‘Google Meets Travel Retail’ at new Global Shopping Forum event

GERMANY. Global Shopping Forum has announced a new seminar entitled ‘Google Meets Travel Retail’, which will take place at Google headquarters in Hamburg on 7 June 2018.

The event will explore how travel retail can bridge the digital gap between travellers and the industry by identifying ‘micro-moments’ – specific situations that present an opportunity to engage with travellers.

The event will reveal the latest consumer trends that define traveller micro-moments and how they can affect travel trends. Case studies from traveller journeys and travel brands will be presented.

Speakers from airports, brands and travel retailers include Gebr Heinemann, Vienna Airport and Travel Blue. Representatives from Hugo Boss, Z-Zoom, Maui Jim, L’Oréal, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and Coty have registered to attend.
Micro-moments

An increasing number of travel brands are investing in mobile strategies to meet traveller micro-moment needs. These moments start when travellers first ‘dream’ about planning a trip and continue through to the trip itself. They fall into one of four categories in the travel decision-making process – dreaming, planning, booking and experiencing.

According to Google research, travellers are increasingly using their mobile/smart devices in short spurts to make informed, yet faster micro-moment decisions.

Around 72% of travellers with smartphones look for the most relevant information regardless of the travel company providing the information. Which means they are more loyal to their need than to any particular brand.

This poses a huge challenge for travel brands/retailers who must earn and re-earn each potential travelling customer’s consideration in every micro-moment experience.

So how can travel retailers become micro-moment ready and what are the benefits? According to Global Shopping Forum, it is important for companies to identify the micro-moments for travellers that fit the industry’s business needs.

It is also vital to be relevant. “If you want to win travellers’ interest and spend, you need to provide the inspiration they’re looking for and the answers they seek,” the company stated.

Case study

One successful case study is US-based company Red Roof Inn, which has demonstrated how to fulfil and address a specific micro-moment – the ‘stranded traveller’.

With flight cancellations leaving an average of 90,000 US passengers stranded every day, Red Roof Inn’s marketing team developed a way of tracking flight delays in real time. The company then triggered targeted search adverts so its hotels, which were located near airports, could easily be found by stranded passengers.

By focusing on this ‘let’s-book-it’ moment, Red Roof Inn achieved a +60% increase in bookings across non-branded search campaigns.

According to Forrester Consulting research, commissioned by Google, companies that take steps toward being ‘micro-moment ready’ earn a stronger return on investment in both mobile and overall marketing investments.

Travel retailers and brands can also benefit from investing in similar micro-moment strategies, according to Google. For instance, travel retailers could also capitalise on micro-moments during flight delays with targeted offers for products and services.

Other topics that will be covered at the event include:

  1. Business Model & Infrastructure: How to leverage technology to future-proof your business.
  2. Reaching Travellers: How to engage with your audience through smart platforms.
  3. How to understand the consumer journey and optimise your digital strategy for maximum impact.
  4. Best practice case studies of airports and brands using multichannel solutions to bridge the gap between travel retail and travellers.
  5. Interactive workshops with Google experts.

The event is limited to 100 delegates. Visit www.global-shopping-forum.com for more information or contact c.moor@global-shopping-forum.com to reserve a place.

Food & Beverage The Magazine eZine