Digital signage has evolved. What was once a static playlist tool has grown into a dynamic, intelligent engagement platform. At the heart of this transformation is the CMS.
For years, the role of content management in digital signage was simple: store, schedule, play. If it got really smart there was dayparting, dynamic content uploads and live feeds. But now, as AI technologies and real-time data integrations become more accessible, that role is shifting dramatically. Today’s most progressive CMS platforms think, adapt and learn. For integrators this marks a new era of opportunity to offer value beyond the screen itself.
AI takes centre stage
The smartest CMS platforms are now capable of adjusting content in real time based on who is in front of the screen. This means using demographic data from integrated sensors or cameras can tailor messaging to the viewer, influenced by live data, such as weather, inventory, footfall, even local events to tailor content – what appears and when.
A few examples in action:
- Retail environments: A digital display sees a 30-something male standing nearby. Based on anonymised demographic data and current inventory, it promotes the newest men’s trainers, ones that are in stock, in his size, and trending on social media.
- QSR (quick service restaurants): The CMS recognises it’s 3pm, it’s raining, and footfall is unusually high. It pushes hot drink promotions and high-margin snack bundles, all optimised for the current crowd and weather.
- Transport hubs: Flight delayed? The CMS triggers a campaign for nearby lounge access or airport shopping discounts, tailored to passengers’ expected wait times.
And it’s not just reactive, it’s predictive. With AI analysing historical data (what worked, when, and with whom), signage becomes a learning system. It suggests better layouts, smarter screen placements, and even edits content based on engagement metrics. The CMS isn’t just managing content anymore — it’s curating experiences.
Signage can respond like a living, breathing part of the environment leading to more engagement, more conversions and impact. For integrators, this opens the door to repositioning CMS as a strategic tool, not a backend system.
Signage with ROI that speaks for itself
True impact isn’t measured by how content looks; it’s measured by how content performs.The newest generation of CMS platforms brings this to light. With advanced analytics built in, businesses can now see how long people dwell in front of particular content, which screens attract attention and when, and how messaging drives behaviour. These insights can inform store layout decisions, influence wider marketing strategy, and feed back into CRM and customer experience platforms.
This gives integrators a reason to stay engaged post-installation, offering new services and ongoing consultancy that keep customers invested and their signage evolving.
A merger that signals where the market is heading
CMS innovation is accelerating, demonstrated perfectly by the recent merger of Signagelive and Navori Labs. The combination of these two industry players has created the largest independent, channel-only CMS provider by installer base.
Navori’s strength in AI-powered analytics and robust scheduling tools has been brought together with Signagelive’s API-first, cloud-native platform. The result is a modular, flexible solution designed for scale, speed and seamless integration with third-party systems.
The new Navori Labs Group is also committing serious development muscle to the cause, with over 45 developers focused exclusively on advancing CMS capabilities. For integrators, that’s a sign of ongoing innovation and support.
What makes this merger especially relevant to our partners is its channel-only stance. In a landscape where some CMS vendors are pulling direct-to-customer, Navori and Signagelive are doubling down on the partner model.
So what does this all mean for you?
CMS is the engine, the brain, the intelligence layer that will define whether a deployment simply looks good, or actually delivers results. For you, this is the moment to step into a more consultative role. To ask smarter questions about what the signage is meant to achieve, and how content strategies can be adapted in real time to meet those goals.
Digital signage doesn’t work in isolation. It’s an ecosystem of displays, players, mounts, finance options, and logistics, and Maverick brings it all together. We act as the orchestrator, aligning best-in-class vendor solutions to deliver seamless, scalable, and future-read deployments.
Want to explore these technologies for yourself? Book a session in one of TD SYNNEX Maverick’s Connect Spaces and see the power of smart signage in action.
Email: adria.sanchez@tdsynnex.com
