Qatar Airways. KLM. American. Scandinavian. Delta. United. The list of airlines that have scrapped inflight retail is now a lengthy and still expanding one.

Inevitably, that has led to a series of articles and discussions postulating that inflight retail is “dead”. The reality is rather different – the channel is not necessarily dying; the way it works is just changing.

“Perspectives are shifting from focusing on inflight as a separate channel which is restricted to onboard, to a more dynamic and personalised journey where consumers choose their point of delivery and their preferred touchpoints,” says gateretail Vice President Marian Fagbemiro.

“There are millions of passengers with many sweet spots and pain points during their end-to-end journeys, so we see a great future in meeting these needs through a more relevant retail proposition.

“Consumers haven’t stopped shopping in general; it is the way they shop and their expectations which have changed. There is more choice than ever before on the ground and online, so why shouldn’t customers expect a similar experience when travelling, being able to shop where they want, when they want, with more products and services, and of course, at their convenience.”

New technology is opening up new channels, and inflight retailers must embrace them, Fagbemiro says.

Inflight retail seems to be shifting towards less product being carried onboard, with apps and services offering onboard payment but fulfilment on the ground.

“Today’s digital and omnichannel consumer trend leaves inflight retail with no choice but to re-evaluate how we engage and interact with travellers and what we offer onboard,” explains Fagbemiro.

“While pre-order may seem like the perfect solution to reduce onboard inventory and meet customer needs, simply putting products online is not going to be enough to attract and convert customers. Retailers need to use technology and data to evolve from ‘sense and respond’ to ‘predict and act’, so we can anticipate consumers’ demands, understand what they are looking for and respond quickly.

“While historical sales data is still important to understand what customers are purchasing and how, predictive analysis tools allow us to detect new and emerging trends early and understand consumer associations with these trends.”

Fagbemiro highlights gateretail’s Travel Retail Technologies platform, which enables the company to leverage big data expertise and analytics experience to quickly offer travellers new products and services via a digital platform, either pre-flight or onboard.

“It provides multiple payment options and delivery points to give the customer a more personal choice and control of their own experience, [and this is] a big shift for inflight retail,” Fagbemiro notes.

“This does not mean that the crew will play a lesser role in ensuring we deliver the best customer experience, but it does mean that their role with regards to the onboard retail programme will evolve to being more engaged in up-selling, providing product knowledge, sharing their own experience of the products and capturing traveller feedback.

“There is still a demand for inflight retail, even if somewhat reduced. It does mean, however, that the way we engage and train the crew will also need to evolve, as will the sales tools that we provide them with to deliver this seamless experience.”

New categories could be introduced as a result of shifting consumer behaviour, digital advances and sustainability factors, while the dynamics of existing categories might also change.

“Shifting consumer behaviour requires us to rethink the onboard product range across categories in order to become more relevant and exciting. Locally produced and sustainable products, which better support social and environmental issues, are a key focus area,” says Fagbemiro.