In a busy retail environment, earning consumers’ attention is no easy feat. Delivering the right message at the right moment – when someone is ready to buy – is even more challenging. Brightstar Lottery’s new SignaLink™ platform was designed specifically for this purpose. The solution combines advertising display and menu board functionality into one modern, digital in-store engagement platform. A highly flexible solution, SignaLink can be configured as a digital advertising display, an instant ticket menu board, or both, transforming the point of sale from a moment of transaction into a powerful communication channel.
“We’ve done more than add a few extras to a digital menu,” says Jesse Saccoccio, Brightstar Senior Director, Product Management. “This is a true, digital retail advertising platform, and the dynamic menu board is just one of the modes that players can experience.” (see demo below)
SignaLink allows lotteries to deliver advertising and promotional content to the retail network in real time. And while the content is managed centrally, the delivery can be tailored to the store level, making communications more relevant and effective.
Because the solution is web-based, functions are accessible through any standard web browser without the need for special software or plugins, enabling rapid deployment for use by retailers and lottery advertising teams.
“When a lottery chooses to deploy this solution, we can add a tenant, enter a single page of information, and it can be live the same day,” notes Saccoccio.
Lottery marketers can use SignaLink to schedule and display an unlimited number of shows and update content instantly, as well as tailor playlists for specific retailer groups.
“To say it’s a game-changer for marketers is an understatement,” says Vince Smart, Senior Director of Marketing, Northstar New Jersey, operator of the New Jersey Lottery, now a major innovation hub and one of several full-scale SignaLink deployment sites. “Since displays can be updated the moment new content is ready, SignaLink takes away one of the biggest pain points – the waiting. It gives marketers the kind of speed, flexibility, and creative freedom we’ve been wanting for years.”
Early pilot testing showed a net year-over-year (YoY) sales increase of 7% when displaying an advertising show with SignaLink, and a 5% net YoY sales increase when displaying its digital menu of available scratch games.
Among the menu-board functions, SignaLink offers a consolidated-view option to display available scratch games on the bottom of the screen and draw games on top, display dynamic information to players automatically, such as the most-recent three big prize-wins sold at a store, the cumulative prizes paid by that retailer, real-time live jackpot information, and much more.
A barcode scanner lets retailers update the menu with available games in two easy steps. The menu is also configurable to align with retailer displays of bins or waterfalls.
As one U.S. retailer notes, consumers immediately began taking notice after SignaLink was installed on monitors at the store’s point-of-sale counter and above a lottery vending machine: “Our customers especially enjoy being able to view daily winners sold at our location, current jackpot amounts, and game results on the screen,” reports the retailer. “It has created excitement around Lottery and gives players easy access to information without having to wait at the Lottery terminal.”
The retailer also points to operational improvements and expanded player awareness due to SignaLink: “One of the biggest benefits is that customers can check jackpots and winning numbers without crowding around the front of the Lottery machine, which also serves as our main point of sale. This has helped improve traffic flow and made transactions more efficient. Because our store is located in a seasonal area, we’ve also seen the slideshow attract the attention of customers who do not typically play Lottery. The eye-catching content has increased awareness of Lottery games and sparked interest among occasional and non-Lottery players, making [SignaLink] a valuable addition to our store.”
SignaLink can be deployed to any lottery and supports a variety of retail environments, whether used for prominent menu boards, supplemental displays, or in-lane deployments − where it can be paired with Brightstar’s in-lane sales solution, LotteryLink™. SignaLink’s digital menu board management is also being extended to lottery terminals, bringing the same capabilities directly to the point of sale.
In keeping with its commitment to continuous innovation, Brightstar is further enhancing the solution by incorporating learnings from Brightstar Italy’s customer experience team. “We’re applying our Italian operator experience and best practices to expand SignaLink’s capabilities and build a broader library of content-asset types that will resonate with players,” says Saccoccio. “This includes refining the game-menu layouts and introducing new combinations of media for on-screen display.”
Learn more about SignaLink at BrightstarLottery.com.
