MediaMarktSaturn, together with business and strategy consultancy Accenture, successfully hosted a hackathon on Large Language Models (LLMs) for two days. Large Language Models, which are a well-known by the popular chatbot ChatGPT among others, are large generative language models with Artificial Intelligence. They are capable of understanding, processing and generating natural language.

The goal of this two-day event was to create a starting point for the structured integration and operationalization of artificial intelligence in the form of LLMs to open up new application areas for MediaMarktSaturn. To this end, 35 specialists and developers from both companies worked together on three different use cases from this area and were to develop functioning prototypes.

The following three use cases were worked on: 

• AI live advisor: the goal was to create a chat and voicebot for AI-enabled customer support online and in the market. This approach promises a new level of customer advice and support. 
• SEO optimization: LLMs offer great potential for improving search engine optimization. Here, work has been done in particular on automated SEO mark-up and metadata creation. On this basis, MediaMarktSaturn intends to further expand the reach of its online stores. 
• Hyper-personalization and digital marketing: Solutions were to be developed that deal with the creation of modules for text and image generation for marketing purposes in social media, newsletters and online stores. The systems promise to address customers even faster and more individually. 

One thing was clear at the end of the two-day hackathon: it was a complete success. All three groups were able to present promising prototypes that are now being further developed. We are excited about the interdisciplinary collaboration, the commitment of the participants and the progress that was achieved in the short time. We are looking forward to the further implementation of the prototypes and hopefully see them in live operation soon.

Supervisory Board of mother company CECONOMY AG has appointed Dr Karsten Wildberger for five more years ahead of schedule. Dr Karsten Wildberger has been Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CECONOMY AG and MediaMarktSaturn since August 2021. At the same time, Wildberger remains Labour Director at CECONOMY AG and Chairman of the Management Board (CEO) of Media-Saturn-Holding GmbH.

At its meeting today, the Supervisory Board of CECONOMY AG, the mother company of MediaMarktSaturn, extended ahead of schedule the Executive Board contract of Dr Karsten Wildberger and appointed him as Chairman of the Management Board for a further five years one year before the end of his current term of office. The ordinary reappointment is effective from 1 August 2023 and runs until 31 July 2028.

Wildberger has initiated a comprehensive corporate transformation aimed at consistently aligning the company with customer needs and introducing an efficiency-optimized management structure. Thanks to his strategic course setting, MediaMarktSaturn is on its way to becoming a growing omnichannel provider with a digital focus and profitable service business.

"Dr Karsten Wildberger has driven the transformation of MediaMarktSaturn extraordinarily successfully and with great commitment over the past two years in a very challenging environment for the industry and the company. Under his leadership, MediaMarktSaturn has consolidated its role as European market leader in consumer electronics retailing over the past two years," says Thomas Dannenfeldt, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of CECONOMY AG, on the reappointment. "In view of his impressive performance, Karsten Wildberger's contract extension is a logical decision to ensure MediaMarktSaturn's continued positive development and future success. We are pleased to be able to continue the excellent and very trusting cooperation with Karsten Wildberger. He is an important guarantor for continuity and the further strategic development of the company."

Dr Karsten Wildberger holds a doctorate in physics and started his management career as a partner at the Boston Consulting Group. There he advised companies in various industries on strategy and digitalization. This was followed by various international management positions at T-Mobile, Vodafone and Telstra. At Telstra, an Australian telecommunications company with around 400 shops, he was the board member responsible for the entire retail and service organization, product development and digital transformation. From 2016 to 2021, Wildberger was a member of the Board of Management of E.ON SE, where he was in charge of Sales, the growth area "Decentralized Energy Infrastructure", Energy Procurement, Electromobility, Marketing, Digital Transformation and IT.

"I look forward to continuing to work together and am certain that we will lead MediaMarktSaturn into a successful future together through the consistent implementation of our corporate strategy, which focuses on the customer and the customer experience," says Dr Karsten Wildberger. "In the past two years we have already achieved a lot and I am proud of the commitment and achievements of our employees. Together we have laid the foundation for omnichannel excellence, further expanded the growth areas of Services & Solutions and the Marketplace business unit and introduced attractive store formats. But there is still a lot of work ahead of us. Together with the management team, we are developing MediaMarktSaturn into a customer-centric service platform that integrates sustainability into all aspects of our business and delivers excellent services and customer experiences."

