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QR codes on advertisements, which presents airlines, holiday companies and airports) will be our industry.” He adds: “Other aspects of digital them with more details of items for sale that the next biggest step forward.” include augmented reality, airline apps and they can then order. Travelers can even book a In future, rather than just turning to social smart watches. With the right data being made personal shopping assistant at a location of their media platforms, brands will embrace digital available, brands could revolutionize retailers’ choice free of charge (at participating stores) to to deliver insight from consumers. “We have assortment and layout.” help them choose the latest designer fragrance. developed tools to enable in-store brand Travel retailers and brands are stepping up For suppliers, the digital arena is a particularly consultants to capture information during their commitment to digital with an approach effective means of educating consumers about their everyday sales conversations,” notes that straddles both local markets and travel- product usage. Many brands have online Brocklebank. “This inbound data can be retail. However, there are more opportunities to tutorials or have implemented an ‘Ask an artist’ used to capture key information about who be harnessed from data sharing, which will allow facility to their Facebook pages so the consumer is shopping, what they are buying and other a personalized offer to be created following can communicate with them directly. “This information. This is a massive step change for every step of the traveler’s journey. n builds consumer engagement, all at the hands of their device, instant and ready to go,” remarks Brocklebank. He adds: “To amplify a social Digital dos and don’ts Two industry experts analyze what should make the travel-retail industry tick when it comes to digital, while pointing out some common mistakes. “ The Digital Consultancy director Kieron Matthews Data can be used to capture “According to Skytrax’s top airports for 2015, Singapore’s Changi airport is key information about the best in the world (with London Heathrow coming in at a disappointing who is shopping, what ninth place) [in terms of digital]. Its site looks and feels like a magazine: full of beautiful images, offers and they are buying and other bold statements like “Rethink your experience at Changi”. On the surface, information. This is a massive the site appears to be very focused on commercial spending, with three out of four promotion boxes encouraging you to spend before you fy. step change for our industry Conversely, the London Heathrow site feels like a library of utilities that aid your fight. The focus is on parking, security, fight status and car hire. Despite having a shopping boutique ” lip service to retail partners, rather than being a genuine, passenger-driven service. microsite where you can click and reserve, the London airport website seems to just be paying One Red Kite founder and managing director As with all commercial enterprises, digital will never be the panacea for more revenue unless Kevin Brocklebank passenger insights demand that it should be. For example, many studies suggest a happy passenger at an airport is most likely to spend more money. According to DKMA, satisfed passengers spend 7% more on retail and 10% more on duty-free. Only by understanding how media or digital message, brands and retailers digital can leverage this spending can ‘digital’ make a meaningful dent on airport retail spend. need to engage with key infuencers. There Personally, I would love to add a mini deodorant, toothpaste, magazine and bottle of water are a number of millennials who have created to my business ticket and then use a QR code to access a locker in the lounge. But for digital to video blogs to help educate followers on beauty disrupt the travel-retail sector, it needs to have an unhealthy obsession with passenger insight, products—get bloggers to do the marketing which it currently doesn’t have.” for you. Generation X and millennials can be a little cynical when brands themselves push 7dots digital consultancy director Samuel Page their message, but are more willing to accept an “In the past, airports have treated travel retail as a purely physical experience ‘independent voice’.” so haven’t invested in the digital experience to promote and support this retail. For example, if you look at London Heathrow airport’s website you can fnd a Appealing to non-frequent fyers directory of shops and food outlets, but it’s highly uninspiring. Most travelers But the biggest challenge is the relevance for start their journey long before they step onto a plane or train. You could argue those who do not travel frequently. “These it starts when they book their journey, traveling through the various digital experiences to passengers are often the biggest spenders, fnd relevant information and plan their physical journey. All of these digital experiences are but are opportunists,” explains Brocklebank. key touch points that could be used to promote tailored retail information to the user. This “The key then is to make sure that the touch information needs to be personalized and based on the user’s purchase and travel history. For points the customer has during their journey example, if the user has a history of eating a meal and purchasing women’s fragrances before are covered. An integrated campaign that uses a fight, the presence of these retail offerings should be highlighted. Current technology would all forms of media (print, billboards, TV and so allow the effectiveness to be measured through offine versus online analytics data.” forth) that includes all stakeholders (such as November-December 2015 - N°24 - BW Confidential 105