Finnish optician Silmäasema rolls out digital signage with FirstView and PPDS

Silmäasema, a Finland-based eye care specialist, has thus far rolled out 200-plus Philips Android SoC digital signage displays across 40 of its 150 stores to transform its in-store customer experience (CX).

FirstView and PPDS are the implementation partners for the on-going implementation, with the latter’s Wave cloud-based control and management platform providing central control remotely from the head office to help with coordinated marketing, promotions, messaging and so on.

Silmäasema teamed up with FirstView Digital Signage and PPDS to reinvent the way it communicates with customers passing its shopfronts and those inside its stores, prioritising flexible and fast digital messaging over wasteful paper.

Philips D-Line Android SoC displays were selected for the project.

They are versatile and flexible enough to meet the exact needs of each store location and environment and deliver bright light projection capabilities of 500 candela per square meter (cd/m2) on the screen, meaning sunlight doesn’t adversely impact the messaging.

A range of 10” Philips T-Line Multi-Touch Smart Displays have also been placed outside Silmäasema’s consultation rooms.

Powered by Android and with a built-in camera and speakers, theseoffer depper opportunities for audience measurement, footfall analytics, and much more, providing each store and head office with greater insights into how and when rooms are being used.

PPDS’ Wave Controller cloud platform was selected to provide Silmäasema’s team with unprecedented levels of remote control and management of the display fleet that has been installed so far in the upgraded stores.

The Silmäasema team can easily view, manage, monitor, schedule content, and control all displays entirely remotely, with all firmware updates and new functionalities, such as security patches, able to be easily actioned either on a per-store or collective real estate basis.

FirstView’s in-house content management software (CMS) has also been installed directly onto each Philips display alongside Wave, meaning no external media players are required.

Silmäasema can tailor each display to its environment. Examples include automatically powering down displays during specific times when they are not viewable to customers or the passing public, such as when the shop is closed, or reducing / increasing screen brightness depending on the time of day and sunlight conditions.

Commenting on the project, Anne Rantanen, Marketing Director at Silmäasema, said: “With the Philips professional displays we can concentrate on our core business – giving the optimal eyecare experience to our customers.”

“Signage is visible and up-to-date without issues, and staff are not distracted searching for remote controls or having to intervene on technical issues.”