MediaMarktSaturn is responding to the growing need of customers to experience complex technologies not only digitally, but also physically and with all their senses. Instead of traditional sales areas, innovative experience spaces are being created that combine interaction, brand staging, and education into a holistic experience, making technological innovation tangible, relevant, and trustworthy. 

The more complex digital technologies become, the greater the need for real, sensory product experiences. Especially innovations in the fields of virtual reality, AI, or smart wearables can hardly be fully grasped online—they need to be tried out, experienced, and understood.

This principle is increasingly shaping brick-and-mortar retail as well. Instead of classic sales areas, flexible experience zones are emerging, where technology can be explored in a contextual and everyday manner. MediaMarktSaturn is now implementing this concept together with technology partner Meta—as part of the Space-as-a-Service strategy, which transforms retail space into brand-adaptable experience environments. For decision-makers in retail, marketers, and brand experience managers, Marcus Tengler, responsible for Real Estate & Store Concepts at MediaMarktSaturn, outlines the five central pillars that make physical space concepts a success factor for technological innovation:

1. Experience Zones: Technology Testing Instead of Product Presentation

Successful space concepts enable authentic, interactive product experiences. Especially for products that require explanation, such as VR headsets or AI-powered glasses, the classic shelving principle is outdated. Customers want to immerse themselves in scenarios where they can experience the device as they would use it in everyday life.

In the so-called Experience Zones at MediaMarktSaturn, the physical space becomes a digital resonance chamber. Technology is no longer just explained, but contextualized and made tangible—in immersive settings that create curiosity and trust.

2. Entrance Statements: Attention Is the New Currency

First impressions count. Modern tech space concepts therefore rely on striking entrance stagings to immediately engage visitors visually and thematically. These “entrance statements” provide orientation, convey a promise of innovation, and increase dwell time.

Technological product innovations thus receive a stage that does not feel like advertising, but rather like a curated introduction to the experience space. This moment of surprise is especially valuable for brands that stand for pioneering spirit and future technology.

3. Boutique Model: Flexible Brand Space Instead of Shop-in-Shop

Instead of classic shop-in-shop systems, progressive retailers are increasingly turning to modular brand areas that can be individually designed—similar to a professional trade fair booth. These boutique formats, as featured in MediaMarktSaturn’s largest shop format “Lighthouse,” offer manufacturers the opportunity to present their technologies independently and in a thematically appropriate way.

The result: temporary brand worlds that can be dynamically adapted to campaigns, target groups, and product cycles. The physical environment thus becomes a creative tool for differentiated brand communication.

4. Community & Education: From Point of Sale to Learning Environment

Technology often requires not just explanation, but also guidance and exchange. Events, workshops, or guided demonstrations expand the experience space to include social and educational components, making the store a community platform.

Especially in the gaming, VR, or AI sectors, it becomes clear: shared experiences not only strengthen customer loyalty, but also product understanding. Where exchange is possible, trust and sustainable access to innovation are created. MediaMarktSaturn is already pursuing this community approach in its gaming experience worlds “Xperion,” where events for the gamer community take place on large areas and live stages.

5. Analytics & Insights: When Experiences Become Measurable

Physical experiences leave traces, and these can provide valuable insights. With the help of sensors, movement analyses, or feedback terminals, customer interactions can be evaluated in real time. This generates data-based insights that support product development, space planning, and communication strategies.

The experience space thus becomes an intelligent feedback loop. Companies gain a better understanding of which features are convincing, where explanations are needed, and which type of staging actually leads to action.

Conclusion: Spaces That Enable Thinking, Feeling, and Action

Brick-and-mortar retail is evolving—not despite, but because of digitalization. Those who rethink it, not as a rigid space but as a service infrastructure for experience, open doors to a deeper relationship between people and technology.

Physical space concepts that are adaptive, immersive, and community-oriented offer real added value—for customers, brands, and retailers alike. Especially when it comes to future technologies, this is where curiosity turns into relevance and relevance into purchase interest.