MediaMarktSaturn is taking the next step in the further development of its brick-and-mortar business and for an even better customer experience: Europe's leading consumer electronics retailer is opening the first new store in the Xpress format in Germany and presenting the "Look&Feel Evolution" of its Core format in Italy.

MediaMarktSaturn's brick-and-mortar business is a central component of the company's strategy: Following the successful opening of six large Tech villages in Europe, MediaMarktSaturn is now presenting a newly opened store in the Xpress format for the first time in Germany. As part of its omnichannel strategy, the consumer electronics retailer's innovative store concept combines service, an assortment tailored to customer needs, and digital elements that enhance the shopping experience. At the same time, the company is driving forward the ongoing modernization of its classic "Core" formats. For example, the electronics retailer is upgrading a first MediaMarkt in Italy with high-quality design elements and Experience Zones where customers can try out products.

"Our motto is: the right format in the right place. Large Tech villages in the metropolises, medium-sized stores with plenty of service and advice, smaller stores with a selected assortment where customers can also access our entire range and pick up goods ordered online on site – that's our approach," says Karsten Wildberger, CEO of MediaMarktSaturn. "With our new store formats, we are even closer to our customers and cater more individually to their needs. This makes our online shopping more regional. This is because products can be tried out in the store around the corner or quickly picked up in the store nearby. In addition, the productivity per unit area in the new stores is increasing. Our strategy will enable us to operate more stationary locations close to our customers in the future, but on a smaller footprint."

Omnichannel concept in action: the Xpress format launches in Germany

The new MediaMarkt in the Xpress format in Groß-Gerau, Hesse, will present a selected, reduced tech assortment with around 3,500 products ready to take away on around 950 square meters from June 29, 2023. In addition to the popular classic services such as repair or TV calibration, various digital shopping elements will facilitate and enhance the shopping experience and show what omnichannel means for MediaMarktSaturn. In addition to personal advice from employees on site, customers have the opportunity of contacting a digital salesperson via online live chat or video call. Via a so-called digital shelf extension, products that are not on display on site can be presented on a digital screen almost in their original size.

With the new store format, the company is primarily addressing those customers for whom simple and convenient shopping in the immediate vicinity of their home is a priority. Customers benefit from the availability of MediaMarktSaturn products and services at a retail partner or local supply center. The so-called one-stop shopping concept has already proved successful in Hungary, Turkey, Spain and Austria. Now it is also being launched in Germany. The MediaMarkt stores in Burghausen and Böblingen were already converted into stores in the Xpress format in spring 2023, and the company has been testing the concept here for a few months – with success. Further stores in the Xpress format are planned in Germany, as well as expansion in Europe for the future.

Blueprint for the further development of the Core format: The MediaMarkt in Lucca

The new MediaMarkt in Lucca, Italy, is an important milestone on the way to becoming an Experience Champion. There, the electronics retailer is implementing its "Look&Feel Evolution" concept for upgrading stores in the Core format for the first time. From special Experience Zones that focus on trend themes such as electromobility or gaming and invite customers to try out the various products, to a reinterpretation of the color code and a new, more sustainable modular furniture system - the focus is always on the customer experience. The concept was developed internally and will now be expanded to other stores in Europe.

Modernization of the store portfolio moves forward

In addition, MediaMarktSaturn is making very targeted investments in the expansion of its stationary stores. 30 percent of the stores have already been modernized, and this figure is set to rise to 90 percent by the fiscal year 2025/26. This is paying off: The productivity on the shopfloor in the modernized stores is 10 percent higher than in the older ones. By the fiscal year 2025/26, the electronics retailer also plans to reduce location costs (rental costs & IFRS 16 depreciation, occupancy costs, location depreciation) and increase overall sales area productivity by up to 10 percent.

MediaMarktSaturn won the "Experience Design" category at the "Customer Centricity World Series Awards". The "Service Design" working method used and the resulting successes of the consumer electronics retailer, which among other things, enables an improvement in the customer journey and customer satisfaction, were evaluated and honored.

