All Eyes in Finland are on Philips D-Line Displays

PPDS, together with Global Partner Alliance integration partner FirstView, have transformed the in-store customer experience for Silmäasema – Finland’s leading eye care specialist – with the installation of 200-plus Philips Android SoC digital signage displays in 40 high street stores, each seamlessly controlled and managed using PPDS’ unique remote Wave Controller platform.

Founded in 1975, Silmäasema is one of the eye care industry’s biggest success stories, boasting 150 stores and ophthalmology centres and over 1,000 staff (including 300 ophthalmologists and 300 opticians), to deliver a growing range of specialist vision and eye health products and services under one roof.

As part of a major investment and upgrade across 40 key store locations, Silmäasema teamed up with FirstView Digital Signage – a leading international AV integration specialist with more than 13,000 display installations – and PPDS to reinvent the way it communicates with customers (both in and outside of stores), while delivering more sustainable and cost-efficient business practices.

To achieve Silmäasema’s high and often complex ambitions, Philips D-Line Android SoC displays were selected and installed in all point-of-sale environments in each store, replacing all existing paper-based communication materials and introducing extensive new branding and marketing possibilities.

Versatile and flexible enough to meet the exact needs of each location and environment, PPDS’ exclusive Philips D-Line displays are designed to deliver the ultimate impact in retail environments, with a high bright 500 cd/m2 screen providing optimum viewing experience in any lighting condition, including direct sunlight.

Away from the shop floor, a range of 10” Philips T-Line Multi-Touch Smart Displays were placed outside Silmäasema’s consultation rooms.

Powered by Android and with a built-in camera and speakers, the capabilities of the Philips T-Line 10” series run far deeper than the display, with opportunities for audience measurement, footfall analytics, and more, providing each store (and head office) with greater insights into how and when rooms are being used and utilised.

Wave-ing in a new era of control

Unlocking the full power, versatility and intelligence of each Philips professional display, PPDS’ evolutionary Wave Controller cloud platform was selected to provide Silmäasema’s team with unprecedented levels of remote control and management of its display fleet.

Accessible on and off-site via an intuitive and tailored interface, Wave Controller brings simplicity to installation and set-up, letting the Silmäasema team view, easily manage, monitor, schedule content, and control all displays entirely remotely, with all firmware updates and new functionalities (including security) able to be easily actioned either on a per-store or collective basis.

Thanks to PPDS’ unique ‘Open2’ approach, FirstView’s in-house content management software (CMS) has been installed directly onto each Philips display alongside Wave, with no external media players required.

With new capabilities added almost daily by PPDS’ global software team, Silmäasema can tailor each display to the environment, down to the smallest detail. Examples include but are far from limited to, displays automatically powering down during specific times when not viewable to customers or the passing public (such as away from the shop window when closed), or even reducing or increasing screen brightness based on the time of day.

In addition to replacing paper with digital signage, Wave Controller also introduces a series of additional sustainability benefits, including energy reduction, extending product lifetimes of displays, and less travel for support and maintenance, delivering economies and environmental benefits.

Silmäasema has confirmed Philips professional displays together with the PPDS Wave Controller, will continue to be rolled across more locations in the future.

Anne Rantanen, Marketing Director Silmäasema commented: “With FirstView innovating our in-store digital signage with Philips professional displays we can concentrate on our core business – giving the optimal eyecare experience to our customers. Signage is visible and up to date without issues and staff are not distracted searching for remote controls and having to intervene on technical issues.”

Laura Vaihinen, Service Manager at FirstView Digital Signage – a member of the PPDS Global Partner Alliance and a strong advocate of PPDS Wave Controller – added: “Wave Controller saves us time, and, in our business, time is money. Now we can proactively monitor displays anytime and from anywhere, proactively intervening if there are issues.”

To learn more about PPDS, please visit the website here, or contact your local PPDS sales manager.