Tesco was this week formalising its strategy for an instore digital screen network after taking delivery of its feasibility study last week.
Media manager Bill Pennell said he now had a clearer idea how to manage the network and which suppliers he wanted on board. Tesco will approach these suppliers over the next two weeks ready for a three-store trial. This will start in March with the third store on stream in May.
According to Bob Clarke, chief executive of Instrument which carried out the feasibility study, the pilot is intended to test different potential combinations of content and advertising.
"Although the objective is to generate revenue from third-party advertising, this has got to enhance customer experience from the outset," he said. Talks with media sales houses had shown there was much interest in the medium, Clarke added.
The technology solution will come from a number of firms. "It was clear a blanket proposition would be wrong.
There will be a focus on key store areas, with a number of microchannels using some big media and some smaller screens," said Clarke.
Tesco is the first to embrace a national instore TV network, although other retailers have half-heartedly dabbled with the medium. Safeway was to begin a pilot programme but this is on hold due to the existing takeover situation. It would have marked the debut of RePromotion (pictured above), an individually programmable shelf-edge screen network.
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