Bütema AG
Bütema AG is a German full-service Digital Signage and retail technology provider offering its proprietary soviaDS CMS, hardware, AI shopping assistants, and managed services to fashion retail, food retail, municipalities, healthcare, and hospitality customers across the DACH region.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersBietigheim-bissingen, Germany
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Bütema AG does
Bütema AG is a German full-service provider of Digital Signage and retail technology solutions headquartered in Bietigheim-Bissingen, with a second office in Erbach acquired through the November 2025 purchase of Wedeko GmbH. The company was founded by Dirk Frintrop in 2004 with 23 employees and has grown to over 70 staff serving 1,000+ customers across fashion retail, food retail and gastronomy, municipalities, healthcare facilities, travel hospitality, and corporate communications in the DACH region. Bütema generated €16.5 million in FY2024 revenue and is led as of December 12, 2025 by CEO Lutz Hollmann-Raabe, with founder Dirk Frintrop now serving as Chairman of the Supervisory Board.
The company's core technology is the proprietary soviaDS Digital Signage CMS, which provides centralized content management, weather-dependent playback, flexible calendar planning, AI-powered media filtering, and active offline monitoring with automatic support ticketing. Around soviaDS, Bütema offers a hardware portfolio covering commercial displays, LED walls and transparent LED, digital info steles, digital menu boards, window displays, digital door signs, interactive terminals, and self-checkout systems, alongside certified mERP hardware resale. Software extensions include the InStore Assistant App (ISA) for POS process digitization and KIra, an AI-powered shopping assistant for retail teams. The Verena retail AI assistant, launched with GALERIA in December 2025, uses QR codes and ChatGPT to deliver customer service and product information in-store. Wedeko GmbH operates as a sub-brand focused on municipal digital signage solutions including info steles, LED walls, and interactive window displays.
Bütema operates a direct, consultation-led go-to-market model combining field sales for enterprise accounts, inside sales for SMB and mid-market, and showroom-based demonstrations at its Bietigheim-Bissingen headquarters. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; the company monetizes through a hybrid mix of hardware sales, software subscriptions on soviaDS, managed-service rental models for displays, professional services including installation and content creation through its in-house Content and Design Agency, and mobile app licensing. Multi-year enterprise contracts underpin flagship deployments with customers such as GALERIA, SSP Group, Rossmann, Hugo Boss, Snipes, Tank & Rast, and Deichmann, while a long tail of SMB food retail and municipal accounts rounds out the 1,000+ customer base.
Bütema AG firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bütema AG
- Legal name
- Bütema AG
- Website
- https://buetema-ag.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Bütema AG is a German full-service Digital Signage and retail technology provider offering its proprietary soviaDS CMS, hardware, AI shopping assistants, and managed services to fashion retail, food retail, municipalities, healthcare, and hospitality customers across the DACH region.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bütema AG industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Retail Technology Solutions
- NAICS
- Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Database/Application Data Layer Modernization (DB migration, ORM, caching) (BPAEAFAL)
Keywords
Where Bütema AG is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bietigheim-bissingen
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Bütema AG business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Digital Signage Hardware Sales: Sale of displays, LED walls, digital steles, window displays, interactive terminals, and related hardware components. Hardware can be purchased outright or rented through managed service models.
- Software Subscriptions: soviaDS Digital Signage CMS software licensing with subscription model for content management, device monitoring, and software updates.
- Managed Services / Rental: Managed service offerings including hardware rental models with ongoing support, maintenance, and software access bundled together.
- Professional Services: Consulting, project planning, installation, technical support, and in-house content/design agency services for tailored digital signage content creation.
- Mobile App Licensing: InStore Assistant App and Shopping Assistant KIra licensing for retail process digitization.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Hybrid | Multi-year contract | Custom enterprise solutions with consultation-based pricing |
| Subscription | Annual | Software subscription via soviaDS CMS |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels12 records
Bütema AG product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bütema AG is a German full-service provider of Digital Signage and Retail Technology solutions headquartered in Bietigheim-Bissingen. The company sells its proprietary soviaDS Digital Signage CMS together with complementary in-house software (InStore Assistant App, KIra AI assistant) and a broad range of retail hardware (LED walls, digital steles, window displays, menu boards, door signs, interactive terminals, self-checkout systems). In addition, it offers consulting, installation, managed rental, retail media, and content production services to retail chains, fashion and food retailers, banks, municipalities, and healthcare operators.
Product overview
Bütema AG is a German full-service provider of Digital Signage and Retail Technology solutions, based in Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany. The company operates under two brands: Bütema AG (core) and Wedeko (acquired in November 2025, headquartered in Erbach). Its product portfolio is organized around a proprietary software platform — soviaDS (Digital Signage CMS) — complemented by hardware products (displays, LED walls, digital steles, window displays, menu boards, door signs, interactive terminals, self-checkout systems, mERP hardware) and services (consulting, installation, managed rental, retail media, in-house content agency, technical support). Key retail software products include the InStore Assistant App (ISA) for POS process management and KIra, an AI-powered shopping assistant. The company serves multiple industry verticals including fashion, food retail, gastronomy, healthcare, municipalities, and corporate communications.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Wedeko: Digital Signage solutions brand acquired by Bütema AG, serving retail, municipalities, and B2B sectors with products including info steles, LED walls, and interactive window displays
- CiTYwerbung
- soviaDS
- sovia Digital Signage
- InStore Assistant App (ISA)
- KIra
Products and services
- soviaDS Digital Signage CMS Proprietary cloud/on-premise Digital Signage Content Management System software that allows retail and corporate customers to centrally plan, distribute, and play back content across distributed screens and store networks. Sold as a software license/subscription to enterprise retail, municipal, banking, and healthcare operators.
