Pokholchuk outlined the importance of customer experiences and managing emotions, explaining that 58% of consumers have ended a relationship with a company after experiencing poor experience.

She said: “The emotion that your customers feel is more memorable than any products or services. Customer experience management is the practice of consciously designing [that] experience. It’s a system of strategies, practices and tools that focus on customer engagement aiming at continuously meeting and exceeding customer expectations and therefore increasing customer satisfaction, loyalty and revenues.”

Rostworowski touched upon the “double-edged sword of technological disruption” and said the key is to leverage digital transformation to facilitate efficiency. He argued that companies are not being proactive enough with their digital technology, even in a world with vast amounts of data available.

Paccaya Managing Partner Andrew Ford leaned on a survey by Horizon Consumer Science about the changing customer profile at airports.

It found that travellers are making up for lost time by taking more trips – 3.5 on average in the past 12 months, compared to 2.8 before the pandemic.

Three-quarters of travellers made a purchase in an airport during their last trip, up from around two-thirds before the pandemic, found the survey.

Alcohol and electronics are grabbing larger shares of the increase in traveller spending than other categories, said Ford.

In a note that will chime with many retailers, shopping continues to become more pre-planned. The survey noted that 48% of purchases are decided before passengers even leave for their trip, versus 42% pre-pandemic and 35% in 2012.

Young travellers plan more than older travellers – Gen Z plans 53% of their purchases, while travellers over 40 plan around 40% of their purchases, said Ford.

He added: “There is a lot of pent-up demand to travel and to spend, while travellers are younger and more tech savvy. They want the experience that comes with a product they buy and are increasingly looking for something that has a connection to the destination they are visiting.”