“If travel retail operators don’t act now, airlines will be approached by companies such as Alibaba, Amazon and Google.”


Jonathan Smith, Executive Director, Travel Blue


to raise interest in the sunglasses category is through increased customer interactivity. “There would be a real bonus, especially for sunglass


sales, if inflight crew could model or let customers try on the sunglasses being sold onboard. She says this additional interaction would provide crew with


the opportunity to convey the more unique selling points of brands available. “We are convinced that the extra interaction between consumers and crew would lead to higher sales,” she says.


Wi-Fi’s flight or plight? So is Wi-Fi an answer to improving sales? Debate surrounding increased connectivity onboard has often centred on the cost of infrastructure designed to support higher bandwidths in the sky. For some, its future remains a moot point, but for others inflight Wi-Fi’s potency remains unexploited. “I see this as a massive gamechanger for the airlines and a


major threat to airport retailers, possibly the biggest change we will have seen in the industry in my 30-plus years in travel retail,” comments Jonathan Smith, Executive Director, Travel Blue. Onboard Wi-Fi, Smith believes, will become a necessity for


most major airlines in the not-too-distant future if consumer demands are to be met. In order to connect the dots, airport retailers will need to


work more closely with airlines to invest in the technology to create an online shopping environment and selling platform unique to travel retail. “If travel retail operators don’t act now, airlines will be


approached by companies such as Alibaba, Amazon and Google,” warns Smith. “These online giants can afford to invest in Wi-Fi for airlines


and when they do, they will re-direct consumer sales away from the travel retail sector. For Premier Portfolio International’s Sales and Purchasing


Director Garry Maxwell, immediate access to Wi-Fi onboard would deliver sizeable benefits to the business. “We currently have four products where apps are involved


so access to Wi-Fi would be great and if purchased onboard could be downloaded immediately,” he tells TRBusiness. As a business that places a strong focus on inflight DF&TR exclusives, strong Wi-Fi access would invariably pave the way for increased passenger engagement. “I have been on many flights with Wi-Fi access and I still


find it to work sporadically or very slow… I feel this needs to improve,” he adds. Wi-Fi, remains a mixed bag for Mellin, who believes it


can represent both a blessing and a curse dependent on the carrier’s programme and pricing policy. «


FEBRUARY 2018


COMPACT ATTACHED


STORAGE BAG


PUCTURE RESISTANT


WATERPROOF ROLLTOP


CONSTRUCTION


24 LITER CAPACITY


TRBUSINESS 33


ULTRA - LIGHT DESIGN


155 GRAMS


AROUND THE GLOBE NHP Hanse Distribution is one of the largest


YOUR PARTNER


distribution companies for airlines worldwide. With over 130 airline partners, we proudly take the finest brands across the world.


we innov a te for airlines www.hanse-distribution.com


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