PEEK INTO THE FUTURE: In this section, Raini Hamdi asks industry leaders to pen their thoughts on what the future will bring. Here isDesirée Bollier, CEO, Value Retail Management on the future of shopping tourism
Shopping has always been viewed as incidental, a last-minute grab for the odd souvenir to take to folks back home. The truth is quite different. Shopping tourism just got serious, and the travel and tourism industry is finally sitting up and taking notice.
The facts speak for themselves. Our nine Chic Outlet Shopping Villages in Europe drew more than 31 million visits a year, with most visitors spending a major part of their time enjoying a leisurely day and a good meal with friends. Thus, when the UNWTO declared that shopping tourism was at the heart of every holiday, was I the only one not surprised?
The rapidly growing Asian middle class is a huge bag of opportunity for retailers and tourist operators. Multi-shopping destination packages are particularly popular with Asian holidaymakers. We have found that increasingly fashion-conscious Chinese consumers are tired of counterfeits: they want the real thing and a lifestyle to match. This is why we launched the Suzhou Village in May while another, Shanghai Village, is due to open in autumn 2015.
But as the market gets more competitive, with online shopping a player to contend with, there is a need to constantly innovate to engage our astute global voyagers.
In China, for example, the customer relies on the online community for support in making purchasing decisions. We thus invest heavily in digital marketing to reach out to them and are taking key learnings from China and applying them across our business in Europe. We have also launched an app to enable guests to book their travel, access exclusive offers and plan their visit to our villages using interactive maps. This serves to make their overall experience smoother and simpler, from before they arrive to the moment they leave.
It is more important than ever that travel and tourism companies consider the customer experience from 360 degrees. With social media at the fingertips of every tourist, complaints can enter the public domain and go global quickly. Although technology can be perceived as a threat in this respect, when used cleverly it can serve to enhance the customer experience. But it needs to be targeted: many companies invest large amounts in technology that is over-complicated and irrelevant; it doesn’t aid the customer’s experience. Technology should never be the starting point. We need to listen to the customer’s wants and needs, and develop a complementary digital strategy accordingly.
The tourist is more sophisticated and well-informed than ever before, and it’s a constant challenge to anticipate and exceed their expectations, but an exhilarating one.
By Desirée Bollier, CEO, Value Retail Management
This article was first published in TTG Asia, August 8, 2014 issue, on page 10. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe.
