The retail industry is undergoing a profound transformation, shifting its centre of gravity from simple commercial transactions to the creation of genuine sensory experiences. In this landscape, brands are no longer looking for basic digital displays. They want solutions that seamlessly merge digital assets with physical touchpoints.
The project we delivered for Aries Biopetcosmetic at its headquarters in Livorno, Italy, demonstrates this evolution by showing how premium pet-care cosmetics can be integrated with advanced phygital (physical + digital) automation. By connecting interactive hardware to automated data flows, we transformed a traditional showroom into an immersive narrative journey that connects visitors with the brand’s core values.
The Challenge: Moving Beyond the Static Screen
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Aries specialises in professional animal grooming and skincare, with a product range that includes the “Break Up” hyper-detangling treatment, aloe vera lines, vegan masks, and professional fragrances. In designing the new experiential zone at their Livorno HQ, the ambition was bold: showcase more than 15 product categories without overwhelming visitors visually.
Static shelving and traditional looping video content simply couldn't do justice to such a rich catalogue. The project called for a system capable of managing a high volume of information and synchronising physical product interactions with large-scale digital content, while keeping product data accurate and up to date.
The real challenge was creating a visceral, fluid experience in which digital content felt like a natural extension of the physical object, while simultaneously automating the transfer of prices and product details directly from the brand's e-commerce platform.
The Architecture of an Integrated Phygital Ecosystem
To bring this vision to life, we developed a digital ecosystem built around two coordinated hardware interfaces.
The visual centrepiece of the space is a monumental 98-inch Samsung display, dedicated to high-impact visual storytelling and brand-category emotional videos. Directly below it, housed in a custom-designed unit, sits a 24-inch Philips touch console, an interactive interface managed through Live Controller, our proprietary software that gives users full command over on-screen content.
The true technological innovation, however, is hidden in plain sight. Integrated into the counter, advanced Nexmosphere sensors powered by a "Lift & Learn" (or Place & Learn) logic allow the system to instantly detect when a product bottle is picked up or moved by a visitor. The moment a product is lifted, the system not only updates the video content but also communicates with the Philips Hue lighting ecosystem, triggering coordinated accent lighting that immerses the visitor in the product’s visual world.
On the software and data management side, we deliberately avoided the rigid approach of building hundreds of individual static pages for each product. Instead, we designed four dynamic template variants that function as intelligent containers. Through a single automated flow, these templates query the brand's e-commerce source directly, populating and updating product names, prices, and availability in real time across all showroom screens.
A Multi-Sensory Customer Journey
The visitor experience is orchestrated across three distinct phases, designed to engage multiple senses simultaneously.
It all begins with the Attraction Phase: the 98-inch display runs a smooth loop of brand-aligned graphics and videos, drawing from Aries' colour palette and visual identity. The content is intentionally subtle and non-intrusive, crafted to harmonise with the space and naturally catch the eye of anyone who walks in.
The moment a visitor interacts with the touch console, the environment shifts into the Discovery Phase. The large screen transitions to the brand’s corporate video, introducing the world and values of Aries, while the console displays product-category cards that visitors can browse using an intuitive interface similar to those used by streaming platforms.
From there, the experience deepens into Sensory Immersion. When a product is selected, whether by tapping the console or physically lifting a bottle from the counter, the entire room responds in unison. The 98-inch display renders an animated product template with detailed product information, while the dedicated audio and architectural LED lighting systems change in real time to match the selected product line’s palette — for example, calming green tones for the aloe vera range..
Future-Proof Retail Innovation
One of the strengths of the Aries installation is the scalability of its unified logic. By applying the same automation flow to physical sensor inputs and digital console commands, the system can respond consistently whether the console is tapped or a product is lifted.
This architecture can significantly reduce ongoing content-management work and costs. If the Aries team updates a price or edits a product description on its e-commerce platform, the showroom content updates automatically without requiring code changes.
Furthermore, by letting the digital ecosystem handle technical product information and pricing, sales staff gain what we call "listening time". Technology takes care of the informational layer, freeing consultants to focus on the human relationship and on truly understanding each customer's needs.
The Aries showroom in Livorno offers concrete proof of what Livesignage can achieve when physical touchpoints meet digital intelligence. This case study illustrates an important principle for the future of brick-and-mortar retail: the goal is not to replace products with screens, but to enhance the physical product experience through smart, automated digital storytelling.