In-store Screens Feature Specials
The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal
Business, Friday, June 22, 2007
By: Jonathan Wilson
A Thunder Bay grocer is trying something new to increase sales and keep
shoppers informed.
Quality Market has set up wide-screen TV monitors in its two local outlets,
in partnership with Markham-based Captive Channel.
The screens feature rotating in-store specials, weather information, news
headlines and non-stop 30-second commercials for ice cream, chocolate bars,
dog food and charity organizations.
"They've really been catching people's attention," said David Stezenko,
co-owner of Quality Market.
"It just brings our consumers into the information loop that they maybe
would not have been otherwise."
Nine screens were recently installed in the outer aisles at the Centennial
Square outlet, and eight at the County Fair Plaza location.
Stezenko said he's "jazzed" that the independent grocer is the first to
offer Captive Channel in Thunder Bay.
"That's kind of what's exciting, because we're the small guy," Stezenko
said.
"Not very often does the small guy have an opportunity to beat the national
chains to technology."
Quality Market paid for the purchase and installation of the screens, in
hopes they soon will pay for themselves.
Captive Channel co-founder Zee Najar said their contract gives Quality
Market a share of the revenue from national advertisements shown on the
screens.
"It is a media spend," Najar said.
"So from that, the retailers are able to benefit from the profiting in
selling their ad space."
The screens are now located in 170 grocery stores across Canada. Najar said
they provide brand awareness at the point of sale, and have so far produced
"a dramatic sales uplift" for products featured on them.
But it may take a while for local shoppers to get used to them.
Most Quality Market shoppers who were asked what they thought of the TV
screens replied that they hardly noticed them.
"Haven't looked at them since I've been in here," one man said.
"I haven't really paid attention to them," said a female shopper.
"People walking, they can see them, it's nice," said a third shopper.
Najar said he was surprised to hear that result.
"It's probably too new," he said.
"They will learn about it and they will see there is value in watching."
Source: The Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal
