On September 24, 2013 we soft-launched our new service called Otegaru Net.
Otegaru (“お手軽” or “おてがる”) means easy or simple in Japanese. It’s “Digital Signage” for people who have no idea what Digital Signage is. Intended primarily for owners of service-focused on-premise businesses such as bars, cafes, restaurants, hair salons, nail salons and the like, Otegaru Net gives you an easy way to communicate digitally with your customers in your place of business. At the same time, it gives you tools to help you build a vibrant community centered around your location.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZkKtIrVtyQ]
Going back to the name, what is easy about it? Actually, everything! It’s cheap and easy to buy. It’s easy to install and setup, and it’s very easy to use. If you can use a smart phone, then you can use Otegaru Net. The installation and setup can be done in as little as three minutes.
An HD media player barely larger than a lighter
All you need to get started is a TV and WiFi, and by attaching a small device (the Otegaru eKanban), you essentially have your own private TV channel. You can easily publish content from your smartphone, tablet or PC. You can also incorporate other content channels into your programming to create your own custom mix of content for your viewers.
Within minutes you can be playing professional looking content communicating directly with your customers. You might want to let them know about special menu items or upcoming events. You might even want to feature them. Customers love seeing themselves “on TV”. For example, you can take a photo of a customer who is having a birthday, and quickly put it up on your channel in an attractive layout with a short message. This helps you offer something special to your customers at no extra cost to you. The birthday guy or gal feels special. Their friends have something fun to talk about. They will also be able to access this content on their smartphones and tweet it or share it on Facebook. Everyone else in the place can see this happening. It becomes fun and interesting for them as well. Having a good time at an establishment is the first step in deciding to come back again. This is just one example of how Otegaru can contribute to building community.
Stay tuned. Lots more to come.
