Telefónica turns La Torre Outlet Zaragoza into most digitalised shopping complex

The countdown has started for the public opening on 22nd October of La Torre Outlet Zaragoza, the first fully digitalised shopping complex in Spain, with a pre-inaugural “Digital Power-up” event, during which the technological scope of the facilities and the virtual environment of this innovative leisure and shopping area located in the Aragonese capital will be unveiled.

The project, which has entailed an investment totalling one hundred million euros and the generation of a thousand direct jobs, is an ambitious commercial and technological proposal that will offer its visitors a new fully digitalised concept in terms of leisure and shopping.

Telefónica, its strategic partner, has been responsible for integrating the network connectivity, communication and Wi-Fi infrastructure capabilities with the most advanced IoT (Internet of Things), Big Data and AI (Artificial Intelligence) digital solutions to create a unique user experience that merges the physical and digital worlds.

By means of the implementation of these updated digital solutions, the centre’s new consumers and the carriers housed in it will be able to enjoy a new brand-customer relationship model based on an omni-channel and a highly personalised commercial offer.

“Today we’re presenting an innovative commercial area born with a digital DNA that we hope will bring full value to our future visitors”, stated Alfonso Solans, the chairman of Iberebro Group, a project partner and promoter. “Aspects such as omnichannel, digitalisation and user experience have been present since the genesis of the project, with the aim of creating a new commercial area with high added value in terms of technology and innovation, constantly positioning the user at the centre of everything”.

Gonzalo Martín-Villa, global director of the IoT/Big Data unit at Telefónica Tech, emphasised the following: “Working on the customised digitalisation of this centre, a highly iconic location for Zaragoza, has been a technological challenge that practically the whole of Telefónica has been involved in. This project has, once again, enabled us to demonstrate our abilities as experts in the digitalisation of spaces and as a technological partner in any digital transformation project.”

With regard to the IoT, Big Data and AI technological capabilities delivered by Telefónica Tech, La Torre Outlet has an interactive management dashboard that integrates all the available data sources to help the centre to optimise its data-based decision-making, making it one of the first shopping centres of this kind in Spain.

In addition to the data sources that come from the centre’s IoT sensors, the customer’s knowledge is reinforced by the insights provided by Telefónica. This will allow the centre and the stores that comprise it to perform more effective management by making decisions in real time and developing data-based action plans.

The solution will also enable them to identify potential customers and to anticipate purchasing behaviours, both in the shopping centre and on the website.

The project encompasses the conceptualisation, design and execution of all the audio-visual elements, including the digital signage, the different media and the generation and adaptation of the contents. These elements include an LED Video Wall in the shopping centre’s main plaza, with a high-resolution surface area covering 141m² (2880 x 768 pixels), one of the largest in Spain. The contents of this and other screens are managed by the Smart Retail platform, allowing management of both the contents themselves and the synchronisation with the lights and incidental music provided for the visitors.

The centre’s integral security constitutes another fundamental part of its digitalisation. Operated from Telefónica’s Security Control Centre, it will be configured as a sophisticated state-of-the-art system.

A new user experience that merges the real and digital worlds

With the aim of providing a new digital experience, Telefónica Tech has deployed Magic Mirror, an augmented reality solution to simulate an interactive photo call by means of which customers can take their own snapshots and project them onto the Video Wall.

La Torre Outlet Zaragoza will also become the first shopping centre in the world with a 3D digital twin, in other words, a virtual recreation of it developed by Imascono, an Aragonese studio that specialises in augmented reality. Among other features, this virtual space will enable users to stroll around the centre, discover its stores and, in the future, make purchases (3D e-commerce), meet friends and get to know new people (3D social media).

The “Digital Power-Up” set to take place at 8:00 pm this evening in the centre’s main plaza will be attended by Alfonso Solans, chairman of Grupo Iberebro, Gerhard Graf, managing director of ROS Retail Outlet Shopping, Javier Zorrilla, Territorio Norte director at Telefónica, Gonzalo Martín-Villa, global director of the IoT/Big Data unit at Telefónica Tech, and Ignacio Montaner, managing director of Endesa Aragón.