US supermarket chain Hy-Vee’s RedMedia retail media network is one of the first businesses to deploy the Samsung VXT content management system (CMS) for digital signage.

Hy-Vee is an employee-owned chain of supermarkets in midwest and southern USA.

The cloud-native option integrates content management and remote device management with intuitive features to let users control and secure their Samsung display network in real time. Leveraging the VXT CMS, RedMedia will pursue an in-store digital strategy with dynamic displays that engage shoppers and drive revenue streams.

“Samsung is helping businesses unlock the full potential of their digital signage networks with high-impact content that delivers brand messaging all while enhancing the customer experience,” said James Fishler, senior vice president for Samsung Electronics in America. “We developed the VXT CMS to help companies quickly deploy content at scale, with new levels of creative and technical control. For retailers like Hy-Vee, in-store media can help maximise the revenue-generating potential of display technology in high-traffic areas and at the end-of-aisle.”

Hy-Vee retail locations will use the VXT CMS to manage a network of more than 10,000 Samsung QBR series commercial displays in aisles, deli, meat and seafood counters, wine and spirits departments, and food courts in all its grocery stores as well as Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh locations.

These displays deliver a dynamic mix of in-house content, including live cooking demos, promotions, recipes, product pairings, company announcements and menu boards, to engage shoppers. In an initiative to transform its stores into retail media spaces, RedMedia is integrating its digital signage network and the VXT CMS in partnership with Samsung Ads, the advertising division of Samsung Electronics, as one customised programme letting marketers take advantage of buying in-store digital inventory in combination with connected TVs (CTVs). This will provide advertisers with innovative ways to reach shoppers.

Announced earlier this year, Samsung Ads has been building a bespoke marketplace combining in-home CTV with digital out-of-home (DooH) advertising, allowing marketers to reach their audiences as they move throughout the day. With measurement, targeting and programmatic transactional technology, Samsung and RedMedia hope to lead the market in this emerging retail medium.

“Hy-Vee’s RedMedia is best-in-class for suppliers and their brands,” said Jason Farver, president of RedMedia. “We pride ourselves on our excellent customer service and ability to allow companies to reach specific consumers across various channels so they can create an omnichannel marketing strategy via Hy-Vee’s in-store marketing, loyalty programmes and events.”

The integration of Samsung Ads with the VXT CMS will allow RedMedia to employ a cohesive content management strategy with data to determine the optimal mix of original content and advertising for engaging shoppers. Cloud-based device management should increase content consistency and uptime while reducing the requirement for hands-on engagement with the hardware; this should improve operational efficiency. The VXT CMS’s scalability will prove essential as RedMedia plans to expand its digital signage network to over 10,000 in-store displays in the upcoming months.

The cloud-native structure of the VXT CMS lets businesses deploy and update the software directly from a cloud portal provided by Samsung. Initial setup time is faster without the need for physical servers, which also provides scalability as businesses expand their display network or grow to more locations. With the VXT CMS, cloud service providers are also responsible for server management and maintenance, saving companies physical space, time and money.

For content creation, the VXT CMS introduces the VXT Canvas tool, which makes creating original content more intuitive and effortless. Canvas comes pre-loaded with drag-and-drop templates and images that users can tailor to their company’s brand colours and fonts to create professional-quality content.

Distributing content to digital signage is now as simple as clicking a button. Users can also create content schedules and playlists and manage if the same or different content is displayed across a diverse digital signage network anywhere in the world. In addition to an intuitive desktop interface, the VXT CMS (www.samsung.com/us/business/solutions/digital-signage-solutions/vxt-cms) offers mobile compatibility, so users can make instant real-time content updates locally and globally.

RedMedia (hredmedia.com) is a division of Hy-Vee, a retailer with more than 550 locations.