Technologies in the Travel Retail industry: New operating ways at the airports.

The COVID19 health crisis had a severe impact on the travel retail industry, forcing companies to find different ways to stay afloat in this complex environment. As stores reopen, they will have to use all available tools to reinvent themselves and be able to adapt to the “new normal”. Sanitary control measures and social distancing have compelled thousands of companies to look for technological solutions, in order to control the number of people who are at the same place in real-time, especially when these spaces are too large, have multiple accesses, and cannot be controlled manually.

Through e-commerce, the travel retail industry made significant progress in 2020, progress which will continue in 2021. We noticed retailers are incorporating new sources of technology into their businesses. The use of technology is now more common throughout the TR industry, giving solutions to retailers for increasing their profits, as well as offering customers a better shopping experience. 

One example of technologies being used in this industry, is a smartphone application that allows planning, analyzing consumer behavior, attracting new customers and managing inventory. Airline passengers can place an order as they are checking-in at the counter, before entering the boarding lounges, to then retrieve their purchased items later, either at the pick-up meeting area or the travel retail store. Delivery information is provided during the process as part of the procedure, travelers must register a method of payment, flight information and location.