Netherlands-based mobile solutions firm M2mobi has released a new white paper, Travel retail enters the digital age, which gives an oversight of the travel retail industry and explaining how operators can integrate physical and digital shopping to meet the expectations of a digital age.
M2mobi states that while passenger numbers have increased in recent years, the average spending per passenger has decreased. This has been attributed to travelers scanning the internet for better prices as the duty free area of an airport is no longer necessarily the cheapest.
The paper states that on the high street, retailers that have not adapted to the digital age have suffered and those who have the best online shopping systems have thrived. The transition has not had the same impact on airport retailers as travelers are largely confined in their shopping choices once they are in the terminal, however this may not be the case for long.
Central to the paper is the idea of creating a personalized shopping experience for travelers. Rather than sending random promotions and offers, airport retailers can utilize information such as the current time, time of flight, flight duration, location, destination, profile and other big data sources, to create a more targeted approach.
The paper also makes a number of recommendations regarding digital strategies including using beacons and near field communication technology to promote offers and provide directions to the store. This can be further improved upon by thinking of the brick and mortar stores as a showroom, where passengers can experience the physical products and then have them shipped to their home if they are not required for the trip.
To read more from M2mobi’s white paper Travel retail enters the digital age, click here.