MediaMarktSaturn is not just any retailer. On our way to becoming an Experience Champion, our employees are the key success factor. As diverse and multifaceted as our company is, our employees, their tasks and backgrounds are just as diverse. They are our Experience Champions – because they create a unique shopping experience for our customers. Here they tell their stories. This time: Berit Behl, Regional Manager North Rhine-Westphalia.

As Regional Manager, Berit Behl is responsible for over 20 stores in North Rhine-Westphalia. Her focus: the people who create unique shopping experiences for our customers in these stores. 

“If the employees are doing well, our customers are doing well too,” she says. “I try to convey to my store managers and executives how important it is to work well together - so that each of us can be an Experience Champion.” 

A central topic in her work is the promotion of young talent.

MediaMarktSaturn, Europe's leading retailer for consumer electronics, will be represented with its own booth at OMR 2025 in Hamburg and will also play a significant role in shaping the supporting program. Following last year's successful appearance, the company will additionally host the official OMR Gaming Culture Pre-Event as a partner at Xperion in Hamburg.

The exhibition presence focuses on the strategic growth areas Retail Media, Marketplace, and Space-as-a-Service. For the company, OMR offers the ideal platform to connect with relevant industry players and present innovative solutions. As one of Europe's largest omnichannel retailers, MediaMarktSaturn provides unique opportunities for partners and customers to position themselves in these forward-looking business areas.

OMR is considered one of the most important events in the digital marketing industry in Europe, bringing together thousands of experts, companies, and interested parties annually. MediaMarktSaturn uses this opportunity not only to present the latest developments in digital retail but also to provide valuable insights into current industry trends.

Representatives of the company will participate in various events within the supporting program. Visitors to the MediaMarktSaturn booth can look forward to high-profile expert presentations, interactive demonstrations, and individual consultations across 100 square meters. Behind the booth, there is also an approximately 90 square meter pop-up area. Part of this space is dedicated to MediaMarktSaturn's private labels: Here, visitors can not only admire the brand-new audio collection 'PEAQ by Robbie Williams,' but selected ISY gadgets will also be available for purchase. These include everything that might become important during a long day at the OMR, such as power banks or key finders. Another part of the pop-up area is dedicated to MediaMarktSaturn merchandise products: Those interested can equip themselves with shirts, hoodies, caps, and much more in the distinctive brand design.

A special highlight leading up to OMR 2025 will be the official Gaming Culture Pre-Event, hosted by MediaMarktSaturn as a partner at Xperion in Hamburg. With this event, MediaMarktSaturn specifically addresses the growing gaming community and connects the worlds of digital marketing and gaming culture. The focus is on exciting panels, best cases from the industry, and targeted networking – all in a relaxed (retro) gaming atmosphere that brings your inner child back to life. Anything but "business-serious"!

The program in detail

May 5, from 6 PM, Xperion Hamburg
LEVEL UP! The official OMR Gaming Culture Event (Admission with ticket only)

May 6, 1:25 – 1:45 PM, OMR Blue Stage:
Jannika Bock (Managing Director Retail, Google Germany) in conversation with Michael Schuld (Chief Marketing Officer, MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group): "Predictably Unpredictable: Reaching Consumers with Google AI"

May 7, from 8 AM:
Retail Media Breakfast at Café Publicis 
10 AM: Talk with Torsten Ahlers, Managing Director Retail Media, MediaMarktSaturn, about the future of data-based advertising in retail

MediaMarktSaturn is not just any retailer. On our way to becoming an Experience Champion, our employees are the key success factor. As diverse and multifaceted as our company is, our employees, their tasks and backgrounds are just as diverse. They are our Experience Champions - because they create a unique shopping experience for our customers. Here they tell their stories. This time: Tamara Heinz, Department Manager SEO & Content Management. 

