BBoard focuses on innovation for an increasingly interactive retail sector

In modern retail, the display is no longer merely a visibility tool. It becomes a touchpoint, a medium, a lever for engagement and also a source of data. This is the direction taken by Gruppo BBoard – specialising in the creation of solutions for the customer experience – which is now focusing on the evolution of conversational signage.

An approach focused on an increasingly interactive, measurable and performance-oriented retail sector. We discussed it with Massimo Sala, CEO of Gruppo BBoard.

BBoard closed 2025 with revenue of more than 4 million euros. What factors drove this growth?

2025 closed, confirming a steady growth and consolidation of our position in the GDO and retail market. The key drivers were the strengthening of collaborations with strategic clients, new business development and the expansion of our offering, especially in the area of integrated solutions for points of sale. An important contribution also came from investments in innovation, digitalisation and new proprietary tools, which enabled us to increase process efficiency and improve the level of service offered to clients. In terms of profitability, 2025 was a positive year and in line with the company’s objectives. Growth was supported by an increasingly structured approach to management control, greater integration between the business units and ongoing work to optimise operations and manage projects.

How is Gruppo BBoard structured today?

The Group aims to provide comprehensive coverage of in-store activities, integrating strategy, creativity and operational execution. There are two main business units: BBoard Com, focused on brand activation and field marketing, and BBoard Services, which handles the rental of refrigerated displays, logistics and advanced technological solutions, including conversational signage. This structure enables the Group to operate as a single point of contact, supporting clients throughout the entire chain, from design to operational management at the point of sale.

How do the two units work synergistically on projects for the GDO and retail sectors?

The two units work in full integration to transform brand strategy into a concrete, measurable consumer experience focused on sales. BBoard Com oversees the strategic and creative aspects, developing concepts, activations and content, while BBoard Services enables the experience through physical assets, technology and operational management. A distinctive element is our ability to manage refrigerated displays comprehensively: we do not limit ourselves to rental, but offer an integrated service that includes the supply of tubs, logistics, installation, operational management at the point of sale and customisation. This enables us to create genuine in-store theatrical experiences, in which displays, content and in-store activities work in coordination. The result is a model that combines creativity, execution and operational infrastructure, ensuring an end-to-end approach that brings together engagement and commercial performance, increasingly guided by data.

What is your competitive positioning today?

BBoard positions itself as a hybrid player between a strategic-creative agency and an operational platform, capable of supporting clients in developing display solutions, promotional communication and engagement mechanics geared towards sell-out. Alongside this consultancy expertise, we have a solid operational structure that guarantees execution, point-of-sale management and control across the territory.

Conversational signage integrated with product picking is among your priorities: how does it work in practice and what benefits does it generate for retailers and brands?

Conversational signage is a platform capable of interacting with shoppers in real time, personalising content and the experience according to the target audience. The technology integrates smart monitors, sensors and analytics systems that make it possible not only to measure attention, engagement and dwell times, but also to analyse product picking and the correlation between displayed content and purchasing behaviour. For brands, this means being able to transform the point of sale into a genuine media touchpoint, obtaining concrete data on campaign effectiveness, consumer insights and a greater ability to optimise content, promotions and engagement mechanics with a view to sell-out. For retailers, meanwhile, the benefits mainly concern the enhancement of display areas, increased interaction with shoppers and the possibility of developing new, increasingly measurable and high-performing retail media models.

Where are you seeing the most interesting results?

We are observing them in high-frequency, high-visual-impact settings, such as promotional areas, high-turnover aisles, seasonal islands and refrigerated displays, where the combination of experience, dynamic content and immediate purchasing generates particularly high levels of engagement and conversion.

What projects and innovations are you working on?

Among the main innovations we are working on is the evolution of conversational signage towards new proprietary formats, including the conversational shelfridge, which we expect to launch commercially in the coming months. It is a high-impact vertical display that integrates an interactive digital monitor and display space for fresh and ambient products, with cross-selling mechanisms based on best performers. Compared with traditional formats, it introduces a new level of interaction at the point of sale. It provides for the activation of gamification and engagement dynamics, data collection and lead generation profiling, and advanced analysis of footfall, attention and picking. The added value is twofold: on the one hand, it increases sell-out by creating immediate consumption opportunities; on the other, it transforms the display into a genuine retail media and data analysis tool. At the same time, we are working on developing increasingly customised, high-impact display solutions, designed around brands’ objectives, creating configurations capable of enhancing the product at the point of sale and generating greater effectiveness in terms of sell-out and consumer experience.

What are the priorities for 2026?

The objective is to continue on the path of growth, consolidating BBoard’s position as the reference partner for integrated and customised solutions in the GDO and retail sector. Strategic priorities will include new business development, strengthening partnerships and expanding the offering, with a particular focus on refrigerated displays and advanced display solutions. We want to strengthen our ability to support brands in the development of bespoke projects and in integrating innovative technologies geared towards engagement and sell-out. With this in mind, 2026 will also be a key year for the commercial launch of new proprietary formats such as the conversational shelfridge, designed to transform the display into an active tool for retail media, cross-selling and interaction with consumers.

What does the “BBoard 2030” roadmap entail?

The BBoard 2030 roadmap aims to build a solid company in constant growth, becoming an increasingly strategic partner for clients. In addition, we want our organisation to be focused on innovation, sustainability and inclusivity and capable of creating value through expertise and people. Finally, the objective is to consolidate a model in which the point of sale increasingly becomes an experiential and data-driven ecosystem.

This article was translated from the original Italian version with the assistance of artificial intelligence. In case of discrepancies, please refer to the original Italian version.