ASIA CRUISE RETAIL: MSC CRUISES
significant challenge not just for the cruise DF&TR sector but the entire industry in recent years, but is there finally light at the end of the tunnel? Pittaway comments: “In Europe
and areas that have been quite volatile there is a sense of continuity and for us, optimism. “As we keep bringing in new
ships and offering that passengers want, the external factors become less important. It becomes much more about the ‘here and now’ experience they have on board.”
China welcomes Splendida Speaking of new ships, MSC’s biggest development this year is the introduction of MSC Splendida in China on 18 May. This is not to forget MSC Seaview, the sister ship of MSC Seaside, which is expected to come into service in June with around 600sq m of retail space. Targeting the Chinese market,
MSC Splendida will start sailing from Shanghai to destinations in Korea and Japan and will offer an elevated retail offer onboard featuring top luxury brands. “This is a real step forward for
us,” Pittaway enthuses. “While a lot of other cruise liners are retreating out of China, we are actually really developing and building our presence there. It is the right thing to do in the long-term.” Once this year is negotiated, 2019
will not only see MSC Bellissima and Grandiosa come into service, but the opening of its own private island (MSC Ocean Cay Marine Reserve). Located 40 miles off the coast of
Miami in the Bimini Islands of the Bahamas, MSC will open five shops on the island. “We will have five MSC boutiques
on the island and a whole range of products designed for passengers on an island for a day,” continues Pittaway. “These include beachwear, sunglasses and exclusive souvenirs. The whole idea is to have products we don’t have on the ship to create that element of differentiation.”
Digital Innovation With the planned launch of one ship per year after 2019, MSC is pulling out all the stops to embrace the need for DF&TR digital innovation.
MAY 2018
Currently working with Samsung as a technology partner on its new ships, MSC is offering a fully digitally- connected experience (MSC Smart Ships) for passengers. “We are the first Cruise Line to do
this, which means we have digital marketing right round the ship and in all of our shops,” claims Pittaway. “This is obviously time dependent
and changes to different events and different things depending on the day of the cruise, time of the cruise and what is going on.” Beacon technology is also used
to communicate via proximity messaging when various offers are going on. “We obviously know our
demographics and ages so rather than having broadcasting we can work on narrowcasting,” he explains. “If we have a passenger interested
in luxury products we can just talk to them about luxury products.” Technology also allows the likes of
MSC to quickly tailor to languages that need to be spoken on board and adapt to a style of communication relevant to specific nationalities. “The way we promote an offer to a
Brazilian, may be different to the way we promote an offer to Germans,” says Pittaway. “Technology allows you to
really understand what motivates that person.” The use of technology on cruise
ships is arguably different to how it is deployed in airports. This is something Pittaway is at pains to point out. “We have to use technology to
build relationships. We must make people come back to it again and again during their cruise. It must be friction free and a seamless part of
The new MSC Grandiosa vessel will have 1,000sq m of retail space when it goes live next year.
“We began working with many of our suppliers 10 or 15 years ago. Long-lasting partnerships are extremely important especially being an in-house [retail] operator.”
Adrian Pittaway, MSC Cruises
their cruise experience.” Cruise ships are already complex
environments when it comes to elements such as navigation and circulation, so technology must not add further complications. Pittaway adds: “Is the technology the be all and end all? No. I see digital as a way of improving service elements which we have to do, but ultimately, we are a physical retailer. “We sell on impulse, availability
and convenience. When people buy from us, they buy physically in terms of where they are. Technology, however, does have a huge part to play particularly in connecting passengers with our ports of call.” He concludes: “If you can sell
products before you get there or connect them with local products from local suppliers, that in a way is part of the cruise experience. « “It can be a really innovative way
of doing it.” «
Perfumes and cosmetics will be a strong focus onboard MSC Grandiosa. TRBUSINESS 77
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