Mexico. With the goal of attracting more customers and increasing the average consumption ticket, Subway has begun the implementation of a content and digital signage solution in the different stores of its franchisees in Mexico. This is the Digital Menu Board concept, an integral solution developed by Panasonic of Mexico that already operates in different branches.
Digital Menu Boards optimize the management of the contents that are displayed on the screens of fast food restaurants in order to control, from the information of promotions, products and prices, to the frequency, times and locations in which they are shown to the public in the consumption centers. The creation of this content is part of the solution, as design, animation and video tools are taken advantage of with multi-screen deployment options, resulting in dynamic pieces that capture the attention of the public.
This solution facilitates the operation of the Marketing teams of fast food companies that daily work with temporary promotions, advertisements of different dimensions and materials, in addition to facing an iron competition that disputes the attention of the consumer.
As of March 2019, the Digital Menu Boards already operate in 18 Subway restaurants in Mexico, but the joint goal of Subway and Panasonic is to close the year with the integration of the solution in a hundred branches.
How do Digital Menu Boards work in Subway?
The Digital Menu Board concept includes design services for content creation and adaptation, programming and deployment. The distribution is done online through a Content Management platform that sends the specific promotions to each restaurant in which a media player and Full HD screens have previously been installed.
The creation, adaptation and administration of the contents is done in conjunction with the Brazilian company DFS, an expert in digital signage solutions that is part of Panasonic Brazil.
The client, in this case the Marketing area of Subway in Mexico, indicates the plans of its promotions and shares graphic elements and basic information to Panasonic so that the DFS experts can design the corresponding campaigns, from the contents to their programming. Once approved, the campaigns are distributed online to each location, where the manager on duty only has to turn on the equipment (media player and screens) so that the preloaded contents are automatically played.
The basic model of the solution integrates 4 to 6 video screens, in landscape orientation for general promotions, and vertically to communicate special promotions or exclusive products.
"In this project we work hand in hand with Subway with the goal of increasing their sales and increasing the amount of the average ticket," says Abraham Becerril, B2B Solutions Project Development Supervisor at Panasonic de México. "At Panasonic we are 100% involved in this solution, from planning with Subway to advice, analysis, proposal and integration with its different franchisees," he said.
To facilitate the daily operation of both subway's marketing area and the franchisees who already use the solution, Panasonic has the Help Desk service through which doubts are resolved and requests for special content or programming in a particular restaurant are answered. In addition, users have a Service Center available to review or repair possible failures that may occur in the equipment.
Ideal to attract attention in food courts
An example of the use of this solution is the new Subway branch located in the food court of the Torre Manacar shopping center, south of Mexico City. It is a special restaurant because it offers unique products, such as wraps, paninis and some salads that are not available in other branches.
Guillermo Calderón, director of Subway Operations at the company Corpo Substore, one of the largest Subway franchisees with almost a hundred restaurants in Mexico and more than 30 in the State of Texas, USA, explains that his consumer has a young profile, looking for a healthy option, good taste and variety of ingredients.
"In the fast food business, and particularly in the food courts, the competition is fierce, as we live with multiple options and variety of food. At Subway our offer is healthy and tasty; we combine meats with sauces and vegetables, which makes the sandwiches suggestive. In addition, we take great care of the training of the staff, we seek that the operators have a real conversation with the clients, "said Calderón.
But someone as experienced as Guillermo Calderón knows that a good gastronomic offer, friendly attention and good price requires promotional tools to attract consumers. "At Subway, we innovate with products and technology. We integrated Panasonic's Digital Menu Board solution with content full of vividness and dynamism displayed on resistant screens, ready to withstand rough use, dust particles and grease," he added.
The Subway executive highlights the quality of the contents, its detailed image and movement options. "Today's technology is leveraged to launch our new products. Thanks to the design and image quality we can see the colors of the ingredients, the steam that comes out of a hot dish or how a sauce flows that is poured over the meats and vegetables. The sandwiches look alive and the customer fancies themselves," he concluded.
Guillermo Calderón explains that, although the trend of home delivery is growing, the Mexican public likes to meet and visit restaurants; that's why they will continue to work with technologies that help them create memorable experiences in consumer centers.
For their part, the franchises of Subway Antenas and Subway Plaza Via Vallejo in Mexico City, have also been able to verify the importance of communicating the promotions of their stores with impactful content, because since they implemented the Panasonic solution in November 2018, they have noticed that the contents are much better designed, are more attractive and immediately capture the attention of the consumer, which has resulted in an increase in sales.
The Digital Menu Boards are added to the technological offer of Panasonic de México for the market of the large QSR chains (Quick Service Restaurant) which it already serves with POS terminals (Point of Sale), Digital Kiosks, communication systems for drive-thru, security, lighting and refrigeration, among others. The Digital Menu Board solution is part of a panasonic regional offering in Latin America, available in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico.
