Carrefour Fresh in-store communication at Carrefour Belgium The French-founded Carrefour Group is a leading retailer in Europe and the secondlargest retailer in the world, employing nearly 365,000 people. In the European market, Carrefour market Belgium recently modernised its in-store customer communications. Leaving behind its dated print poster strategy, the retailer started reviewing its shop floor communications strategy a couple of years ago and decided to go digital. QUICK FACTS: Carrefour market Belgium upgrades in-store communications Retail giant deploys 150 screens over 25 stores across Belgium Network includes tailored content management system Integrated Queuing and audio system 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. Fresh communications 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.
Centralised & local content management The entire in-store digital signage network of Carrefour market across Belgium runs on the Scala Enterprise suite of products. Three Scala players are driving the 6 screens at each of Carrefour s 25 stores, which include portrait screens at the entrance and landscape screens at the fresh-department and the payment terminals. Scala Content Manager is the backbone of the Carrefour Instore Media System (CIMS), which allows shops to change screen content locally in a straightforward manner. The CIMS allows shops to display the right content at the right moment in a pleasing layout, at the touch of a button. It gives employees the opportunity to create local content in an intuitive manner. The introduction of Digital Signage at Carrefour market across Belgium has been very successful, according to Thijs: We have received only positive feedback. It was very clear from the start that customers are comfortable with screens in everyday life. In addition, the screens give the shops a modern look and allow us to communicate with and direct promotions to our customers in a dynamic manner. Local employees can adjust a shop s profile, such as the shop name or the opening hours, from the CIMS. In addition, shop managers can easily create and display local content and manage the order in which the images are displayed. Finally, country managers for Carrefour can also deploy targeted campaigns by accessing the system.
Integrated Queuing and Audio System Finally, a queuing system for the self-service counters, is also running on Scala technology and replaced a more traditional numbering system. Thanks to the flexibility of the Scala software, the new queuing system has been fully integrated into the retailer s digital signage system and screens. It allows Carrefour market to run promotions alongside serial numbers on the exact same screens that customers will be watching for their turn in the queue. In addition, an audio system was integrated into the CIMS. This makes it possible to record and broadcast audio announcements in between songs. Flexibible and easy to manage The flexibility and ease of use of Scala s technology has made it possible for Carrefour market Belgium to create an easy to manage system for different levels of users within the organization. The combination of digital signage content management, design management, queuing management and in-store audio has helped the multinational French retailer modernise its customer communications strategy in the Belgian market.
About Carrefour The French-founded Carrefour Group is a leading retailer in Europe and the second-largest retailer in the world, employing nearly 365,000 people. With more than 10,100 stores in 34 countries, it generated revenues of 100.2 billion in 2013. Every day, it welcomes over 10 million customers around the world in Europe, Latin America and Asia. For more information visit: www.carrefour.com About DOBIT DOBIT is a specialist in technological communication and applications, offering customers solutions for effective, digital communication. DOBIT was among the first in the Benelux to recognize the possibilities of touch screens and in 1990 became the exclusive distributor of Elo Touchsystems for Belgium and Luxembourg, now also servicing the Netherlands. Their work is based on expertise and experience in communication, touch technology, directional sound and custom-made electronics. For more information visit: www.dobit.com About Scala Scala has a passion for creating intelligent digital signage solutions that move products, consumers, and employees. Driving more than 500,000 screens worldwide, Scala solutions increase sales, improve brand loyalty, optimize the customer experience, and reinforce business objectives. Scala is headquartered near Philadelphia, Pa., with multiple subsidiaries across Europe and Asia, and over 500 partners in more than 90 countries. For more information visit.