Does Australia really need a homegrown digital signage CMS? Fusion Signage believes so. The Brisbane-based provider has carved out a strong position in the regional long-tail market – one that global competitors often underestimate and rarely fully understand.
Fusion Signage: “We Understand Down Under Better Than Others”
Fusion Signage is a textbook Australian success story – local roots, pragmatic decisions, a few strategic pivots, and a remarkably happy ending. With around 20,000 active licenses and more than 5,000 customers, the Brisbane‑based software provider proves that the digital signage long tail is not only alive, but commercially attractive. Built on a modern tech stack, fully certified and refreshingly easy to use, Fusion Signage has become so compelling that even large enterprise customers are now choosing it.
The digital signage long tail is often dismissed as a graveyard for ageing software platforms – places where providers with shrinking relevance fight over tiny monthly fees or compete with freeware. But this narrative doesn’t hold true in Australia. invidis wanted to understand why, and spoke with Fusion Signage CEO James Ingram, to uncover the story behind the company’s success.
From Prendi to Fusion Signage
The Fusion story began back in 2012, long before the company carried its current name. At the time, it operated as Prendi, a digital signage creative agency and systems integrator. Like many early players, the team quickly realized that building a profitable services‑heavy business around digital signage was harder than expected – especially in a geographically vast and price‑sensitive market like Australia.
The turning point came in 2017. Philips’ Australian distribution partner approached the company with a clear request: they needed an attractive, easy‑to‑use CMS to bundle with professional displays. Hardware/software bundles were – and still are – a powerful proposition for distributors.
Fusion didn’t hesitate. The first CMS iteration was built quickly – a hybrid solution somewhere between a Dropbox‑like frontend and Powerpoint on steroids. Functional, but far from future‑proof. Recognizing the limits, Fusion decided to start over. Experienced software developers were brought in to build a true greenfield CMS, based on a modern architecture and designed from the ground up for usability. A decisive differentiator was added: a built‑in media asset database with around three million images and graphics.
Fusion Signage was officially born.
Simplicity as a sales strategy
The market response was immediate. Bundled with a professional digital signage screen, Fusion was sold as a three‑year upfront license for around AUD 300 (approximately EUR 180). Sales were strictly channel‑driven – Fusion sells exclusively through partners – but the company actively supported resellers with online demos and video consultations.
“We demo our software in 20 minutes,” explains James. “It’s easy to use, visually attractive, and perfectly aligned with the challenges end customers actually face.”
The pandemic became an unexpected catalyst. Instead of burning hours on domestic flights, Fusion’s team suddenly found itself advising five to ten potential customers per day via video conferencing. The simplicity of the platform became a powerful sales enabler for partners.
“People need to understand the simplicity. Removing pain points helped resellers sell the solution. They love the simplicity – and it shows.”
Within a short period, several thousand licenses were sold to Australian SMB customers.
From long tail to large projects
Fast forward to 2026: Fusion Signage is still deeply rooted in the SMB market, but its reputation has travelled. Systems integrators began introducing the platform to large enterprise customers with thousands of endpoints. Initially, these opportunities went nowhere – for one simple reason: missing IT security certifications.
Without ISO 27001 or SOC 2 Type 2, enterprise tenders are effectively out of reach today. This is true in North America and Europe – and no different in Australia.
Fusion took the challenge seriously. The company assembled a dedicated team, including former Amazon employees, to lead the compliance process. After more than a year of intensive work, the certifications were achieved.
And suddenly, the door opened. Together with one of Australia’s largest integrators, Fusion found itself in the running for a major QSR rollout. Even though the contract wasn’t won in the end, opportunities with large rollouts are now on the books.
Knowing what not to build
Fusion Signage doesn’t try to compete feature‑by‑feature with the large North American or European CMS platforms. And that’s intentional. The software isn’t a jack‑of‑all‑trades – but many customers don’t want one.
“Even large customers aren’t necessarily looking for the most complex platform,” James says. “They want something that delivers on its promises.”
Honesty, focus, and listening seem to be guiding principles. Or as James puts it: “In business, it’s harder to be honest – but reputation is priceless.”
Fusion’s strength lies in its clear positioning: deep understanding of the Australian market, a holistic approach to projects, and a disciplined feature set. The software does what it’s meant to do – nothing more, nothing less – and it does so at a competitive price.
With around 2.9 million SMBs in Australia alone, the potential runway remains enormous.
And sometimes, understanding Down Under better than others is more than enough to win.