Speaking to FMT, the airport operator’s commercial services senior general manager, Nazli Aziz, said senior members of its management, retail concessionaire leaders and industry players exchanged views on retail trends.
The conference theme was “Reset. Rethink. Refresh. Our Travel Retail Business”.
“We discussed issues like business intelligence, data analytics and experiential influences in the travel retail sector. The convergence of digital technologies with traditional retail has certainly changed the landscape of our industry,” Nazli said.
A notable presenter at the conference was Dermot Davitt, the president of the Moodie Davitt Report, a publication that provides real-time business intelligence on the global travel retail sector.
Nazli said the insights gained from the industry professionals will help take MAHB’s commercial reset exercise to the next level.
“Next year, we will continue to implement our commercial reset strategy at our other international airports in the country. So far, we’ve been carrying it out in stages, most notably starting at Langkawi International Airport, KLIA and klia2.
“The insights we’ve gained from our partners and industry professionals will help us in elevating the shopping experience for airport passengers.”
Following the success of the reset at Langkawi International Airport, which saw many “firsts” in the country and on the island, the reset at KLIA and klia2 will follow suit in offering a new and refreshed airport experience for passengers.
Already at KLIA is the first Din by Din Tai Fung at an airport, the first Dior Prestige pop-up boutique in a Southeast Asian airport, and the first Bookshop by WHSmith book store in an Asian airport.
“Passengers can also expect to see more premium brands such as Jamie Oliver restaurant at KLIA, and BeRelax beauty spas at both KLIA and klia2,” he said.
To further boost retail prospects, Nazli said MAHB will implement its China Marketing Strategy by leveraging on popular platforms in that country, namely WeChat and Baidu, as well as online travel agencies like CTrip and Mafengwo.
“Next year, Malaysia is expecting an influx of passengers because it’s Visit Malaysia 2020 and there is still a lot of interest from Chinese nationals to come here.
“We intend to use these platforms and channels to send the message that our airports are great, convenient places to shop.”
Nazli also said he was upbeat over the growth of retail sales at the country’s international airports, citing the increasing number of passengers passing through.
“As of October, MAHB’s Malaysia operations registered 86.6 million passenger movements, a 6.3% growth from the same period in 2018,” he said.