To promote the latest promotions and product information to customers and to manage queuing at the tills, the French multinational retailer deployed a comprehensive in-store digital signage solution across 25 of its branches in Belgium, with more to follow. Local Scala systems integrator DOBIT rolled out and tailored the entire network based on Scala technology, which acts as a central backbone for the management of all screens, templates, content and audio.
“In the past, customers entering the shop were bombarded by an array of posters,” explained Patrick Thijs, marketing services and logistics manager at Carrefour Belgium. “Producing, printing and putting up these posters was an expensive and time-consuming process for us.”
After an extensive study, the retailer concluded that posters were becoming obsolete and should be replaced by digital signage. “One screen does the same work as a number of posters, so to speak. You can do so much more with screens, they are dynamic and flexible,” added Thijs.
Carrefour’s slogan, ‘When it needs to be fresh!’, is now reflected in its in-store communication. Digital signage ensures the retailer’s on-screen information remains ‘fresh’, as digital content can be instantly changed at the push of a button. Screens at the entrance, the self-service counters and at the tills inform customers about a variety of in-store promotions and events.
The retailer was careful to analyse both the location and content of screens to ensure the end result would be successful.
“We had a clear idea of what we wanted to achieve with our digital signage platform,’ explained Thijs. “Our experience and knowledge of consumer behaviour and shopping habits drove important decisions, such as where to put up the screens, how many of them to put up and which content to push to each one.”