SimpliTrends: Virtual Shopping emerges as one of the most exciting innovations in Airport Marketing

Today’s travellers, with sophisticated mobile devices always at hand, are open to new experiences, especially those that increase convenience and reduce the tedium of waiting at boarding-areas. Given that travellers often have to wait for at least an hour or more on average to board their flights, airports have a huge opportunity to engage them during this time by providing boarding-gate conveniences.

Engage travellers at boarding-gate areas

Boarding-gate areas at many airports have recently been renovated with power outlets and some even offer iPads for free use. Games, Internet and entertainment bring amusement to long airport waits. Refreshments can also be ordered from the tablet for delivery at the seat.

But even more excitingly, innovative concepts that combine effective signage with mobile technologies are now allowing concession companies and commercial partners to penetrate into gate seating areas and sell after people have passed by restaurants and stores. A number of airports have unveiled virtual shopping walls from which passengers can conveniently buy products by simply pointing a smartphone at the wall and scanning the QR codes alongside the products pictured on the virtual shelves.

Leverage technology, reduce boredom, drive revenue

Apart from offering passengers the convenience of hassle-free shopping, including home delivery in some cases, virtual shopping has three major implications for retailers and airports:

• First, it offers mobility to retailers unlike ever before. Retailers can advertise and sell actual products at various touch-points in the airport, unfettered by the complications of their actual brick-and-mortar establishment.
• Second, airports and retailers can discover and analyse the touch-points that are most conducive to retail and accordingly optimise their virtual shopping placements to maximise revenue.
• Third, and perhaps most importantly, airport retail is poised to become more interesting than ever before.

What if relatives could surprise their kin at the airport while sitting at home? What if travellers could have a parting gift delivered? What if virtual shops are created on mobile devices or apps, but customised according to the preferences of a buyer as indicated on his/her social networks? The possibilities are endless. Undoubtedly, Virtual Shopping is a rising start among innovations in Airport Marketing.

To learn more about the ways in which Virtual Shopping is benefitting airports, and to also discover a great airport case-study about it, you can download our free report below.

Source: http://goo.gl/Xeoixe