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Visual communication at the
Large-scale distribution as a litmus test for DS trends
Digital signage, but also information totems and queue eliminators, and then high-impact LED walls, all integrated by Visiospot and Philips. In-store visual communication is increasingly an active part of the shopping experience.
The world of large-scale distribution has always been a place of technological experimentation, but also an important test bed for the practical and daily applications of recent developments in the ICT field. Updating the on-site communication of a new Conad point can be an opportunity to reflect on the present and future of audio video systems, precisely where the solutions for this market sector are measured by a consistent mobility of goods and people, able to project - in the specific case of a brand with international coverage - this comparison on a large scale, in a capillary manner. For years now, Conad has chosen Visiospot as its partner, a company that deals with digital media based in Carpi, specialised in audio video projects dedicated to the Retail and Large Scale Distribution sectors, and in particular in the integration of in-store radio-video systems. The Visiospot installations, usually made with the support of the signage solutions of Philips professional displays - of which Visiospot is an official partner - are present today in more than two thousand supermarkets in Italy, and among these the Superstore Le Colline di Reggio Emilia, managed by the Cooperative Conad Centro Nord, recently set up with an updated digital signage and on-site communication system based on the use of Philips screens. As Filippo Romito, Visiospot Project Developer explains "this store, in particular, wants to be a point of reference for the territory (and beyond) and a new example of a supermarket that increasingly looks at the themes of innovation and environmental sustainability.” The same architecture seems to suggest a more harmonious and integrated relationship with the environment, both pre-existing, an old farmhouse has been converted for office use and a dining area, and surrounding, the roof of the structure is now covered by lawns and solar panels.
Information totems and queue eliminator
The Le Colline Superstore has allowed Conad to present itself to the public with more modern and avant-garde communication solutions: from digital messaging at the point of sale, to totems equipped with interactive displays for consulting the ingredients book of individual products, to the now more usual digital systems for queue management, where you can take booking tickets for the service counters (butcher, fishmonger, deli, bakery). Introduced to better meet the needs related to Covid, these systems are now used and disseminated definitively, as an essential sales support. The totems are made with a 24'' Philips Touch monitor, ticket printer and scanner for reading the product code, and can also include a price finder function. On the software side, however, the system is more complex and multi-device, and allows you to book the counter service directly from your smartphone: in practice, the totem receives input automatically, advancing the numerator and adding the customer to the queue. As Romito always says, "the system is integrated with screens that display an animation based on the Conad logo icon, simultaneous to the voice call, and text content, such as the communication of an offer, institutional messages or columns designed by our editorial staff and produced by our graphics department, according to the customer's guidelines.” In addition, he continues, "to adapt the devices to the spaces available for their arrangement, it was necessary to position the monitors vertically, passing from a 16: 9 to a 9:16, and consequently to modify some parameters of our software in order to correctly manage contents and layouts based on the new format.” "Another advantage of the software application is
given by the possibility of integration with other systems and tools within the supermarket - adds Romito - a strong point for us, which however proved to be very advantageous for the customer"; specifically, we coordinated, for example, with the main companies that supply scales to supermarkets (Bizerba, Digi, Omega) to allow the staff of the served counter to use them to check the progress of the numbering.”
Visiospot and Philips, digital signage as a service
The other part of the mosaic of solutions that makes up the visual communication project aimed at the public, concerns the entire digital signage network that is designed, both to inform customers about offers and new products on sale, but also to offer spaces promotions to Conad suppliers, and this store in particular. In this DS installation, hardware, software, and content are in the name of a customisable and user-friendly offer. The system consists of ten 65'' Philips D-Line monitors, connected to Intel NUC PCs that serve as a player and set the wake cycle, so as to always guarantee more efficient energy savings. Some 65'' monitors have been set up in the main departments, in addition, a 4x1.5-meter Philips L-Line 7000 series LED maxi-screen is placed at the entrance, on the wall of the existing farmhouse. Near to the counters there are several queue-eliminating totems equipped with 24" Philips monitors, while other 65" Philips D-Line displays - integrated in a specially designed aluminium structure for maximum visibility and functionality in use - are present in the aisles and at the exit of the cash desks. Finally, a series of Philips AOC screens, coupled to form a 22: 9 wide screen solution, completes the communication in the fruit and vegetable departments, with graphics that scroll across both monitors, making the message more captivating. In terms of content, which we have already mentioned, personalisation is essential, especially on such a large scale, then as Romito says, "for a medium-term communication plan, the point of sale may need, for example, to disclose a special offer; in this case, it is possible to create specific or more elaborate contents on request, which involve the customer more; in addition, the help of the radio function, with the work of the speakers of our internal editorial staff, allows us to record tailor-made content to be broadcast within the supermarket.” Not surprisingly, audio-video synchronisation was a central element of the project, "all the videos in the supermarket are synchronised and the audio is broadcast directly from the radio, instead of from the monitor sources.” A strategy that has proved successful, especially in encouraging the sale of advertising spaces to suppliers, because it guarantees full control of the frequency of daily promotional passages, both in synchrony and in audio-only version if the supplier in question prefers it.
