NEWS/INSIGHT: GOOGLE Google ups the ante in travel retail Unlock the full potential...
In an exclusive interview, TRBusiness speaks to Jan Hieronimi, Industry Manager, Retail, Google Germany on the future of connected travel and addressing the perpetual in-store conversion challenge ahead of this month’s ‘Google Meets Travel Retail’ event hosted by Global Shopping Forum.
F
irstly, what was behind the decision to partner with Global Shopping Forum
(GSF) this year? I had the opportunity to speak at Global Shopping Forum last year and was excited about the chance to engage with so many representatives of the travel retail industry. It was encouraging to see the
discussions going on among the participants about the future of the industry, but I also came home with the feeling that the industry is not yet making the most of digital opportunities. After I gave my speech, we had so
much interest in the different Google solutions that we figured we should work more closely together to showcase the different approaches we have taken with our partners to drive both their digital and offline businesses.
Why is Google now taking a more pronounced interest in global travel retail? GSF really opened my eyes to the fascinating interplay between retailers, brands and airports. We think we can play a role in showcasing how digital in general – and Google tools specifically – can support different business models. And to be honest, we might not
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does well in digital terms? We see a lot of movement in the travel retail industry. The industry has been all about offline for a long time, for good reason. It is encouraging to now see many players experimenting with digital tools and investing in digital capabilities. London Heathrow for example
have played this role particularly well in the past, because we did not have a specific team working on this industry. We want to address this better. That’s why we are happy to partner with GSF.
This theme for the conference is, how to bridge the digital gap between travellers and the travel retail industry. In your opinion, what are the top things that travel retail – particularly airports –
JUNE 2018
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has used Google Cloud to develop its Heathrow Airport Guide. Many airports invest in platforms now to measure store traffic or store transactions. We have seen many retailers
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testing click-and-collect solutions for their shops. These are all great examples, even though it might be a bumpy road at first to learn how digital can support everyone’s business.
What ingredients are missing to optimise the digital shopping opportunity and how does bricks and mortar retail fit in? We work with most of the larger
Jan Hieronimi, Industry Manager, Retail, Google Germany
TRBUSINESS 17
most part, are not present for all of these ‘moments’. That’s where we see a lot of potential for the industry. At GSF, we would like
“Travel retailers today, for the most part, are not present for all of these ‘micro-moments’. That’s where we see a lot of potential for the industry.”
path towards their purchases, and there are a number of instances that we call ‘micro-moments’ where digital plays a role across this path. Travel retailers today, for the
multichannel retailers throughout the world, and we know that digital holds a lot of value for these retailers, even as the majority of sales are happening in the physical store. Consumers today take a complex
Above: Google Germany headquarters in Hamburg.
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