The travel retail market is growing and is expected to reach an impressive $126.48 billion by 2027. Avolta, formerly known as Dufry, is leading the way in transforming the shopping experience for travelers worldwide. The travel retail industry has traditionally been attached to old ways of doing things. However, Avolta is bringing innovation to the sector by revolutionizing how customers engage with duty-free shopping at airports. Avolta has reimagined the customer journey for travelers looking to buy products at airport stores, making small yet significant adjustments to enhance satisfaction and streamline operational efficiency in a sector ripe for modernization.

The Innovation: Reserve and Collect Service

For decades, the customer journey in airport Duty-Free shopping remained essentially unchanged. Often pressed for time, travelers faced the daunting task of navigating vast product assortments under the pressure of their impending flights. Recognizing this gap, Avolta introduced a revolutionary service allowing customers to explore and reserve products online from the airport store they plan to visit. This service resolves the time constraint issue and empowers customers to make more informed and satisfying purchase decisions by taking advantage of promotions in advance.

Impact on Customer Satisfaction and Operational Efficiency

The reserve and collect service has markedly improved customer satisfaction by addressing limited browsing time. This pre-visit exploration and reservation process enables customers to curate their shopping experience tailored to their preferences and needs, ensuring a more personalized and stress-free shopping experience upon arrival at the airport.

From an operational perspective, this innovation tackles the longstanding issue of peak-hour customer surges. By distributing customer purchases over a more extended period, Avolta can better manage staffing requirements and prepare orders during downtimes, thus mitigating the chaos of peak times and enhancing the overall shopping environment.

Marketing Theories at Play

Avolta’s strategy can be analyzed through various marketing theories, emphasizing the importance of timing, segmentation, and customer-centricity.

1. Timing and Segmentation: Effective communication with potential customers is crucial. Avolta leverages the Market Segmentation and Target Marketing concept by partnering with airlines and rental car companies. This strategic partnership allows Avolta to identify and communicate with customers at the optimal time — those with upcoming travels — ensuring that the marketing message is relevant and timely.
2. Customer-Centricity: A profound commitment to customer-centricity is at the heart of Avolta’s approach. By offering a service that directly responds to the customers’ needs and preferences, Avolta embodies the Value Proposition concept, providing unique benefits that differentiate its service from competitors. This focus on customer needs and preferences is a core principle of Relationship Marketing, fostering long-term engagement and loyalty by enhancing the customer experience.
3. Operational Efficiency and Consumer Behavior: The application of Consumer Behavior Theory explains how offering customers the ability to browse and reserve products in advance influences their purchase decisions. By understanding the psychological and social factors that drive consumer behavior, Avolta has successfully crafted a service that appeals to the modern traveler’s desire for convenience, variety, and exclusivity.

The reserve and collect service is a cornerstone of Avolta’s customer-centricity approach, aligning with its broader “Destination 2027” plan. This initiative underscores Avolta’s commitment to continuously enhancing the customer journey through innovative services and partnerships, setting new standards for the travel retail industry. Avolta’s strategic modifications to the customer journey exemplify how targeted, minor changes can significantly improve customer experience and operational efficiency. By integrating critical marketing theories into its approach, Avolta addresses current challenges and paves the way for a future where the travel retail experience is as seamless as it is satisfying.

If you’ve found this exploration into Avolta’s customer journey enhancements insightful, you might also be interested in my last post about Avolta’s journey toward a seamless omnichannel experience. And for those eager to further explore the intricacies of the customer journey and discover ways to elevate it, please feel free to contact me directly. Together, we can forge new paths in customer experience excellence.