Retailers and service providers need to beef up their digital marketing campaigns by deploying video systems in brick-and-mortar stores, Cisco general manager Thomas Wyatt said Tuesday during the National Retail Federation convention in New York City.

Retailers and advertisers are not aligning their media ad spending with consumers' habits, said Wyatt, one of several speakers at the NRF gathering at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Internet messages account for only 6% of media spending, even though consumer households spend more time on the Internet than exposed to other advertising media, he said. "With younger consumers, the disconnect is even greater," he added.

Consumers make 75% of all of their spending decisions in stores, but stores account for only 7.5% of marketing dollars.

Consumers expect stores, banks, health providers, educators, the service industry, transportation systems, and others to deliver compelling digital content and targeted networked displays that include video, graphics, animations, streaming Web, and television content and text, according to Wyatt.

"We're seeing more and more stores differentiate themselves by providing much more compelling in-store content," he said.

Those providing goods and services should deploy digital media systems that are simple and flexible enough to tailor delivery according to the time of day, location, or person targeted, he said. They also should consider the ability for centralized control and integration. Cisco provides a system that meets those needs, Wyatt said, adding that customers using the solution have increased sales, cut paper waste, reduced staff training time, and fostered better and more direct communication with customers.