Press Releases

• Modernisation of the retail network concept is a transversal strategy across the Vodafone Group
• Smart Home and Virtual Reality areas incorporated in Vodafone’s new flagship shop in Parque das Nações, which has just been reopened

Vodafone Portugal is in the countdown to the completion of the total renovation of its shops throughout Portugal and the Autonomous Regions. The project is part of a transversal strategy across the Vodafone Group and comprises three transformation pillars: People, Design and Technology.

The shop in Vodafone’s head office building in the Parque das Nações in Lisbon was recently reopened following complete transformation, the 192^nd shop to be renovated since the start of the project in April 2015. In total, more than 18,000 square metres have been renovated in partnership with 27 local and global partners. In the last financial year alone, more than 13,000 hours of work have been put in.

By the end of 2017, Vodafone Portugal will have modernised all its 200 shops.

New state-of-the-art shop model – the home as a central element

Retail Transformation project aims to create a new shopping experience and provide consumers with excellent service and the best communications experience, regardless of the geographical area of the country where they are located.

Replicating the ambience of a home, the new spaces have a more welcoming and comfortable setting, encouraging greater proximity and interaction with customers. The displays are open and ample; the design is modular and flexible; there are areas devoted to entertainment; the iconic ‘Top10 table’ features the best-selling phones; the central table displays a selection of devices to try out; and a “greeter” welcomes, listens to and guides customers.

“As a convergent operator, Vodafone increasingly seeks to anticipate consumers’ communications needs. The Retail Transformation project offers a personalised and specialised advisory service, where customers, both retail and corporate, can find global telecommunications solutions (fixed and mobile) designed to suit their needs”, explains Henrique Fonseca, Retail Director of Vodafone Portugal.

The project includes a new model of customer service and new tools for the sales teams, making them even more proficient in terms of efficiency and speed of response to customer requests. In the last year alone, around 700 Vodafone employees have received training in the new customer service model, which has a large behavioural component and is totally focused on excellence in customer service.

In the technology area, Vodafone has introduced new features in the shops. In addition to the password management system, in recent months Vodafone has introduced mobile customer service supported on state-of-the-art tablets in more than 60 Vodafone shops, digital signatures and the Comparer tool which helps consumers in their choice of smartphones.

Action Store surprises with Smart Home and Virtual Reality

The Parque das Nações shop, located in Vodafone’s head office building, has reopened with over 460 square metres of renovated space, following 11 weeks of work by a team of 25 architects and engineers and several multidisciplinary teams of employees.

The reopening of this space, regarded as the Company’s flagship store, is of special importance because it introduces still more new features, among them the Smart Home and Virtual Reality Modules.

The Smart Home area invites customers to learn about the accessories and intelligent solutions that allow them to manage and monitor various devices in the home, simplifying everyday actions and improving the quality of life in the domestic environment. Through this, Vodafone is able to demonstrate the potential of the home of the future, one that is more efficient and adapted to the needs of each individual.

At the same time, Vodafone is opening the door to another of the great technological trends of the future by encouraging users to experience a totally immersive parallel reality through the use of virtual reality glasses.

The introduction of these concepts demonstrates yet again that Vodafone is at the forefront of the digital revolution, using technology and innovation to improve the quality of life of citizens, cities and companies.

In the digital age, the online shop is an omnipresent sales outlet, available from anywhere 24 hours a day. This constantly improving facility now enables customers to be “one click away from their new mobile phone”. This is the slogan of Click and Collect, the Vodafone programme that enables customers to buy phones or other products and accessories in the online shop and pick them up in the physical store that is most convenient to them.

At a time when Vodafone Portugal is counting down to the celebration of its 25th anniversary on 18 October, the state-of-the-art shops are further evidence that the Company is continuing to look forward.