customer spotlightthorntons convenience stores

At Spectrio, we’re accustomed to working with marketing executives every day to help them bring their retail environment to life in interesting ways. Most of them are enthusiastic about the role they play, but it’s a special experience when we talk to someone that shows true passion for implementing technology in their stores for the benefit of both their organization and their consumer.

Kelly Leonardo, Marketing Manager at Thorntons, is one of those individuals and we’re proud to highlight her use of our system in this Spectrio Customer Spotlight.

the evolution of menu boardsKelly Leonardo, Marketing Manager, Thorntons Convenience Stores

I’ve worked at Thorntons for 10 years, and over that time, I’ve been involved in nearly every aspect of the Marketing team. Today I find myself spearheading marketing related technology, like digital menus, in our stores.

As a company, Thorntons is a leading, independent gasoline/convenience-chain retailer with 180 locations, marketing throughout the Midwest. Thornton’s ranks as one of Kentucky’s largest, privately-held companies with more than $2.3 billion in annual revenue. Thorntons was also recently ranked 250th in Forbes magazine’s annual list of the 500 largest privately held companies.

You used a different system before moving to Spectrio. Why did you switch?

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your role with Thorntons?

The system we had prior to Spectrio was very di�cult to use and manage. We had little visibility into the health of the displays in our stores and found the process of creating and changing content to be cumbersome and time consuming. Since making the switch to Spectrio, we now have full visibility into whether a player/display is functioning properly. We also transitioned from using an outside agency for content design to leveraging Spectrio’s web based Content Creation Engine to build our content online. Spectrio has helped us save time and money while elevating the look and feel in our stores.

ON B RAND, ONL INESpectrio’s web-based tool gives users full control over their content design from start to finish, allowing complete customization of all text, imagery, and animation e�ects. Start from one of our simple templates or create your own masterpiece from scratch by uploading corporate fonts, photos, and backgrounds and build your ad scene by scene. Easier than common software like PowerPoint, this robust media creation tool has all the features of a desktop program but is available anywhere you have a laptop and internet access.

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Before you made the change to Spectrio, you did not utilize digital menu boards. What are you trying to accomplish with this new approach?In 2016, we put an emphasis on our in-store food products, and particularly the items created fresh in-house. At the moment, we have kitchens in 50 stores, so this is a very important initiative. And as with any quality food provider with multiple locations across a broad geographic area, our menu changes depending on things like the location of the store, demographic of the consumer, and varying performance of a�nity items from store to store. Having our content in a digital format allows us to highlight certain items with video or animation as well as automate the distribution of pricing changes from a single input to ensure the best possible presentation to each unique store audience.

MADE TO ORDERThree-screen video walls were installed above the Real Kitchen areas, which are located in the center of each store’s floor plan. Content can be displayed individually on each screen to dedicate some area to a menu, or stretched across all three for moments of large-scale promotional impact.

The hardest part was determining the initial hardware design we wanted to use and our content strategy. We were lucky in that Spectrio helped us mock up store visuals of di�erent screen placements and walked us through best practices for both content creation and a content calendar. Part of what many people don’t realize when installing digital signage is that just because the system allows incredible flexibility of scheduling does not necessarily mean they should be constantly tinkering with what is on screen.

What is the most di�cult part ramping up a digital menu / digital signage system in your stores?

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For us, the digital menus have become a part of our media plan and we allocate resources to it just as we would any other medium. That is in large part due to the consultation from Spectrio when we first installed the system.

Where does Thorntons plan to go from here with digital signage?As a company, we’ve embraced the system and are doing our best to harness the communication power that it enables. We have already branched outside of menu boards in the store with the recent installation at our new corporate center in the form of a video wall that welcomes employees and visitors. We also have placed screens throughout the building to facilitate communication to team members and discussed how we can extend that conversation to stores. Overall, we have big plans for the use of Spectrio in our business.

THANKS , KE LLY !

F RONT AND CENTERAs customers enter the store, they’re immediately greeted with mouth-watering food imagery and special Real Kitchen o�ers based on the time of day. The position of the screens is directly above the roller grill, making it easy to influece impulse and a�nity purchases as customers move around the space.

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