In addition to music, the content shown on the screen plays an important role. Mr Gavran, what is the value of visual messages on the monitors at the POS?

The Coop Future Store at the Expo in Italy is a good example of what a visually digitally networked supermarket can achieve. It is always about appropriate communication with the customer and many people are attracted to the visual channel. But before I spend a lot of money, I have to ask myself: Who am I trying to communicate with and what is the content of this communication?

COOP asked itself this question and answered correctly with its Future Store at the Expo. They succeeded in creating a market place where customers are digitally connected to the products and producers in a visual way and thus could provide relevant communication for the consumer. Naturally, this was only a Future Concept for the world exhibition, and its operation wasn’t running under everyday conditions, but the message was clear: Anyone who can create relevant customer communication at the POS will be ahead.

Passive to active: Our shopping experience will soon be changing completely.

Digital signage as tool of the future. What is behind this technical term?

It refers to the use of monitors at the POS or in employee areas that are installed at neural points; this means places where time is spent not in motion, such as at the deli, the cash point or in the employee break room.
The goal is to communicate with people from the most diverse life situations and this can be best attempted with attractive content. An employee in the break room has other needs than a mother with two children standing at the deli counter. But each of these two target groups has something in common: If the communication isn’t perceived as relevant, it’s an annoyance.

BILLA and BILLA PLUS (formerly MERKUR) are two early adopters of using digital signage by and with MAXFIVE for communicating with employees at their stores. What makes MAXFIVE stand out in this area?

MAXFIVE is an innovative, multi-sensory communication expert at the POS. We haven’t been ‘just’ a shopping radio station for years. We speak to consumers and staff through diverse channels. Our 25 year experience at the POS has taught us a lot – what works and what doesn’t.
I don’t know many competitors who have been on the market for almost three decades. Our new digital signage products demonstrably promote sales, and we can also emotionalise messages and reinforce their effect. As I said, we know how we need to communicate with customers and that is why large chains like Billa AG or Merkur Warenhandels AG have confidence in our competence.

But the most important reason why our customers trust us in the digital signage area is: We put the content that we communicate in the foreground and the technology stays in the background. In principle, the way we understand and live digital signage at MAXFIVE is relatively simple.

There are three points:

+ the relevance of the content

+ the positive surprise (the ‘wow’ effect) for media consumers

+ the visual presentation that motivates

Let’s take a look at the future. How is digital signage going to continue to develop at MAXFIVE?

We believe that digital signage will be increasingly used in future. Technology is constantly moving forward. MAXFIVE also stands out through its innovative pioneering and out-of-the-box thinking in the area of digital signage.
We work at the media convergence of radio, digital signage and mobile devices and are aiming to coordinate sound and image content totally. We force the branded entertainment concept, where we transmit the relevant message to the consumer in a more entertaining and thus more attractive or ‘friendly’ way to the digital signage level.

DIGITAL CONTENT by MAXFIVE