Despar
Present in our country since 1960, the Consorzio Despar Italia has brought together seven food distribution companies and affiliated retailers and today boasts almost 1,400 stores under the banner of Despar, Interspar and Eurospar. Present throughout the country, Despar Italia is part of Spar International, with activities in 48 countries worldwide.
The supermarket is a place to make people feel at home, but it must also help them to speed up and facilitate all processes. How did you interpret this theme Despar?
Despar is innovating, and is informing and engaging its customers through digital technology. Thus the brand redesigns its communication, offering services that are faster, efficient, but also more captivating and appealing. The plan hinges on three main elements: Digital Signage, interactive installations, and In-Store Radio, that enable them to:
- Achieve an unprecedented level of flexibility and speed in regard to the management of promotional communication in-store.
- Improve the visual quality of product information
- Reduce the costs of managing printed advertising.
- Enhance the shopping experience in the themed areas by introducing virtual personal assistants, and music schedules that vary according to the time of day.
Despar ‘s Project
Despar is a company that values the territory and its traditions, and is very keen on innovation. By combining the best of the physical and digital worlds, the company strengthens the relationship with the consumer. It does so with enthusiasm and a desire to grow and experiment. Focusing on a customer journey rich in experiences, the brand reinvents the concept of in-store touch point. Thanks to digital technology, it introduces an omnichannel approach to customer relationship and to business.
M-Cube’s Solution
A program has been launched in a number of stores to meet the customers’ needs. It aims to offer a more efficient service and provide clear and coherent information. The project involves better management of communication, from back-end to front-end, with multiple initiatives to enhance the customer shopping experience.
Capitalizing on the “Despar.it” Content Management System, M-Cube has developed a new Digital Signage platform. It replaces the traditional posters with promotions and information about the products.
The use of posters was proving to be inefficient given the need to change the messages often, especially in large stores. Now, thanks to the integration of digital signage and the information database of Despar.it, the publishing process has been automated. The use of large screens is strategic in stores. Integrated with the Digital Asset Management platform, they enhance the impact and visual quality of messages. These include photos, product descriptions, and prices. The speed and flexibility of turnover have improved, reducing costs and optimizing management.
With a coordinated multimedia concept M-Cube has flanked Despar in the creation of specialised and multisensory themed areas, where the background music changes according to the time of day. The wine area was the first to benefit from an interactive installation: a Digital Sommelier. This is a virtual personal assistant through which the customer can access all the information about every bottle of wine. Thanks to a reading system the customer can scan the barcode on the label and see on the screen not only information on the wine, but also advice on suitable dishes and recipes.
Adapting M-Cube Services: The Despar Multisensory Experience
The Despar case shows how M-Cube services can adapt to any industry, giving customers a multisensory experience and bringing results to the brand in terms of sales.
“Thanks to a model built in cooperation with M-Cube, we can now manage in real time a large amount of information about our products. With the Digital Sommelier we have improved the customer journey, and have created a specialized area where an ad hoc playlist changes according to the time of day. The project has been a great success”.
Marco Marchetti, Digital Marketing & CSR Manager