- InStore Assistant App (ISA) Mobile application that supports in-store staff with task management, store communication, and operational workflows. Targeted at retail and store operations teams as a companion to the digital signage stack.
- KIra AI Shopping Assistant AI-driven in-store shopping assistant that supports customers and store staff in retail environments. Developed in-house by Bütema AG as part of its AI retail technology offering.
- LED Walls & Digital Displays Large-format LED video walls and professional digital displays for retail, public, and corporate digital signage projects. Sold as part of Bütema's bundled hardware offering.
- Digital Steles Freestanding digital signage steles used as interactive or information points in retail stores, public buildings, and municipal facilities. Sold within Bütema's hardware portfolio.
- Window Displays High-brightness digital window displays designed for retail storefronts and shop windows, used to deliver promotional and brand content at the point of entry.
- Menu Boards & Door Signs Digital menu boards for food service and quick-service restaurants, and digital door signs for meeting room and office facilities. Part of Bütema's standardized hardware portfolio.
- Interactive Terminals Interactive touchscreen terminals deployed in retail stores and public-facing environments for self-service information, ordering, or wayfinding.
- Self-Checkout Systems Self-checkout systems for retail and food retail, enabling customers to scan and pay for items autonomously. Sold as part of Bütema's retail technology stack alongside its software.
- Managed Rental & Service Contracts Recurring managed service and hardware rental contracts covering installation, maintenance, and lifecycle management of digital signage fleets for enterprise customers.
- Consulting & Installation Services Project-based consulting, planning, and on-site installation services delivered by Bütema's field engineering teams to deploy signage and retail technology solutions.
- Content Agency In-house content production agency that creates creative, advertising, and editorial content for digital signage networks of retail and corporate customers.
- Wedeko Retail Media / DOOH Acquired sub-brand offering retail media and DOOH advertising services that monetize in-store and outdoor digital signage networks of retailers and advertisers.
- CiTYwerbung — City & Retail Media Bütema sub-brand delivering city- and municipality-focused retail media and information signage solutions, enabling advertising and communication across urban and retail areas.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 70 employees serving 1,000+ customers
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Bütema AG
Customer profileNamed customers27 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Bütema AG technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability7 records
Feature8 records
Bütema AG partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.
- GALERIAflagshipBütema AG and GALERIA introduced a digital retail AI assistant named 'Verena' in a GALERIA store in Bonn, initially testing in the women's underwear department. The AI uses QR codes and ChatGPT technology to provide customer service and product information, representing an innovative AI integration in retail.
- Luisa CeranominorBütema equipped the new Luisa Cerano showroom in Düsseldorf with an impressive LED cube for displaying fashion films. The collaboration demonstrates ongoing project work between the two companies.
- Wedeko GmbH (Brand)coreWedeko brand serves as Bütema AG's specialized channel for municipal Digital Signage solutions, implementing projects in cities like Ulm, Schönau im Schwarzwald, and Hockenheim.
- Wedeko GmbHcoreBütema AG completed the acquisition of Wedeko GmbH, a German Digital Signage solutions provider headquartered in Erbach, Germany. The acquisition expands Bütema's portfolio to include digital signage products such as info steles, LED walls, and interactive window displays for retail, municipalities, and B2B sectors. Wedeko's existing team and Erbach location are retained, and current Wedeko customers continue to receive service with added capabilities of the combined entity.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Bütema AG competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Bütema AG social profiles
Digital presenceBütema AG compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Bütema AG financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bütema AG leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Bütema AG subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Bütema AG funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bütema AG M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bütema AG
What does Bütema AG do?
Bütema AG is a German full-service provider of Digital Signage and Retail Technology solutions headquartered in Bietigheim-Bissingen. The company sells its proprietary soviaDS Digital Signage CMS together with complementary in-house software (InStore Assistant App, KIra AI assistant) and a broad range of retail hardware (LED walls, digital steles, window displays, menu boards, door signs, interactive terminals, self-checkout systems). In addition, it offers consulting, installation, managed rental, retail media, and content production services to retail chains, fashion and food retailers, banks, municipalities, and healthcare operators.
Is Bütema AG a public or private company?
Bütema AG is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Bütema AG founded?
Bütema AG was founded in 2004. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Bütema AG based?
Bütema AG is headquartered in Bietigheim-bissingen, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Bütema AG make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Digital Signage Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are software Subscriptions, managed Services / Rental, professional Services and mobile App Licensing.
Does Bütema AG have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bütema AG.
What industry is Bütema AG in?
Bütema AG's product category is Retail Technology Solutions. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEAFAL, Database/Application Data Layer Modernization (DB migration, ORM, caching). Its NAICS code is 541511 and its SIC code is 7370.