Göttingen, 13 May 2020

“Digital admission management offers us reliable assistance regarding compliance with infection control measures. Initial tests have shown that our customers welcome transparency about the number of people in a store by means of a display at the entrance. This creates more understanding if they need to wait. Moreover, this digital access system has enabled us to respond quickly to the increased requirements brought about by the corona crisis. After all, the health and safety of our customers and employees is our top priority. And this is something we can offer reliably and transparently thanks to our ‘smart doorman’ while at the same time significantly reducing the time and effort required to comply with the relevant regulations. As a result, our store assistants will be able to focus on their main job: advising our customers,” explained Florian Gietl, CEO of MediaMarktSaturn Germany.

Modular system for rapid integration

xplace’s Smart Entrance Kit is based on a modular design so that it can be adapted to the individual circumstances of each store. Even if stores have multiple entrances, information is reliably synchronized. The plug-and-play solution is immediately ready for use on different displays. Store managers have dashboards on which they can keep tabs on the current number of customers. If necessary, they can also adjust the maximum number of people allowed in at any time. A reporting function recording data for, say, public authorities or internal use is also available. No personal data is collected. Once the pandemic is over, the sensors and displays will still be able to be used separately for digital customer information and various other analyses. “It’s particularly important to us that our solutions are simple and effective, yet also offer added value by means of alternative functions after the corona pandemic,” declared Marco Wassermann, CEO and co-founder of xplace GmbH.

Rollout planned across Europe

By implementing these and comparable solutions internationally, MediaMarktSaturn is also underlining its flexibility, especially in difficult times. xplace’s solution will soon be fitted at stores throughout Switzerland and Poland and is already being tested in the Netherlands. Furthermore, planning is underway for the installation of digital access systems in stores in Italy and Spain.