Outbound Chinese travellers are probably today’s most influential airport shoppers, but along with their product preferences comes an expectation that paying for purchases should be as straightforward as at home. “CNPay brings innovative payment technology to marketing platforms via China’s most powerful social media” says the company’s Clark Gu. Chinese shoppers using CNPay can buy in RMB through a familiar interface based on WeChat, and retailers receive settlement in their local currency via systems that integrate easily with their IT architecture. Operators large and small can now market to Chinese travellers, confident that payment will be simple and secure on both sides. CNPay will be exhibiting in TFWA Digital Village.
M-commerce is particularly relevant to duty free and travel retail with travellers increasingly reliant on smartphones during their journeys. Mile High Store is active in this field, as Gurjeet Singh and Srishti Khanna explain: “We offer a seamless duty free shopping experience for the end consumer where online merges with offline to provide a perfect m-commerce platform for travel retail globally.” Their app aggregates the offer from around 2,500 duty free shops with payment online and collection in-store or by delivery. “As a B2B2C innovation, it’s imperative for us to be associated with TFWA Digital Village”, they conclude.
SKYRA is targeting travelers from another angle. “We are bringing a new omni-channel solution where we activate industry blind spots by digitally enabling people who aren’t travelling to shop at airports”, As a new service of RCE technology A.S. Skyra, focuses on the principle of individuals purchasing on behalf of others when abroad. The reason for taking space in TFWA Digital Village is “very simple. TFWA gathers the world of travel retail under one roof, a fantastic opportunity to meet and discuss with all industry players – airports, retailers and brands.”
It's in traveller engagement that digital technology is having the greatest visual impact. Activations, pop-ups and retail environments at airports and elsewhere are now richer thanks to tools that blur the boundary between real and virtual. “Blynk have 10 years’ experience delivering dynamic digital and interactive display solutions for travel retail brands and operators”, advises Katie Pacifici. The company create “truly personalised experiences within a retail showcase” and will use their presence in Cannes to demonstrate how they do this using a mix of immersive digital and connected technologies.
Concourse Display Management, another Digital Village exhibitor, specialise in in-store design for travel retail, whether for activations or store fit-outs. Jess Howells explains: “Exhibiting lets Concourse present the skilful art of implementation in retail, where digital meets physical and craftsmanship merges with cutting-edge technology, so that brand stories can be successfully retold to today’s discerning travel retail audience.” Instaroid, a digital application that captures Instagrammable brand moments to boost online reach, will be among the tools Concourse will present.
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