Ingolstadt, 23 May 2023: With the term "Experience Electronics", MediaMarktSaturn is repositioning itself as a retailer of technological products, services, and attendances to an even greater extent and focusing on the customer experience, the seamless customer journey across all channels, and personal advice. But how do you manage that? Only with a cross-divisional team effort. The Customer Intelligence, Experience, and Care department plays a central role in this, using the "Service Design" method to manage projects with interdisciplinary teams. For this, they have now been honored with the Customer Centricity World Series Award, in which more than 90 international jurors evaluated over 210 submissions and awarded the winners for outstanding customer experience initiatives. Two further final placings for MediaMarktSaturn in the categories "Customer Insights & Feedback" and "Customer Experience Team" rounded off the success.

In what is known as a "Service Design Sprint," the teams at MediaMarktSaturn use data and other insights such as mystery shopping, customer surveys, or web analyses to localize potential for improvement or wholly new processes, for example, in the customer journey. Interdisciplinary teams from the stores, category management, IT or HR departments work closely with the customer experience teams. The problem is analyzed holistically, and concrete CX action plans with prioritized measures are developed. Following successful implementation, the corresponding measurement of success also falls within this area, for example, with the Net Promoter Score (NPS) to determine customer satisfaction.

This holistic and agile method of collaboration has already enabled the Customer Experience Team to complete numerous projects successfully. Among other things, it has established the Click & Collect Express (online ordered articles can be picked up from the store within 30 minutes), improved the repair offers in the stores, introduced the purchase of used technology with a trade-in offer in the stores, and also designed and implemented special training courses for employees. The Net Promoter Score (NPS), currently at a record high of 53 points (up 5 points on the previous year), confirms that these projects have also increased customer satisfaction, among other things, and that MediaMarktSaturn is on the right track towards a successful future.

In their new campaign spot on the occasion of Valentine's Day, MediaMarkt and Saturn show that technology is good - but at the right moment. In parallel, accompanying product spots with current offers provide examples of how technology can create precious moments with loved ones. Ingolstadt, 9. Februar 2023: Die Beziehung zwischen Liebe und Technik kann kompliziert sein. Daher schlagen MediaMarkt und Saturn anlässlich des Valentinstags ruhigere Töne an: Die Augen kleben am Handy-Display, Gaming-Abenteuer fordern die volle Aufmerksamkeit, das perfekte Selfie ist wichtiger als die Begleitung – der neue Kampagnenspot mahnt zu einem achtsameren Umgang mit Technik im Alltag und appelliert für mehr Zeit für die Liebsten. Ab dem 13. Februar läuft der Spot im TV und Kino sowie online.

The relationship between love and technology can be complicated. That's why MediaMarkt and Saturn are striking calmer tones on the occasion of Valentine's Day: Eyes glued to the cell phone display, gaming adventures demanding full attention, the perfect selfie more important than companionship - the new campaign spot urges a more mindful approach to technology in everyday life and appeals for more time for loved ones. From February 13, the spot will run on TV and in cinemas, as well as online.

The TV spot to kick off Valentine's Day is very different from the familiar clips of the two electronics retailers. A slow narrative tempo and calm music create a melancholy mood. At the same time, the 45- or 60-second spot focuses on mindfulness and takes the "Let's Go" campaign theme to a new level.

"We're taking a new approach with our campaign on the occasion of Valentine's Day and we’re questioning what we offer. Technology can be distracting and disrupt harmonious togetherness," explains Michael Schuld, Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer of MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group. "This makes it all the more important to remain mindful and to use technical possibilities prudently. For the holiday of love, we want to set a highlight in brand communication with this campaign and call on people to take care of each other."

In accompanying 15-second product spots, MediaMarktSaturn shows how to do it right. Whether it's fireside romance with the new TV set or freshly brewed coffee by the bedside: thanks to more mindfulness for the people we care about, the balancing act between enthusiasm for technology and harmonious togetherness can be achieved.

Valentine's Day highlight products

Anyone who wants to create more romance with a TV fireplace or dimmable lighting in the living room will find highlight products at special prices at MediaMarkt and Saturn for Valentine's Day. From February 13 at 9 a.m. to February 28 at 8 p.m., technology must-haves are beckoning at sensational prices in the MediaMarkt online store and the Saturn online store. In the more than 400 MediaMarkt and Saturn stores nationwide, the promotion will also run from February 13 to 28.