Tamara Heinz and SEO - they simply belong together. “I didn't come to SEO, SEO came to me,” she says with a smile. Tamara has been working on optimizing search engine content for years and brings this expertise to MediaMarktSaturn. 

MediaMarktSaturn is convinced that every device deserves a second life. The company is now also showcasing its commitment to sustainability and the circular economy in its marketing.

Ingolstadt, April 9, 2025

In the latest campaign, MediaMarktSaturn and brand ambassador Jürgen Klopp are teaming up to promote the retailer's trade-in service. The campaign will be shown in all eleven countries in which the company is active.

The centerpiece of the marketing initiative is a spot featuring brand ambassador Jürgen Klopp. He uses MediaMarktSaturn's trade-in service for his used smartphone. The phone ends up in other hands as a refurbished product. The new owner is a young, passionate football talent who likes to share her football skills on social media - and soccer enthusiast Jürgen Klopp is also among the many people who watch and like the video. The second life that MediaMarktSaturn has given the smartphone means that the girl and the previous owner are unwittingly connected and the young player's joy at receiving a reaction from Jürgen Klopp is hard to contain.

Michael Schuld, CMO of MediaMarktSaturn: "Reuse instead of waste – that is the core message of our new campaign. With our trade-in service, we bring sustainability and affordability together: Every old device holds a new life – and at the same time, you’re doing something good for your wallet. These two aspects correspond to the spirit of our times. That’s why they are a perfect match for our marketing."

In Germany, the campaign is supplemented by additional marketing measures relating to sustainable services. These include a poster campaign at the point of sale as well as various videos for online or TV use, which focus on repair, refurbished products or display protection, among others. The aim is to further increase awareness of MediaMarktSaturn's circular economy offerings. In Germany, the campaign will be shown on TV, online and at the point of sale from April 22 to May 19. Saatchi & Saatchi (creation) and German Wahnsinn (brand soundtrack & music) were involved in the realization of the campaign. Publicis Media was responsible for the media budget.

The commitment to greater sustainability, the Impact Experience, is a central component of MediaMarktSaturn's corporate strategy. The company was already able to further strengthen its services and offerings in the past financial year: The number of trade-in products grew by 94% year-on-year, while the number of remanufactured products sold rose by as much as 275%.

Launching this summer to coincide with Robbie´s European tour, ‘PEAQ by Robbie Williams’ will feature an initial six products created in collaboration with the music icon. The ‘Robbie Williams Live 2025’ tour starts in May. During the tour, Robbie will perform in countries including Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Poland and Turkey.

Ingolstadt, Germany, 31 March 2025 

MediaMarktSaturn has today announced a brand new collaboration with music icon Robbie Williams for an exclusive collection of audio products as part of the PEAQ brand. Launching in July shortly after the start of the European leg of the ‘Robbie Williams Live 2025’ tour, the initial six product ‘PEAQ by Robbie Williams’ collection will include headphones, speakers and a soundbar. All of the products will feature a sleek black design and Robbie Williams’ initials and signature elegantly showcased in gold lettering. 

Robbie and his team have worked closely with PEAQ throughout the creation process, from the audio tests, through to the design ideas and the final products. Future collections are set to feature an expanded range of products which will drop as part of the three-year partnership. The collection will be available in July in Germany and other European countries online and in the stores.

True to MediaMarktSaturn‘s motto ‘Experience Electronics’, this collaboration combines the company’s technical expertise with Robbie Williams’ status as a pop culture icon. The partnership highlights MediaMarktSaturn‘s position as Europe’s leading electronics retailer, enhances PEAQ‘s visibility in the entertainment sector across the European market and further expands Robbie’s impressive footprint in the entertainment world.

Mario Neuwirth, CEO of IMTRON GmbH, says: “With this exclusive PEAQ collection, we are aiming for a bold statement in the consumer electronics sector – both as a company and as a brand. We are thrilled to be collaborating with the global superstar Robbie Williams. This long-term partnership opens up new opportunities for us to further expand our strong brand PEAQ and offer music fans across Europe the perfect combination of outstanding sound quality and unique design." 

