers bridge the gap between online and offline by delivering engaging digital experiences in store. Its core products, Blocks and Screener, allow retailers to quickly deploy and manage highly automated digital signage networks, and execute multiple, complex campaigns, with minimal personnel.

http://www.blocksglobal.com