Faced with the challenge of replacing its outdated digital signage systems, international motorcycle and vehicle manufacturer, Suzuki, enlisted the support of Sony to provide a state-of-the-art solution that would modernise its stores and headquarters across France with an intuitive user experience.
Unfit for Purpose
Suzuki’s existing infrastructure within its motorcycle stores was functional, but unintuitive and outdated. Commenting on the situation, Julien Garcia, Head of Marketing at Suzuki France said “We drastically needed to improve our old signage solution. It was made up of basic flat panels that we had to manually update the imagery on through USB sticks.”
“We came to Sony with a bold request – make the process easier for both stores and our AV team in our headquarters” continued Garcia “While functional, the USB sticks were outdated, didn’t allow for instant communication and in some cases, were even easily stolen.”
Transforming Suzuki’s Signage
Suzuki’s challenge was a common one. They had outgrown their existing infrastructure which had failed to scale with the needs of their business. Instead they needed an intuitive AV solution that would enable collaboration, reduce friction, simplify working and optimise the management and operational process. In particular for Suzuki, they required a solution that could reduce customer wait time and communicate the latest offers to them in a clear and concise manner. Their system was particularly poorly equipped to showcase short-term offers with availability for just 1 – 2 days and couldn’t be updated quickly enough. To make it possible, Suzuki needed a digital signage solution that:
- Could be managed from headquarters but also used in each store – both for content creation and diffusion calendars
- Is easy to use, even without training
- Could be powered on & off at specific times automatically
- Is simple to duplicate and install across a range of sites
- Could be easily customised and adapted by each store to meet their individual needs
Sony’s Complete Signage Solution
Currently Sony is equipping 106 of Suzuki’s 180 motorcycle stores in France with a complete signage solution, and the deployment is expected to finish in the near future. Each store has a BRAVIA Professional Display and accompanying TEOS Digital Signage Solution. The cutting-edge BRAVIA displays ensures Suzuki can get its message across with even more impact, offering stunning images packed with 4K detail and rich, vivid color. To enable instant content updates and create a network of signs across the country, Sony’s TEOS digital signage solution simplifies the management and distribution of Suzuki’s signage content across multiple networked BRAVIA displays.
Suzuki found that Sony could offer a complete one-stop solution to meet all of its AV requirements in a cost-effective manner, without needing to use multiple vendors. The team has deployed Sony’s TEOS range of digital signage solutions that stood out from the competition due to the absence of a set-top box, its cloud compatibility and the price. Additionally, Sony was able to provide both the BRAVIA professional displays and the supporting software which removed the risk of incompatibility issues that would have arisen if different vendors were used.
Sony’s Solution is now Compulsory for Every Store in France
Feedback from HQ and the stores has been fantastic to date. The team has been so impressed with the deployment that they have already made the solution compulsory for all Suzuki stores in France and have made Sony’s solution the de facto AV offering for all its French motorcycle stores.
Speaking on the project to date Julien Garcia, Head of Marketing at Suzuki France said “The entire installation process was very easy and the only requirement for each store was to connect their BRAVIA Professional Display to the internet through a wired, or Wi-Fi connection. Back in HQ, our designers love the TEOS solution as they can connect quickly and easily through a web access using an ID and password. Then from within the platform they can create, schedule and share content to all, or select stores instantly with a user-friendly interface.”
Since the first screens were installed both store and HQ feedback has been impressive, and they have operated without any interruptions or issues. Following the successful rollout, Sony and Suzuki are working together to extend the capabilities of the installation. Shortly they will be trialing Sony’s new TEOS tablet solutions to replace all paper descriptions around the stores and dramatically improve the user experience across the board.
About Sony
Sony Professional Solutions exists to unleash the incredible power of images. Helping customers tell stories, springboard change, connect emotionally, stimulate learning and activate potential is at the heart of our vision. With a winning combination of technology and creativity Sony partners with businesses across a wide variety of sectors including Media and Broadcast, Theatre, Healthcare, Sports and Corporate and Education markets to deliver innovative and transformational customer solutions. Operating with over 30 years’ experience and a trusted network of established technology partners Sony’s wide portfolio of product and services propositions provides true value to businesses and informs, educates, entertains and inspires their customers.
For more information please visit http://pro.sony.eu
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