DS Case Studies from Sony

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By Eric Siereveld, Director of Sony Professional Solutions Europe
 
The past year has seen a dramatic change in European retailers’ attitudes to customer communications, a trend that can be largely attributed to the ever-increasing popularity of digital signage. Unsurprising then that what the consumer expects of their retail experience has also changed, as has the technology behind digital communications.
 
Companies working within the traditionally vertical retail, entertainment, transport and corporate industries are increasingly recognising the similar capacity and opportunity they each have to improve their communication with customers and staff by using digital signage. With audiovisual products now so advanced, wide-ranging and scalable in function, digitised content is transforming how businesses can engage and influence their customers with targeted infotainment. Consequently, organisations have realised that a well-designed digital signage solution brings much more than just a guaranteed return on investment, precisely because it has evolved so far from a one-size-fits-all approach.

With our global insights into the evolution of retail communications, retailers and venues draw on Sony’s expertise to understand their audience and how to engage and influence them – a vital step in identifying the most successful communications strategy for their companies. At Sony, our Professional Services team has designed and delivered integrated digital signage systems for European businesses and venues of every kind and scale.
 
From individual premises with screens connected to a local area network, to multi-site or international venues that transfer content to thousands of displays, we know that the most effective digital signage solution combines the right blend of technology and content to address the needs of different businesses and their distinct customer profiles.
 
Identifying the needs and challenges facing different businesses is always Sony’s first step in the process of creating a digital signage solution. Next, a thorough understanding of the target audience is key to any digital signage business decision, as this will determine how best to engage them with the right message, through the right channel and at the right time. It is having this wealth of knowledge and project management skills that ensures that any Sony digital signage solution is designed to effectively meet the needs of the business and its audience.
 
Case Study: Bavinchi Bakeries

One of Denmark’s largest and most well-known bakery chains, Bavinchi, was looking for a way to change customer’s perception of its stores. It was looking to stand out within the market, by improving their customers’ experience of the bakery environment as well as the service they receive there.
 
Sony worked with the Danish systems integrator, ProShop, to support Bavinchi in the development of a new communications platform that would enhance the customer experience within the bakeries. The scalability of Sony’s digital signage solutions meant that Bavinchi could build confidence in the new communication medium by starting with implementation in just a single store. After this initial success, ProShop extended the digital signage solution into the remaining 25 stores across Denmark. As ease of operation was a key factor, the best solution for Bavinchi was to use Sony’s entry-level BKM-FW50 Digital Signage player, which simply slots into Sony’s flat screen LCD display panels. The BKM-FW50 includes a CompactFlash card reader so programme content can be easily updated by inserting a new CompactFlash memory card.

“Our customers are happy because the screens communicate interesting ideas and information. Digital signage has definitely enhanced the in-store environment. We have tried to create a relaxed atmosphere with coffee tables and drinks machines and now customers are even more engaged in our stores as they are kept entertained while they enjoy their refreshments,” said Kenneth Larsen, owner of the Bavinchi bakery in Hammel in Østjylland. The advantages of digital signage have been numerous, whilst Bavinchi’s primary objective was to increase footfall and sales, digital signage also functions within store as a training facility. “We have a lot of young part-time employees who need to be well informed about our products. Whilst we try to explain as much as possible about the items we have in our store, we have quickly found that it is a lot easier when the messages are repeated in words and pictures on our flat screens,” added Larsen.
 
Sony’s partnership with ProShop and Bavinchi is set to continue as Bavinchi requires increasingly sophisticated communications. For instance, for the initial nationwide installation, Bavinchi wanted to manage content individually in each store rather than connecting the stores to a network. This limited the content to the products and services that were common to each store. However, following the success of digital signage so far, Bavinchi is now working with ProShop to automate the content transferral by sending it over a WAN network. This will still use the BKM-FW50 boards for play out, but will link the screens across participating stores so that content can be automatically downloaded and managed centrally. Sony has in this way laid the foundations of a solution that will grow with the business, and expand to whatever scale and complexity is appropriate.

Case Study: La Poste
The French Post Office, La Poste, approached Sony with the aim of modernising its nationwide service through 2,500 regional outlets, and improving the customer experience by providing them with entertainment and information. La Poste also required content to be specific to each region, and for this to be adaptable at a local level. Sony’s digital signage solution resulted in the creation of Europe’s largest network of non-domestic television, and the most ambitious digital signage project so far attempted on the continent to meet the scale of La Poste’s communication needs.Sony’s expertise in delivering sophisticated digital signage systems based on advanced networks brought with it the understanding that La Poste required carefully targeted content to fulfil the communications needs of its local partners across the region. Sony also considered the complexity of the business; the range of transactions and operations within a post office is vast and the purpose of customers’ visits is diverse. Digital signage therefore needed to engage customers for different reasons, from informing them about post offices services and systems, to entertaining those waiting in long queues.
 
The project to create a bespoke, flexible digital signage solution for La Poste began in November 2007, with Sony introducing the new technology into 500 outlets. Paramount to the creation, management and distribution of digital signage content was complete control and maintenance from a single site in Nantes, France. This site runs Sony’s Ziris Digital Signage scheduling and management software, which enables the distribution of audio and video content to 40-inch flat screen displays in each of the regional post offices. 800 screens are currently installed in 500 La Poste regional post offices and, by the end of this year, this will have expanded to 5,000 screens in 2,500 outlets, all centrally controlled via a single management and transmission point.
 
This project has already delivered a dramatic improvement in the way customers receive information, targeted to suit the services they require given the time of day and location. With Sony’s Professional Services expertise, digital signage has proved to be an effective communication, information, and customer relation tool; 76% of local partners believe the system has brought La Poste closer to its customers by creating a more engaging environment.
 
As Post Office Manager Soromon Gochvarian commented: “Through digital signage, La Poste is reaching nearly 800,000 customers every day, and the information and entertainment they receive in each outlet has resulted in a more relaxed atmosphere, both for the customers and for the counter clerks. Sony’s solution is a reflection of our customer care, and has been a great success for everything we do.”
 
As the preceding case studies show, Sony’s digital signage is being harnessed as a powerful tool to enliven public spaces, engage visitors, influence decision-makers or inform employees. From consultancy to installation, Sony’s Professional Services team has worked in partnership with our customers to create workable solutions that are relevant for each business today, tomorrow and in the future. As Europe wakes up to the power of digital signage, Sony’s advanced solutions are transforming the capabilities of visual communications.