In addition, myMediaMarkt customers and SATURN CARD customers will receive ten times the points or bits on all promotional items. By the way: If you are not yet a myMediaMarkt or SATURN CARD customer, you can register at www.mediamarkt.de or www.saturn.de and get the extra benefits of the upcoming promotion right away.

Further information is available in time for the start of the campaign at
https://www.mediamarkt.de/de/campaign/valentinstag
and www.saturn.de/de/campaign/valentinstag.

MediaMarktSaturn continues to expand its range of recommerce solutions: From now on, customers can benefit from a sell-back service for numerous electronic devices – both in store and online. Europe’s biggest consumer electronics retailer is cooperating here with Foxway, the leading recommerce company. The company is thus expanding its buyback offerings. With this form of circular economy, MediaMarktSaturn intends to make a significant contribution to the reduction of electronic waste and CO2 emissions. The initiatives are an important component of the extensive company-wide sustainability initiative “BetterWay”.

“Trade-in solutions for used electronic devices offer advantages for consumers and the environment alike. First of all, our customers receive an attractive buyback premium when trading in their devices. At the same time, we significantly reduce electronic waste and CO2 emissions through refurbishing and recycling. The cooperation also strengthens our Services & Solutions business. Foxway is a very experienced and renowned specialist in the field of recommerce, whose solutions are scalable and thus be expanded even further in the future,” explains Christian Casado Alegre, Vice President Services & Solutions at the MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group.

Thanks to the cooperation with Foxway, customers can now trade their mobile phones, tablets, smartwatches, laptops, cameras and consoles – regardless of age and condition – for gift vouchers at MediaMarkt and Saturn stores and online shops in Germany, Austria, Italy and Sweden. The company is thus complementing its existing recommerce offers. In 2020/21 alone, over 30,000 devices were purchased and either refurbished or recycled.

MediaMarktSaturn on the “Better Way”

MediaMarktSaturn counts sustainability among the cornerstones of its strategic advancement. For years, the company has pursued a far-reaching sustainability strategy with clear goals. Since the spring, all offers and activities in this area have been bundled under the “BetterWay” logo. In addition to the circular economy (repairing, refurbishing, recycling), the company is also taking great strides on the “Better Way” in many other areas. The company already obtains over 80 percent of the electricity it uses from renewable energies. The aim is to achieve 100 percent by 2023. By 2023, the number of sustainable products in the range will also be doubled to more than 2,000. In addition, the company is continuously reducing its CO2 emissions and packaging waste.

All progress made by the Group in the area of sustainability is published transparently in CECONOMY AG’s annual non-financial statement.

Further information about the “BetterWay” measures and initiatives can be found on the MediaMarktSaturn website or the CECONOMY AG website.

MediaMarktSaturn has developed an international campaign concept for its MediaMarkt brand together with its new lead creative agency Saatchi & Saatchi. For the first time, it will be rolled out company-wide in all 13 countries in which MediaMarkt is active. The campaign is based on a new brand purpose and is thus characterised by the strategic reorientation of the company, which focuses on the customer experience and personal advice. The core and unifying element of the campaign is the claim "Let's go!", which interlinks all communication across all channels. In Germany, the campaign will start on 1 October 2022.

"MediaMarkt is back! It's time to harness the strength of the brand again," explains Michael Schuld, Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer of MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group. "We want to offer our customers experiences and make technology tangible in a special way. Our claim 'Let's go!' stands for the power that arises when you tackle things together. When you just get going. When you dare, when you do." 

MediaMarktSaturn creates experience electronics to enrich people’s life

The electronics retailer, which once established consumer electronics as a new category, is now redefining this category as part of its strategic development: MediaMarktSaturn uses the term "Experience Electronics" to describe its repositioning - and at the same time the range of services for its customers. At MediaMarktSaturn, they can touch, try out and get to know products, in other words, experience them in the truest sense of the word. Technology thus becomes an exciting, positive adventure along the entire customer journey - from on-site testing to optimal set-up at home. "Our goal is to make technology accessible to everyone and to get the best out of technology. With the right content, the right advice and the right service. This is exactly what our new brand campaign shows," explains Michael Schuld.

