Online retail scores highly for its speed and convenience while the core skills of bricks-and-mortar stores include personal assistance and a haptic shopping experience. But from today, Saturn is showcasing a combination of both worlds in Innsbruck, Austria.
At Saturn Express, customers can experience technology in-store and seek sales assistance in the traditional manner. However, in addition, customers can also simply pay for items using an app. In this pilot project, Saturn is underlining its aim to assist consumers as their partner and navigator in the increasingly digital world. Saturn Express is at the Sillpark shopping centre, which is run by SES Spar European Shopping Centers.
Saturn Express combines a digital shopping experience with sound advice. The only thing missing compared to a traditional store is the tiresome waiting at the checkout! Instead, customers use an app specially developed for Saturn which lets them scan the barcode of the items they want to buy and pay for them by credit card or PayPal. And that’s it – they can then simply walk out of the store with their new purchases.
Customers can choose from a wide range of everyday tech in the compact pop-up store at Sillpark shopping centre, including popular trend items such as headphones and Bluetooth speakers. There’s also a wide range of accessories – naturally including top brands – from the worlds of consumer electronics, computers and domestic appliances.
Florian Gietl, Chief Operating Officer of MediaMarktSaturn Austria, explains: “Digitalization is opening up completely new possibilities for people and changing our shopping habits. We appreciate quick, easy online shopping just as much as personal assistance and the haptic in-store shopping experience. We’re building a bridge between them.” He continued: “With integrated solutions such as Saturn Express, we’re demonstrating the advantages of combining online and offline models.”
Expert assistance and digital shopping
Self-checkout combined with personal in-store assistance provides obvious added value. Trained shop assistants are available to all customers in the store to answer all their questions regarding the very latest tech, Saturn Express’s product range, and in-app payment. The advantage is that employees can concentrate on customer service. “Expert advice taking customers’ needs into account is essential, especially when buying modern tech. This was also confirmed by our Saturn tech study*, in which the majority of respondents stated personal advice was very important to them when purchasing consumer electronics,” said Gietl.
Pilot project from the Retailtech Hub
The cutting-edge pilot project Saturn Express is being implemented by Saturn in conjunction with British startup MishiPay. The multi-award winning startup team developed the technological basis for Saturn Express. MishiPay is one of the first ten participants of the Retailtech Hub, the MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group’s startup accelerator.
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