Lidl GB

Design

UI/UX

Rhapsody has created a digital experience for Lidl GB, providing the retailer’s audience with an engaging complement to its seasonal print magazine

Problem

Retailer Lidl GB has a seasonal magazine which Walstead, Rhapsody’s sister company, prints. It’s an effective marketing tool, but Lidl GB wanted to offer its readers a digital version too. The digital solution needed to enhance the reading experience, rather than be a copy-and-paste replica of the print publication.

Solution

Rhapsody stepped in and suggested creating a digital version of the magazine using Ceros, a no-code solution for designing and publishing interactive content. The idea? The online version would serve as a complement to the offline edition with additional images and text, plus links to other sources. That would allow Lidl GB to explore a new section of its audience. It would also give the retailer extra flexibility: one of the benefits of the Ceros platform is that it is quick and easy to update at any time.

View the experience

Button Text

Result

The first digital experience we created served as a trial so that Lidl GB could assess the ROI of adopting this format. The results were conclusive and Rhapsody has since produced several editions for Lidl GB. For each one, we also produce regional variations for Scotland and Wales featuring relevant products and any necessary price adjustments. Lidl GB now has the flexibility to tailor its content as and when needed. That’s a big win for the retailer.

We tasked one of our talented senior designers with producing the project, along with a team that includes a retoucher. They work closely with the client on every project, starting with discussions on wireframes before moving on to content population and design. Since this is a repurposing project, the design and assets from the printed edition serve as our starting point. The client then provides us with additional images and copy to enhance the existing content.

Full-width media showcasing Lidl case study on iPhone mockups, highlighting retail innovation.

The digital format has another added advantage: it generates detailed analytics. In fact, the first experience we produced brought to light some invaluable information about the audience. We are able to build on these findings to provide a better user experience for the digital edition. For example, we discovered that the vast majority of readers consulted the Ceros experience on their mobile phones. It therefore made sense for us to make mobile design our priority going forward. That’s not all. Lidl GB can also use these analytics to improve the print magazine, something it wasn’t able to do previously.

The festive season helped to highlight the added value that the online version provides. Christmas is a crucial time for the retail sector, but it can be difficult for brands to cut through the noise. Dwell time increased significantly for the 2022 UK Christmas edition, with visitors spending an average 1 minute 14 seconds viewing content. The interactive experience allowed Lidl GB to capture its audience’s attention at a critical moment of the year.

504k

The click rate for the UK September edition

1.2m

The total open rate over 4 seasons

1m 14s

The average dwell time for the UK Christmas edition

Thousands of viewers have consulted each digital edition Rhapsody has produced. The September 2022 magazine for the UK was opened 504,276 times, for example. It proves that having an online version significantly boosts the reach of the magazine... with one single link. Both editions go hand in hand, providing readers with an enhanced experience while being a cost-effective solution for the client. Lidl GB has achieved everything it set out to do by working with Rhapsody.