The campaign focuses on people in all their diversity, taking them on their journey through the world of technology. "'Let's go!' is an invitation to our customers to rediscover technology and also the enthusiasm for it. 'Let's go!' stands for all the possibilities that technology offers people and for the experiences that we make possible for our customers through personal advice and suitable services. As a competent partner, we offer our customers orientation, on all channels. In the local store as well as online," says Michael Schuld. "We ensure participation, in line with our new purpose: We create experience electronics to enrich people’s life.”

Emotional campaign with "evidence"

Three essential elements strengthen the new brand image. The emotional charge of the campaign, which also appears in a new look, activates and moves customers. At the same time, there is a focus on communicating the diverse services with which the company demonstrates its close customer orientation. The last and third component of the campaign is the promotion of products and offers, also on seasonal occasions such as Black Friday or Christmas. The claim "Let's go!" is the link between all marketing activities and forms the umbrella for all communication - not only externally but also internally.

The cross-media brand campaign will be launched in Germany on 1 October. There, it will start with a brand film, followed by three service spots from 8 October. After the start of the campaign in Germany, the launch will take place successively in all other countries where MediaMarkt is at home.

First employer branding campaign rolled out across the Group

The company's employer branding is also in line with the new brand identity. Under the claim "Let's go!", MediaMarktSaturn is launching an internationally uniform employer branding campaign for the first time in October. It will be rolled out step by step in all 13 European countries in which the company is active. Germany will be the first. Our employees are at the centre of the cross-media campaign. They stand for the diversity in the company and at the same time convey the range of the individual job profiles. Above all, they show what MediaMarktSaturn is all about: team spirit, customer orientation and enthusiasm for technology. "With this employer branding campaign, we are creating an international employer brand identity for the first time. That’s how we want to inspire people to join us in shaping the successful future of a great company," says Iris Prüfer, Chief Human Resources Officer of the group.

Gábor Szilágyi, MediaMarktSaturn’s CEO for Germany since February 2022, has decided to step down as CEO of the German national subsidiary and return to his native country Hungary for personal reasons. He will then take over responsibility for MediaMarktSaturn’s Hungarian national subsidiary on October 1, 2022, once again. Szilágyi’s successor at the helm of MediaMarktSaturn Germany (MMSD) will be Dr. Sascha Mager, previously Chief Digital Officer (CDO) and member of the Executive Committee of MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group (MMSRG), with effect from August 15, 2022.

“We respect Gábor Szilágyi's decision and are pleased that he will remain with our company with his talent and experience,” said Dr. Karsten Wildberger, CEO of CECONOMY and MediaMarktSaturn. “With Sascha Mager as our internal successor, we are ensuring a seamless transition in the management of MediaMarktSaturn Deutschland. As CDO for the entire Group, he has already played a key role in boosting the digital business in Germany in recent months in close cooperation with the MMSD management team, while also providing initial, important impetus for further strengthening the stationary business. Together with the team, Sascha Mager will continue to drive the further development of our largest national subsidiary.

“With this reorganization, we are also making even more targeted use of our existing internal expertise for the Group as a whole, without creating additional central structures – entirely in the spirit of a fast and lean company,” Wildberger added.

Sascha Mager will remain a member of the Executive Committee of the MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group in his new role.

In the Google Omnichannel Excellence Study (GOES), Google and the German Retail Federation (HDE) examined how successful retailers from different sectors are in offering an attractive customer experience across all sales channels. The result in Germany: 1st place for MediaMarkt, 4th place for Saturn.

"We are very pleased to have scored so well in this renowned study, this is a great confirmation for our team, which is doing a fantastic job," says Dr. Karsten Wildberger, CEO of CECONOMY and MediaMarktSaturn. "The result shows that we have made further progress on our way to becoming an end-to-end customer-oriented company. The future of retail is omnichannel. It is about the seamless linking of all sales channels. The aim is to offer customers a uniform and attractive shopping experience - both online and offline. We are consistently pursuing this path at MediaMarktSaturn. At the same time, the award from Google and the HDE is a motivation for us to improve even further."