Robbie Williams says: “Collaborating with the PEAQ team has been an amazing experience and I’ve learnt a lot about creating products of quality at an affordable price point. I’m excited to launch this wonderful partnership. I look forward to a successful relationship with PEAQ and I hope everyone likes the products as much as I enjoyed creating them with the MediaMarktSaturn team.”

More information on the products in the PEAQ Robbie Williams collection and corresponding images can be found here: RobbieWilliams - PEAQ

MediaMarktSaturn is not just any retailer. Our employees are the key success factor on our path to becoming an Experience Champion. As diverse and multifaceted as our company is, our employees, their tasks and backgrounds are just as diverse. They are our Experience Champions - because they create a unique shopping experience for our customers. Here they tell their stories. This time, the focus is on the team from MediaMarkt Dresden-Elbepark, one of our pilot stores for our personalized service.

For David Ehlebracht, Head of Sales, one thing is clear: personalized service puts the people behind the store in the foreground. “For me, this means that we are simply giving our store a little more personality and a face.” And this is exactly what customers feel.

Europe's leading electronics retailer is setting new standards in personalization: As of this week, customers in the first 40 stores in Germany will receive personal all-round support for their purchase within a very short time – from a consultation appointment to support beyond the purchase. The "Personalized Service" will be introduced in all German stores by the end of the year.

Shorter waiting times, individual advice and a dedicated contact person in the store – these are the three major advantages of the new concept for customers. With the introduction of "Personalized Service", MediaMarktSaturn is strengthening its presence in brick-and-mortar retail and at the same time promoting customer loyalty and satisfaction.

Individual support, just like in the small store around the corner – MediaMarktSaturn is taking shopping at the European market leader to a new level: personal support before, during and after the purchase will become the new standard in all stores across Germany. As a result, the individual needs of customers are becoming even more important.

"With our personalized service, we are setting a new competitive benchmark and clearly differentiating ourselves from pure online retailers," emphasizes Dr. Sascha Mager, CEO of MediaMarktSaturn Germany. "Our motto: My customer, my responsibility. We establish personal relationships and are there for our customers throughout the entire customer journey. This strengthens our relevance in the long term and significantly increases customer loyalty. At the same time, we are sharpening our market positioning and taking another decisive step towards becoming an integrated solution provider."

Personal all-round support for purchasing

Customers can now book an appointment in advance for a consultation in selected stores in Germany. Online and brick-and-mortar retail are closely interlinked: Appointments can be booked via mediamarkt.de or saturn.de. Customers specify the category in which they would like to receive advice and select their preferred appointment time. In the store, customers enjoy personal support from the beginning to the end: They are welcomed by a member of staff in the entrance area and accompanied to their customer advisor. For particularly large or heavy products, they are given a transport or carrying aid. The customer advisor also provides the store's contact details in case any questions arise afterwards.

With this concept, customers benefit from shorter waiting times, more personalized support and a strong relationship with the store's team of experts. MediaMarktSaturn is also increasingly focusing on data. With 43 million loyal customers and billions of data points, the electronics retailer is gaining important insights into its customers' preferences. "Every customer profile is unique – but the diversity of our data allows us to identify patterns in our customers' behavior," says Sascha Mager.

Members of the MediaMarkt and Saturn customer programs also have the advantage that the customer advisors can prepare even better for the conversation in advance because they know the customer's purchase history and preferences. The company evaluates customers' past purchases and calculates the probability of product preferences.

The newly introduced service was successfully tested in Germany and Switzerland in 2024 and received very positive feedback from customers and employees. It has already been fully rolled out in Switzerland and is now being gradually introduced in blocks of 40 additional stores in Germany. The concept should be available in all German stores by the end of 2025. Online-only appointments for a consultation, repair acceptance or services at the Smartbar are already available in all stores in Germany. Austria will be the next country within the Group to offer the concept, with the rollout starting in May. This will be followed by Spain, where the test phase is currently underway.

