Premium Experiences
How behavioural science is shaping travel retail experiences
We feature edited highlights of a panel discussion in Cannes hosted by Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail about the factors that influence the travelling consumer experience.
Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail (GTR) hosted its fifth annual media panel event during TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes, gathering together members of the brand owner’s leadership team alongside experts inbehavioural science, retail and product design. They discussed the role and importance of employing psychology and technology, plus creativity, to engage the next generation of shoppers.
At his final TFWA Cannes event, Chairman & CEO Mohit Lal joined his GTR colleague Anuj Roy, Director of Strategy & Insights, Andreea Redfern (née Tarasescu), Research Director at Walnut Unlimited and Ian Whatley, Director of Digital Products & Experiences for Seymourpowell, at the Hotel Barrière Le Majestic Cannes.
The panellists spoke of ways to efficiently recognise behavioural patterns and insights, while effectively tapping into the power of memories in retail and on the traveller journey.
Anuj Roy highlighted principles which have been proven to drive purchasing. One such purchase driver he explored was, scarcity and “how this has become a key driver behind consumer purchase. Through exclusivity, brands can create premium experiences that shoppers don’t want to miss out on,” he said.
He noted that how we communicate with consumers has a big impact on purchase decisions and planning. “How do you generate curiosity when people are travelling, not on a shopping trip? Making a personal, human connection matters. It is about creating touchpoints across the journey.”
Panellists posed for a photo at the Pernod Ricard suite; (from left) Pernod Ricard GTR Chairman & CEO Mohit Lal; Communications and S&R Manager Charlotte Turner; Walnut Unlimited Research Director Andreea Redfern, Pernod Ricard GTR Director of Strategy & Insights Anuj Roy and Seymourpowell Director of Digital Products & Experiences Ian Whatley
The impact of behavioural patterns
The panellists addressed the need for brands in travel retail to understand traveller behaviours to tailor their offerings and strategies. In addition to analysing purchase history, footfall and online interactions, businesses can begin to adapt and meet customer preferences.
Mohit Lal succinctly summarised the need to identify behavioural patterns and recognise the human ability to synthesise memories and emotions. “If brands can harness this information in travel retail, it will give them a competitive edge through integrated data, predicted trends and in turn, enhance the customer experience via personalisation,” he said.
The debate then evolved from the fundamental building blocks of behavioural science to explore the emotions that can shape the attitudes that impact consumption at key points across the travel retail ecosystem.
Lal said: “Memories, pleasurable or otherwise, impact our travel experiences and day to day lives and in the domain of global travel retail, memories can wield significant influence over the preferences and experiences of travellers.”
He added: “The real game is to play this out through strategy and execution. We are open to talking to many people outside travel retail, to become less product-centric but to relate those products to experience and to bring these elements into how we work. It is about capturing attention through understanding of how human minds work. We are just starting off but we believe unlocking this element – ensuring your products are a trigger to experience – is a potential game changer for travel retail.”
The session offered valuable insights into consumer behaviour and demands
Ian Whatley outlined how businesses should use data points to anticipate what the customer needs, perhaps before they even know themselves, while deciphering what shoppers may want in the future.
“We heard a lot about omnichannel during and since the pandemic, but the question is where does that go next?” asked Whatley. “You need to be present where your customers are hanging out, addressing them with the right content. It’s down to brands to place inspirational content in front of people and being in each channel to interact with them.
“Beyond omnichannel evolution we also see hyper-personalisation with advances in technology. That means using data analytics to get under the skin of behaviour and add value to consumers.
“The Metaverse is another well-used but often misunderstood world. We think of it not as some far-fetched thing, but as a 3D iteration of the Internet. It has a lot of uses in the gaming world, which is growing fast; if you think about retail, there is vast untapped opportunity, where you can also mirror physical with digital assets.
“There are many physical and digital interfaces that are now allowing consumers to interact with brands, which also delivers valuable data to retailers. And we also see the online pulling people into the offline world – a high proportion of purchases are researched online with transactions made offline.”
Andreea Redfern remarked that “it shouldn’t be forgotten that businesses must make the point of sale easy for the consumer” reminding the audience that something as seemingly insignificant as a font size or style, can tap into a consumer’s psyche in unexpected ways, leading to a positive or negative experience.
“Attention spans are short, variable and task-specific. In the fast-paced world of today, everything counts. We need to ensure the peak of the experience is one of joy for the consumer.”
Partner's message
The Moodie Davitt eZine
Issue 328 | 20 October 2023
The Moodie Davitt eZine is published 14 times per year by The Moodie Davitt Report (Moodie International Ltd). © All material is copyright and cannot be reproduced without the permission of the Publisher. To find out more visit www.moodiedavittreport.com and to subscribe, please e-mail kristyn@moodiedavittreport.com