Based on 43 individual criteria, the experts of the Omnichannel Excellence Study evaluated the customer experience of 52 retail companies from all over Germany.  Thereby, the focus was on five basic principles: "Flexible", " Unified", "Informative", "Convenient“, and "Personalized". In addition, 2,000 customers from Germany were asked about their expectations when shopping in a representative survey.

MediaMarkt and Saturn scored particularly well with the experts from Google and the HDE on the following topics: flexibility in delivery processing, including express and drive-in options for Click & Collect, a clear store layout with a separate Click & Collect area, and the integration of smartphones as a bridge between online and offline. In addition, the organizers of the study emphasized the role of the web shop as the "most important information hub" for customers.

MediaMarktSaturn will continue to consistently implement its omnichannel strategy and will start the company-wide roll-out of the so-called "Omnichannel Spine" initiative in the Netherlands in April. This program represents the backbone for further improving, centralizing, and simplifying the logistics, IT, and ordering processes. The company is thus linking and synchronizing its operations for the shopping basket, ordering, stock, and delivery across all channels.

"Based on Omnichannel Spine and the digitalization of our stores, we will offer our customers an even more consistent, simple, and attractive shopping and service experience, regardless of where our customers come into contact with us - in the web shop, via our app or in the brick-and-mortar store," explains Andreas Blase, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at MediaMarktSaturn.

After the launch in the Netherlands, the company will continue to roll out its Omnichannel Spine initiative to all countries.

How 44,000 smartphones at MediaMarktSaturn increase productivity as well as service and consultation quality. Introduced as a pilot project in Germany, MediaMarktSaturn's employee smartphones have become a successful business model within two years. Around 44,000 devices, including the "MyStore" and "Pick'n'Pack" apps developed in-house, are now in use by almost all store associates in all of the approximately 1,000 stores in Europe. Thanks to digital support, productivity has improved significantly. This leaves employees more time for customer consultation and service. A particularly attractive feature is the 30-minute pick-up guarantee.

"Our employee smartphones and, above all, the apps that we have developed ourselves and digitalization of core processes offer significant added value for our customers and employees," says Marius Lückemeyer, Managing Director MediaMarktSaturn Technology and Vice President Omnichannel at MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group. "With this solution, we are leading the retail industry in this area. We are increasing our productivity, improving internal employee communication and, above all, increasing customer satisfaction."

At the heart of the employee smartphones is the "MyStore" app. With this digital sales assistant, the employees can call up all the product information online directly at the store shelf when they receive customer inquiries. It can also be used to compare products and check product availability – online, on site, or in nearby stores – as well as to compare prices. If desired, coupons and customer club data can be retrieved. Even online orders can be placed directly at the store shelf thanks to the app. And all of this can be done in the shortest possible time, because what now takes 45 seconds for new orders used to take up to four minutes – without a smartphone and app. With around one million orders in November 2021 alone in Germany, this is an enormous time saving that employees can use to provide even better and more intensive customer consultation. Across the group, more than 3 billion euros in order volume was already processed last year via the digital companion of the store consultants.

Ordered online, picked up at the store - in just 30 minutes

As an important component of the omnichannel strategy – the availability of products, services and advice online and offline across all channels – this new form of work enables even closer integration of all distribution channels. The specially developed "Pick'n'Pack" app digitizes and accelerates the processing of orders in so-called "Pick Up" and "Ship From Store" processes. In both cases, customers can order their product both online and offline and arrange for it to be delivered to their home or picked up at the store as they wish. Thanks to the time saved with the "Pick'n'Pack" app, MediaMarktSaturn guarantees its customers that the goods ordered online will be ready for pick-up in the store within just 30 minutes. With a pick-up rate of about 40 percent, this option is very popular. And the reverse is also possible: In around 20 percent of cases, store employees initiate an online order for customers during the sales talk.

At the same time, smartphones are significantly improving internal communication. Employees have access to various communication apps and internal platforms anytime and anywhere. The internal social media network in particular has shown itself to be an important communication tool here in recent months. Appropriately prepared content, such as explanatory videos, provides employees with information quickly and easily. There is also a lively exchange of experiences on this platform. The tech colleagues and developers can also count on the "swarm intelligence" and feedback of the store employees in order to continuously improve the existing apps, digitalizations and processes.