Mondelez International Debuts 'Virtual Assistants' for Promos

Shoppers in Belgium will be introduced to Mondelēz International’s latest products by a group of five state-of-the-art Tensator "virtual assistants" in Carrefour, Cora and Makro stores.

The consumer-facing Tensator Virtual Assistant Ultra models, with its compact 20" x 20" footprint, will stay in each location for two weeks before continuing on their tour of supermarkets and independent stores across the country to promote Mondelēz International's product lines, including the Côte d’Or, Milka and LU confectionary ranges.

Tensator's next-generation digital signage solution deploys cutting edge technology for the virtual assistant, which projects the image of a real person to deliver a variety of messages. With the ability to capture shoppers’ attention more effectively than signage, it can bring messages to life and create interest in new product lines.

“The Virtual Assistant Ultra has proved to be a great asset to our marketing as it takes up a relatively small area of valuable shop floor space,” said Frank Hoeckx, in-store activation expert at Mondelēz International. "Thanks to its dimensions and weight, and the fact that the device is on wheels, it can easily be transported in a small van by one merchandiser. This made it budget friendly and easy to roll out for us."

Noting that Mondelēz International "has a strong tradition of seeking out innovative ways of communicating with customers," Hoeckx further explained that "the Virtual Assistant has real stopping power in-store and we see it as way of creating an event that delivers real sales results.”

Citing the "new dimension to sales possibilities and customer engagement," Tensator Group CEO Ben Gale said, "…[as] technology continues to play a vital role in retail spaces and beyond, [c]onsumers have become de-sensitized to traditional marketing methods, so it is important to us to ensure that brands can interact as much as possible with their customers in-store. We look forward to seeing further results from the Tensator Virtual Assistants that Mondelēz International has taken on.”