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As this historic retailer evolves into a one-stop shop for busy travellers, we’ve been working with WHSmith to digitise 800 stores in its UK and European travel locations, including airports (landside and airside) and train stations.
What we did
We have worked with WHSmith since 2012, helping enhance their store format, attracting customers, communicating promotions, and providing wayfinding. Over the course of our 15+ year relationship we have developed a retail media and digital signage network that is flexible enough to be able to continually adapt to the requirements of the vast range of store layouts represented in the WHSmith estate.
Locations range from small grab-and-go locations to expansive flagship stores. Some spaces also involve the wider WHSmith brand portfolio, such as its consumer electronics brand InMotion, WHSmith Bookshop and the newly developed, District Market Coffee all sharing one space, each with their own proposition but together providing a “Blended Essentials” store.
How we did it
With each site requiring multiple digital solutions, flexibility, sustainability and fire resistance were considerations across all sites. The priority was integrating digital technology seamlessly into the store environment to improve the shopper experience.
Vibrant LED fascias are a particularly effective feature of some stores, helping to generate footfall and providing significant value for retail media propositions. In addition, brand promotion and wayfinding displays help those customers whilst in store. The in-store background music system is also specified, installed and supported by us as part of the wider maintenance service.
Every space is unique, so we work with WHSmith and its design team to ensure that the digital solutions are adaptable, easy to update, and sourced in time for the start of each project. Our engineers hold permanent security passes at 12 major UK airports, making installation at those locations more efficient and cost effective.
Retail media network
Our digital solutions played an important role in developing WHSmith’s digital retail media estate, drawing customers into stores and reshaping shopper perceptions of what’s on offer. Retail media allows for monetisation of the various digital assets present across the estate.
Content production, management & scheduling
All of WHSmith’s own content and supplier content has been either created from scratch or reformatted to suit the various aspect ratios across the estate. Promotional cycles mean digital content is updated at least 13 times a year, making the scheduling duties both time and location specific.
The Tech
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Video wall based panoramic displays
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Gondola-end displays with stretched 16:4.5 and standard 16:9 formats
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Unique digital LED storefront facias
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Dual sided LCD displays
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Licensed in-store music systems using wireless speaker technology
Awards
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Digital Signage Magazine DigiAwards 2021 winner
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Digital Signage Awards winner
What now?
With over 2000 displays installed so far, and plenty more to come, we continue to help WHSmith cement its place as one of the premier global travel retailers. Our full suite of support and on-site maintenance services are employed to keep everything running 24/7.
"A significant step change with an impactful design that suits the audience, demonstrating credibility in this space."
POPAI Awards 2024 Jury - Gold winner
