Travel retail highlights

Collaborations don’t get much bigger than this. Diageo Global Travel and Dufry have teamed up to launch a retailer exclusive, Johnnie Walker Black Label Triple Cask Edition. The limited-edition line extension will be solely available at Dufry, and will be distributed in over 300 stores worldwide from this month.

This launch, arguably more than any other of Dufry’s burgeoning array of retailer exclusives in recent times, underlines the sheer clout the company now commands in the travel retail sector, in general, and within liquor in particular. Dufry is not simply getting first crack at the new line, but retaining exclusivity in the future. It’s the kind of relationship that CEO Julián Díaz, speaking at both of the last two years’ Trinity Forums, urged brand partners to develop with the company.

Johnnie Walker is arguably travel retail’s definitive global brand. Dufry is the closest the sector has ever had to a truly global retailer. The combination oozes strength. Triple strength, in fact.

Could a new concept store at Hamburg with no stock storage point the way forward for travel retail? Shoe manufacturer Lloyd’s shop in Terminal 2 effectively acts as a showroom. Travellers can seek on-site advice from store personnel before making product selections using their own mobile device or a store iPad. These items are then delivered to the customer’s home.

“While they wait for their flight at the gate, they can now browse through the extensive range and find out about the latest fashion,” says Hamburg Airport Head of Center Management Lutz Deubel. “Thanks to online ordering, they don’t lose flexibility once they have made their choice. They don’t have to carry any additional bags. And their newest purchases will be waiting for them when they get home.”

“Am I ever gonna be beautiful?” screams the tagline for Lotte Duty Free’s blockbuster web drama ‘Secret Queen Makers’. It follows the stunning model and actress Ko Won-hee who, as unlikely as it seems, lacks confidence in her appearance, only to be encouraged by male Korean Wave stars she meets at Lotte Duty Free stores. Season 2 kicked off on 4 June. The magnitude of this web drama in promoting South Korea’s tourism industry cannot be underestimated – Season 1 attracted an audience of over 100 million views.

MSC Seaview, the largest ship built in Italy, has begun its maiden commercial sailing, replete with 11 onboard boutiques. “Now, we are ready to welcome our first guests onboard after an exciting few weeks of turning spaces into amazing shops,” said MSC Cruises Corporate Head of Retail Adrian Pittaway prior to the launch. This image shows the MSC Seaview retail team walking together across the glass bridge to celebrate the completion of the project.

Yves Saint Laurent Beauté and King Power International recently raised the bar on personalisation via a Mon Paris fragrance pop-up experience that took customers on a “romantic journey of love”.

The space at King Power’s Srivaree Complex targeted a new generation of “affluent, experience-hungry and insta-fluential” consumers by offering each visitor a tailored experience, with a key focus on gifting.

A four-step personalisation experience involving selecting the fragrance type, decorative design and engraving meant that no two customers left with the exact same bottle.

Helsinki Airport operator Finavia has hailed the results of a pilot video interpretation service, Túlka. The service connects customer service staff to a professional interpreter through a mobile app to help them communicate with passengers when they have no language in common.

Many Chinese customers are relieved to see and hear a Chinese interpreter, says Finavia, as a Finnish airport can be an entirely new experience for them.

Túlka offers visual contact between the customer and the interpreter. The high-quality video connection creates something close to face-to-face communication. At times, the interpreter may end up presenting the shop’s entire selection to a Chinese customer.

“Before, we had to use a lot of body language and gesturing to present our products when there was no common language,” says Finavia. “Túlka really helps us close the deal.”

The latest Toblerone activation at Dufry’s new generation Zürich Airport store exemplifies Mondelez World Travel Retail’s dedication to its digital agenda. Combining personalisation, digital backwalls and a strong Sense of Place element, the Toblerone Gifting Station responds to Next-Gen travellers’ desire for authentic brand experiences which offer “more than just a purchase”.

The multi-dimensional space makes full use of the opportunities that Dufry’s new generation store offers and, importantly, resonates with shoppers on a personal level by creating emotion.

The Moodie Davitt e-Zine | Issue 242 | 14 June 2018