MediaMarktSaturn receives the renowned reta Award for its internal AI platform "Sandy". Every year, the EHI Retail Institute honors international retail companies for their outstanding technology projects. The category "Best Artificial Intelligence" honors innovative AI projects that improve decision-making, personalization and efficiency in retail.

This year's reta Award of the EHI Retail Institute in the category "Best Artificial Intelligence" goes to MediaMarktSaturn. The award recognizes the company's in-house developed AI platform "Sandy", which creates a corporate and data protection compliant environment for the use of generative artificial intelligence in the company.

"We want to make everyday life easier for both our customers and our employees with innovative solutions that deliver exceptional value. Sandy is an important project for the intelligent, digital transformation of our company. With this comprehensive and modern AI platform, we offer our employees a secure, company-compliant space to test the latest AI tools, use them in their daily work and continuously develop their AI skills," explains Sandro Kurpiers, AI Lead at MediaMarktSaturn Technology.

Sandy provides access to leading AI models from providers such as OpenAI, Google or Meta and ensures strict security and privacy protocols. By consolidating multiple AI model subscriptions into a single, efficient platform, the company has achieved significant cost savings. Since the launch of Sandy in March 2024, employees have accessed it approximately one million times and generated approximately 50,000 images. In an internal study, employees also reported that they were able to work more efficiently by using Sandy.

The platform offers the ability to customize the settings and content according to the user's individual needs and knowledge, using predefined profiles for beginners, advanced users and experts. Sandy is now integrated with systems in ten of the eleven countries in which the Group operates. The platform is continuously updated and further integration of the latest AI models is constantly evaluated.

Artificial intelligence is a central component of MediaMarktSaturn's innovation strategy to keep pace with the dynamic market environment and to actively shape the future of retail with innovative solutions for customers and employees.

Space rethought in MediaMarktSaturn stores: With Space-as-a-Service, Europe's leading consumer electronics retailer is transforming some of its existing sales areas into experience spaces for the latest technologies, innovations and other services. Customers will be able to experience and test products and technology solutions live in even more stores. At the same time, partners and brands will have more opportunities to showcase themselves in-store and shape their approach to customers.

MediaMarktSaturn makes the shopping experience even more attractive - online, in the app and in the store. With Space-as-a-Service, defined areas in the store are continuously filled with changing themes, products and services to bring them to life and offer customers even more experiences. The current focus is on the further roll-out of Experience Zones and Entrance Statements in the stores as well as boutiques for partners in the TechVillage stores, which along with the Xperion stores belong to the lighthouse formats of MediaMarktSaturn. Across the group, there are currently eleven Lighthouse locations and more than 10,000 m² of space that have already been transformed into experience spaces in over 360 stores in six countries - Germany, Italy, Austria, Spain, Hungary and the Netherlands. By the end of the 2025/26 financial year, more than 750 of the Group's approximately 1,030 stores should have at least one of the two experience spaces - Experience Zones and Entrance Statements - and there should be up to 20 Lighthouse stores with boutiques in Europe.

"Space-as-a-Service is an important strategic growth area for us that has a positive impact on several areas at once: We enhance the stationary shopping experience, create additional experiences for our customers with constantly changing themes and innovations, offer other companies and brands an all-round carefree package to showcase their products and solutions as simply and easily as possible in our store network and optimise our space productivity and thus the profitability of the company," says Marcus Tengler, Vice President Real Estate & Store Concepts at MediaMarktSaturn.  

Focus on Experience Zones, Entrance Statements and Boutiques

The Space-as-a-Service concept was first introduced in the TechVillage stores. The concept is based on an Italian piazza: the classic sales areas are located in the centre, with the boutiques arranged around them. Partners can rent these and present their brand world and latest innovations in a very individual setting. Due to the high degree of customisation, the boutiques are rented for several years.