Vincent Slevin, Head of European Industry Strategy: Retail, Media & Consumer Goods, Samsung Electronics: “The consistent footfall within airports offers a captive market, but the environment can be every bit as challenging as a high street in terms of actually capturing customers’ attention.”
Samsung has consistently been at the vanguard of development in both consumer and business technology, and as such is aptly placed to guide our global gateways in the fast-changing landscape of consumer engagement. Samsung Electronics’ Head of European Industry Strategy: Retail, Media & Consumer Goods Vincent Slevin has some pertinent advice to offer to airports and their retailers.
His role involves collaborating with leading companies to enhance the end-to-end customer experience and build long-term competitive advantage. In conversation with Airport Business, he commented that “technology has fundamentally transformed the way in which consumers interact with businesses and brands.”
Slevin added that the rapid adoption of technology such as smartphones means that we have become increasingly used to living in a world where information is available anywhere at anytime, and where communication is personalised to our preferences. Our expectations as travellers are being set by this new world of mobility and connectivity, and it is important therefore that the services we receive when travelling keep up to these expectations. “Customers now have myriad platforms and touch-points through which to engage with businesses – from the Twitter handle to the customer service line, to the online live chat functionality, to the mobile app – and while this requires greater resources, this multi-channel approach also offers tremendous opportunity,” he said.
As commercial factors become an ever more dominant part of the airport journey, the possibilities to revolutionise retail for passengers, Slevin explained, are abundant. In an airport environment, as on the high street, retail stores that embrace a multi-channel strategy and leverage digital technology will be the ones with the most opportunity for growth. “The consistent footfall within airports offers a captive market, but the environment can be every bit as challenging as a high street in terms of actually capturing customers’ attention,” he stated. “Technology can play a game-changing role in this regard but only if retailers are willing to embrace the possibilities and implement initiatives that anticipate changing customer preferences.” Technology has been identified by many retailers as the main enabler of the retail experience of the future. Innovations such as digital signage can help stores attract customers into their premises, while interactive displays and kiosks provide customers with a compelling way to research products and services. But, with the vast majority of airport-passenger correspondence now taking place online, the retail experience can start before a traveller has even set foot in a terminal, Slevin continued, as airports and retailers begin to follow the example of “pure play” online companies, which use big data to create a more targeted and personalised customer experience than ever before.
Within the airport itself, streamlining passenger processes so that dwell times are maximised is also key to enhancing the retail experience for passengers. “The very best technology typically simplifies and streamlines a process, an action or an experience. Air travel has become increasingly associated with anxiety and stress, owing largely to increased security measures and faster flight turnaround times. Airlines have sought to eradicate some of these associated time pressures with simple initiatives such as mobile apps that allow you to check-in and board flights using barcodes. But this is the tip of the iceberg in terms of what can be achieved,” Slevin established. “For instance, with a modern mobile queue management system that correlates with a passenger’s flight information, unnecessary queue time could be minimised and the individual could regain a greater sense of control over their time within an airport environment.”
Technology’s role and the benefits that it can deliver, he stressed, must be considered at every stage of a project, from the initial concept, to customer journey mapping, through to the development, pilot and ultimate deployment, if airport retailers are to embrace the full potential offered by the ever-growing digital realm.
