29-04-2020 10:52    Vincent

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20CENT visits the Drink Center in Turnhout

In these times of confinement, I take the opportunity to go back over my notes taken during visits to points of sale or trade fairs. And while snooping around, I came across a digital concept in the wine department that is awesome in its simplicity. But I see that I hadn't shared it with you yet. So, I figured I should share a few lines about the Drink Center of Turnhout. 

The context

During my visit that day, I had the chance to meet Michel Keersmaekers, Managing Director, who explained to me the context of the Drink Center and presented a remarkable digital innovation installed in the wine section. 

The Drink Center in Turnhout is one of the six stores operated by the family, but in recent years the store had aged a bit and deserved a refreshment. With this in mind, Mr. Keersmaekers and his team worked on different points, and mainly these three items: 

• The atmosphere in the store: the store has been redesigned and the wine department has undergone a spectacular transformation with a digital innovation as a bonus.
• Home delivery: a website was designed to allow customers to place orders and have them home delivered. 
• A mascot has been created to be able to cheer up and create promotional actions. It is an octopus named "Dr Inky". 

An innovation in the wine section

The wine department of the Drink Center in Turnhout has been completely redesigned with a new floor, new shelves and a new ceiling. The aim was to recreate the feeling of a wine cellar, and this with great success if you ask me.

On top of these, a digital screen was installed. It gives you access to all the available wine catalogue, and allows you to search according to multiple criteria: origin (country, region...), type of grape, food pairing... In itself this is already a great innovation; few shops or points of sale have this type of screen. But in addition, there is an innovation that I had never seen before. Depending on the result, lights come on to show you the location of the wine (or wines) that match your search. In short, the concept is ingenious, simple and provides help to visitors, even when the person in charge of the department is unavailable. 

My 20/CENT on this Drink Center in Turnhout

At first glance, the store has been transformed and retains the classic codes of a store of its kind. But this drink centre has become more than a "simple shed with stacked bins". Thanks to the small embellishments, the promo-campaigns, and above all the redesigned wine department, the store is indeed a lively point of sale. 

As for the digital innovation in the wine department, it is quite simply remarkable. The department itself is laid out like a cellar, but above all the search tool makes it easy for anyone to find what they are looking for. The tool is very easy to use and extremely visual. The results are moreover more than interesting since the other stores of the group should eventually also welcome this concept (and the concept will be patented by the way). 

In my opinion, if you have the opportunity, when we all get out of confinement, this store concept is worth the detour. 

Your comments and questions are welcome via vincent@20CENTretail.com or via the form http://20100retail.be/en/contact