Last steps, installation and assistance
After setting up the electrical and network systems, Visiospot directly managed all hardware and software aspects, without service outsourcing that could negatively affect the smooth and consistent operation of the entire system. "We have decided to invest to better satisfy the relationship with the customer - comments Romito - by committing time
and resources and assuming overall responsibility for the order, already in the design phase, and we are now enjoying the customer's appreciation of this; in addition, we have a constant and direct relationship with Conad's technical managers, who are present and direct the work of each site, precisely to avoid intermediaries, delays and misunderstandings.”
For the Conad Superstore Le Colline, the installation required about four days, a job completed rather quickly thanks to the availability of Visiospot warehouse which was thus able to immediately supply many of the products then integrated (totem, player, Philips display), overcoming the gender supply difficulties that marked part of the year. "The feelings and the absolute satisfaction about the collaboration relationship between Visiospot and Philips are mutual - adds Marco Guandalini, Sales Manager of PPDS Philips professional displays - Our long-term partnership is also functional to obtain technical feedback useful for monitoring and the improvement of practical applications and the technological development of the products used.” "The design phase - continues Romito - begins with one or more inspections, followed by a joint analysis on how and where to install the monitors, in order to create more effective methods for building a certain type of communication; in Reggio Emilia, we produced an important study precisely to create redundant and visible communication in several points of the supermarket, so that it could always be usable, wherever the customer was.”
Evolution of digital signage
Before saying goodbye, we involved Romito in some consideration on the trends of digital signage, a sector that has seen various changes in its business model. In fact, lately the purposes of investments in DS seem to focus more on the aspect of the relationship with the customer, branding, promotion, and less on that of data collection which, even - returning to our case study - is realised, but not through these systems. Digital signage comments Romito, “it is above all useful for targeting customers and optimising the promotional message; for this purpose, we collaborate with a promoter agency, adapting the internal software to the new requests, and in some cases even the hardware, covering the totems with cardboard or panelling featuring customized graphics.” A solution in line with a more general market trend, which looks at multiple sectors and functionalities, and which Visiospot - already active with other customers (Consorzio Europa / Sigma, Despar, Todis, and indirectly with Carrefour and Coop) - aims to replicate in other GDO realities, but not only. For example, the company has installed similar devices in various bank branches in the Marche and Romagna regions, while in a project for Todis, the Visiospot totems are used for payments, card purchases and top-ups on site, by connecting the installation to the network. From what emerges, it finally seems clear how the horizons and the development of digital communication within the main brands of large retailers today represent a perfect litmus test for the present and the future of the application potential of digital signage solutions.
www.conad.it www.visiospot.it www.ppds.com
Dalla parte del cliente
Grazie alla disponibilità di Stefano Govi, titolare del punto vendita Conad Superstore Le Colline, abbiamo approfondito, dal punto di vista del cliente, le ragioni di un investimento in digital signage per la GDO. In questo caso, la scelta prevalsa è quella della comunicazione digitale on-site, perché più immediata e capillare, sia per la possibilità di variare i contenuti più rapidamente rispetto ad altri sistemi, che per la versatilità nella combinazione con altre piattaforme e canali di informazione e dati. A questo proposito si veda l’esempio dell’integrazione con le bilance elettroniche, o la funzione di sincronizzazione, in tutti i punti vendita, della lista ingredienti degli alimenti pronti. Per i benefici di breve termine dell’investimento, Govi racconta “il più evidente è di sicuro l’impatto visivo, generato in particolare dal maxi-schermo all’ingresso; sul lungo periodo poi, l’intero sistema, se supportato da comunicazioni efficaci e mirate su prodotti, promozioni, attività di degustazione e altre iniziative svolte all'interno del supermercato, potrà essere una fonte d’informazione rapida e credibile per tutti i visitatori, indirizzare i consumi e rappresentare un’esperienza virtuosa replicabile in futuro”.
On the customer's side
Thanks to Stefano Govi, owner of the Conad Superstore Le Colline store, we have explored, from the customer's point of view, the reasons for an investment in digital signage for large-scale distribution. In this case, the prevailing choice is that of on-site digital communication, because it is more immediate and widespread, both for the possibility of changing the contents more quickly than other systems, and for the versatility in the combination with other platforms, information channels and data. In this regard, see the example of integration with electronic scales, or the synchronisation function, in all stores, of the ingredients list of ready-to-eat foods. For the short-term benefits of the investment, Govi says "the most obvious is certainly the visual impact, generated in particular by the large screen at the entrance; in the long term, the entire system, if supported by effective and targeted communications on products, promotions, tasting activities and other initiatives carried out within the supermarket, can be a rapid and credible source of information for all visitors, direct consumption and represent a virtuous experience that can be replicated in the future.”
