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.

As Europe's leading consumer electronics retailer, MediaMarktSaturn and CECONOMY AG also want to be a role model in the industry when it comes to sustainability - CEO Dr. Karsten Wildberger: "It is our responsibility as a company to make a relevant social contribution to sustainability." Sustainability is one of the most important building blocks of corporate strategy for the MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group and CECONOMY AG. All offers and activities in this area are now being bundled under the "BetterWay" logo. An initial review shows: MediaMarktSaturn is well on its way to enabling all its customers to live more sustainably with its offers and, at the same time, to making its business processes even more environmentally friendly, step by step.

"Sustainability is non-negotiable for us. We see our commitment as a corporate obligation to make a relevant contribution to society. At the same time, it is also a business opportunity," explains Dr. Karsten Wildberger, CEO of CECONOMY and MediaMarktSaturn. "We are well on the way here and have already set a number of things in place, for example with our private labels." For example, 97 percent of the production sites of MediaMarktSaturn's own brands have been audited in accordance with compliance with human and labor rights. The company also works very closely with suppliers and partners on sustainability issues.

MediaMarktSaturn is also making further progress in the environmental compatibility of its own business activities: the company already obtains over 80 percent of the electricity it uses from renewable energies. The aim is to achieve 100 percent by 2023.

"Sustainability is an increasingly important purchasing argument for our customers, and we are consistently gearing our offerings to this," says Wildberger. The company already offers a wide range of services that extend the service life of products. In addition, the company currently already has more than 1,200 sustainable products in its range. This number will grow continuously.

Products and services for more sustainability

Customers are able to recognize the sustainable products by the new green "BetterWay" logo. They can obtain detailed information on energy efficiency labels, disposal options for old appliances, or the resource-saving use of appliances online and from the specialist advisors in the stores. In Germany, the "BetterWay" logo can already be seen in the online stores of MediaMarkt and Saturn. All other countries where MediaMarktSaturn is represented will follow in the coming weeks.

MediaMarktSaturn and CECONOMY AG are increasingly focusing on sustainability not only in their product range, but also in the wider circular economy - for example, in repairs. In the past 2020/21 fiscal year alone, around million 2,6 appliances were repaired in repair shops across the group. A further 480,000 appliances with minor defects were quickly and competently restored at the SmartBars in the stores and taken away directly by customers. In total, around 11,000 tons of electronic waste were avoided.

And what if a device really has had its day? In addition to the smart phone buyback machines, MediaMarktSaturn also offers its customers a suitable service for exchanging devices for a voucher, for example. In 2020/21, over 30,000 devices were purchased and either refurbished or recycled. To ensure that customers can also use the sustainable electronics products with renewable energies, the company offers contracts for green electricity. Almost contracts 190.000 for green electricity were brokered in the past fiscal year.

Diversity as a success factor

Diversity is also part of the sustainability strategy of CECONOMY and MediaMarktSaturn. Diversity, as well as the targeted development and promotion of the around 52,000 employees across the Group, is a prerequisite for the company's success. The more diverse the competencies of employees, the more comprehensive the skills and knowledge within the company. At the end of the 2020/21 financial year, there were employees from 135 nations across the Group (2019/20: 128), while the share of women in the overall workforce was over 39 percent and is to be further increased, among other things through the "Women in Retail" initiative.

Further goals already defined

CECONOMY AG was one of the first European retail companies to join the "Green Consumption Pledge Initiative" in 2021. It is part of the European Climate Pact, in which companies pledge to participate in climate protection measures and make their contribution to a "green transformation". What this contribution looks like is specifically defined: MediaMarktSaturn, for example, will double the number of sustainable products in its range to over 2,000 by 2023. In addition, the company will continuously reduce its CO2 emissions and packaging waste and further optimize its circular economy (repairing, remanufacturing, recycling). MediaMarktSaturn will also expand the information and advice it offers its customers.

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.