Success as a provider of complete business solutions: Sharp's new B2B strategy meets customer demands for comprehensive services

Professional displays are gaining ground. More and more classic advertising spaces and information boards are making the move from analogue to digital. Plastered smiles and static timetables are making way for dynamic images and departure times refreshed every minute. The digital signage market has been growing for years, but it still has a great deal of further potential. As successful as this branch is, however, it nonetheless requires an intensive amount of time spent consulting with customers. There has been an ever-increasing number of demands from customers for complete solutions which include everything from the displays themselves to services such as installation, maintenance and even the production of contents.

“The goal of our new business area is to provide a full-service option for our customers. Sharp will not only provide the hardware, but we'll also take care of all the aspects related to the installation and maintenance of the displays,” explained Maximilian Huber, member of the management board of Sharp Electronics Europe and head of the new B2B unit for Europe. Huber also noted that “this will help bring us even closer to our customers and allow us to further expand our professional display sales branch in the future.” The expansion of Sharp's professional display business (including digital signage) to cover all aspects of the value chain is directly related to the increasing customer demand for comprehensive solutions. Together with its partners, Sharp is now offering an applicable system with server and software, as well as corresponding mounting systems and repair/maintenance services, in addition to the hardware itself. “The trend is definitely heading towards complete solutions!” noted Huber, who also commented that “with our high quality displays, our many years’ experience in the digital signage sector and our many specialist partners, this new service package is really just the logical result of our past successful work.”

Display solutions for sports, events and digital signage

Sharp is working closely with system integration companies in the sports and events sectors to guarantee its customers a continuous service chain. A first real-life example of a complete solution from Sharp was a frameless LCD ad banner which was used in Cologne's Lanxess Arena for the European Handball Federation (EHF) Champion's League final match on the last weekend of May 2011. In almost no time at all, this pre-assembled system can be set-up and is ready to go. It is also easily controlled using digital signage software from Sharp. Partner companies working for Sharp are taking care of the installation, set-up and maintenance of the banner system.

The next step will be to work in cooperation with digital signage companies to offer complete solutions for digital advertising/information systems. The services offered will not only include system installation, but also content creation and distribution.

Huber's general appraisal of this expansion of the display sector: “Sharp's comprehensive solution packages are keeping up with the demand trend and providing us with an opportunity to strengthen our relationships with customers.”