Obi will install 2600 large-format displays on pedestals in the aisles of its stores. The first 1000 of these 55-inch displays are set to be installed this year — in company-owned stores across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Cologne-based company Ben Hur, which specializes in large digital advertising screens, will supply and commission the pedestals. Next year, the DIY retailer’s franchisees and its international markets outside the DACH region will also get their turn. As a rule, four of these displays are to be installed in each store.
“This complements our advertising offering for our partners by adding another important touchpoint,” says Patricia Grundmann, Managing Director of Obi Retail Media, speaking with The Retail Optimiser. She is very confident that the offering will be booked very well from the start by the home improvement chain’s partners. Especially as each store in Germany is visited by an average of 8,900 people per week.
The new pedestals are not only intended to advertise merchandise that is physically available in the store, but also products such as garden sheds, garages, and swimming pools that customers can order both in-store and online. Around 20 per cent of all Obi’s retail media clients are other businesses, such as amusement parks, that do not sell merchandise through the DIY specialist.
Contextual Content Delivery
On the new digital displays, ads can be delivered in a way that adapts to the context, such as the weather and time of day. However, they do not interact directly with customers. Obi is currently testing the display of content based on the viewer’s gender and age at a location in Switzerland. However, whether this actually adds any value remains completely unclear, says Paul Rottstegge, Head of Portfolio at Obi’s Retail Media unit, speaking with The Retail Optimiser. Obi measures visitor traffic via cameras anyway. Analysing the viewer demographics of the displays is not planned.
The content management system currently used for the large displays is still under review, which is why Obi does not wish to name it. It is possible that Obi may opt for a different solution here. The home improvement retailer has already gained experience with digital in-store advertising, having installed very large video walls at its ‘Mach-Bar’ and (for commercial customers) ‘Pro-Bar’ consultation counters at select locations.
No connection to Vusion labels yet
There is currently no connection between the new in-store advertising options and the electronic shelf labels that Obi is currently introducing with Vusion for part of its product range. In principle, however, this is conceivable in the future.
Obi invited its suppliers to its Retail Media Live event in Tente yesterday. At the well-attended event, which was attended by many industry representatives for the first time, the home improvement retailer also announced the renaming of its subsidiary responsible for retail media, ‘Obi First Media Group,’ to ‘Obi Advertising.’
