Saturn is launching its new concept Saturn Connect: Digital lifestyle hotspots in town centres
Ingolstadt, 28.10.2015: ‘Saturn Connect’ is a brand new market innovation concentrating on digital lifestyle products and services. The Saturn Connect stores with a size of 300 to 700 square metres in busy city-centre locations won’t just be displaying lifestyle items in an exciting environment – they’ll also be a source of extensive advice and services ranging from smartphone repairs while you wait to assistance with computer problems and transferring data between devices. By stocking products and offering services from a wide variety of manufacturers, Saturn Connect is intended to be the first port of call for tech-savvy customers in urban centres. Following the pilot launch of the first Saturn Connect market in Trier on October 15th, the second will be opened on October 29th in Cologne – exactly where the Saturn story began about 55 years ago.
“When developing our digital lifestyle stores, we were inspired by the needs and suggestions of our customers. What they’re mainly looking for is convenience, innovation, and a cohesive range of advice and services,” explained Wolfgang Kirsch, CEO of Media-Saturn Deutschland GmbH. “The new concept is more than just a logical development of the Saturn brand and our multichannel strategy. We’re also exploring new avenues regarding the presentation of technological innovations in Germany. Saturn Connect is where technology expertise and enthusiasm in their purest form are showcased in a relatively small retail setting.”
Four exciting thematic areas
At its new stores, Saturn is focusing primarily on digital lifestyle items. Saturn Connect stores are divided into four thematic departments, where customers can find complete solutions quickly and easily in a single area. Connected Mobile is all about smartphones, laptops, tablets and related services along with cross-vendor advice on mobile phone deals. Connected Home contains products and solutions for the networked home. Connected Fitness concentrates on wearables, action cameras and wellness products. And Connected Discovery highlights innovations and new products such as virtual reality headsets and appcessories. What’s more, each Saturn Connect store has a contemporary feel. The spacious environment invites customers to try out gadgets for themselves, the modular furniture concept ensures flexibility in a small space, and state-of-the-art retail technology enables technology products to be ideally displayed.
Connected advice and extensive services
Particular attention is paid at the Saturn Connect stores to ‘connected services’, i.e. an integrated approach to customer advice and smart services. The store assistants are ‘digital natives’ who advise clients about the entire range of products and services and can also handle payments directly. Moreover, all employees are equipped with tablets for individual customer assistance. These tablets can also be regarded as a virtual shelf extension since any items not stocked can be conveniently ordered online. Meanwhile, at the Smartbar, customers can obtain rapid assistance with matters such as setting up mobile phones, data transfer, applying screen films and printing cases and having devices repaired while they wait. Customers can also receive tips on apps. Moreover, Saturn’s entire multichannel offering is available in the store – from the collection of items ordered online to same-day home delivery. The Connect stores also serve as collection points for the regular Saturn stores affiliated with them. Furthermore, training courses and exclusive information sessions on new lifestyle products are planned.
Close integration between Saturn and Saturn Connect stores
Every new Saturn Connect store is linked to the nearest regular branch of Saturn. In each case they work closely together on organizational matters like the availability of goods and logistics. In addition to offering Saturn customers a whole new shopping experience, the new digital lifestyle hotspots will also serve as drivers of innovation. As Wolfgang Kirsch said: “At the Saturn Connect stores, we can try out new ideas – for example in design, presentation and services – on a small area and, if they are successful, transfer them to our regular Saturn stores.” Starting next year, the new concept will be gradually rolled out in other busy pedestrian zones in Germany.
