LIVE: Summit reveals new location for 2025 convention in Miami
Rene Riedi, Charmin at IAADFS
The first educational session of the show, The Americas - Change and Promise, kicked off on Tuesday morning, following a welcoming from IAADFS Chairman Rene Riedi, who revealed that next year's Summit of the Americas will take place in Miami and introduced the new members of the board.
The new members of the board are Greg Ford, General Manager – TR Americas, Pernod Ricard; Felipe Grant, General Manager, Puig Travel Retail Americas; Markus Suter, Sales & Manager GTR – The Americas, Lindt, Lisa Bauer, President & CEO, Starboard Cruises; and Julia Serve, Managing Director, L'Oreal Americas
Conducted by Riedi, The Americas - Change and Promise featured the following panelists: Nuno Amaral, Chief Operations and Business Development Officer, ARI; Greg Ford, General Manager – TR Americas, Pernod Ricard; Felipe Grant, General Manager, Puig Travel Retail Americas; and Markus Suter, Sales & Market Manager GTR - The Americas, Lindt.
Covering issues such as digital connectivity, technology and brand and retailer partnership, Nuno says the state of the industry can be defined more as an evolution than a disruption.
While premiumization continues to top the list of industry trends, added value proposition is also growing, leading to potential polarization. As a result, there needs to be greater focus on the services and experienced provided in the channel. He continues, it's essential that duty free continues to take into consideration the constantly changing trends, particularly those that are digitally based.
Beyond e-commerce, more and more the channel is relying on technology to profile passengers and drive engagement; however, there is question of its scalability. Loyalty programs are necessary to learn about personalized consumer habits and receive a level of insight that allows for targeted offers to unlock performance.
Speaking about the topic, Ford points out that convenience has become increasingly important to the shopping dynamic and while it is expense to fully tap into this opportunity, it's one that needs to be prioritized. Regarding confectionery, Suter says there is still a long way to go, since the category revolves around impulse purchasing. Retailers and brands need to work together to answer the needs of travelers and ensure that passengers arrive at the airport with time to spare pre-flight in order to benefit from on-site experiences.
“We need to work harder to attract the attention of [Gen Z] and re-iterate the brand message to convert shoppers. Ultimately, this could happen when they start thinking about booking a trip,” says Ford. The potential to partner with the cruise industry via onboard sampling and offering is exponential and he believes this should translate into the airport environment.
Whereas shopping duty free could have been described as a ritual in the past, this is no longer the case. With this in mind, brands need to help the younger generation understand the background of the brand and why the name holds relevance. As shared, the integration of virtual reality within marketing and promotion is starting to form -- with a lot more in store.
Conducted by Riedi, The Americas - Change and Promise featured the following panelists: Nuno Amaral at ARI; Greg Ford at Pernod Ricard; Felipe Grant at Puig Travel Retail Americas; and Markus Suter at Lindt
