The storefronts in Costa’s coffee shops have been brought to life with engaging promotional videos and adverts. We are so pleased with the quality of the displays.
Rachel Temple, Senior Business Development Manager, Commercial Ltd
Client
Costa Coffee is one of the most recognisable brands on the UK high street, often referred to as the Nation’s favourite coffee shop. For over 50 years, they have been committed to providing the finest quality coffee, from their first store in London in 1971 to over 3,800 stores in 32 countries in 2023. Costa was looking to undergo a digital transformation in their UK stores, moving away from traditional printed menus and posters to digital signage screens.
The Partnership
Commercial Ltd, Costa’s IT services provider for this project, approached LamasaTech following an initial roll-out, where digital window displays were provided by another manufacturer. The team at Commercial wanted to evaluate the market to ensure they were providing the best possible product for Costa’s needs.
After rigorous testing and consultations with Costa, LamasaTech was selected as the provider of choice for the next stages, as our screens scored highest for appearance, build quality and reliability.
Challenges
Costa was using traditional static signage, such as promotional posters, in their stores to advertise products and seasonal offers to customers. They were facing several challenges with this approach:
- Slow to update promotional materials when a new offer was available due to the timescales for printing, followed by the logistics involved with changing the signage across a large chain of stores
- Changing signage was a high-cost exercise, combining the cost of printing and the cost of resources to physically remove and install the signs
- Printing new signage regularly generates waste and impacts Costa’s carbon footprint and path to Net Zero
Solution
- 400 x 43″ Muro Double-Sided Window Displays
Costa required high-brightness displays for their storefront windows which were double-sided to attract passersby into their coffee shops and serve adverts to customers once inside. The content on the outward-facing display is easily readable in sunlight with a high brightness rating of 700 cd/m².
The screens are mounted to hang from the ceiling to maximise floor space. With a dual-screen thickness of only 2.5 cm, the displays have a slim profile comparable to that of a single-sided screen.
The display frame colour needed to match the brand design palette present across Costa stores. We manufactured the screens using a custom RAL colour to meet their aesthetics.
Costa’s existing digital signage software runs flawlessly on the screens using the Android SOC that was pre-configured to the specification required, reducing the deployment set-up time.
Due to the nature of the large roll-out, we had to successfully manage and hold stock to plan with store installation plans.
Results
Since the first batch of installations in May 2022, Costa and Commercial have been delighted with the quality of our displays with the attention-grabbing adverts drawing in customers passing the stores and promoting products and offers to customers within their stores to increase up-sells and order values.
Adverts and promotions can now be launched nationwide in real-time, without the logistics and time constraints of physical printing. The digitisation will significantly reduce the recurring costs of launching new campaigns and the waste produced.
Following the completion of this project, Costa is now trialling our Muro Ultra High Brightness Double-Sided Window Displays with a rating of 3,500 cd/m² for future projects and possible international roll-out in sunny climates.
If you’re ready to start your own digital display project, get in touch today and we’ll help you find the best solution for your requirements.
