Travel retail pop-ups and retail technology at Gatwick

20th October 2014

Continuing our look at the success of Gatwick’s recent £41 million travel retail makeover today we are looking at how travel retail pop-ups and accessible technology have helped to shape the landscape of this exciting new retail space.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

Following the recent retail makeover, Gatwick introduced a series of temporary pop-up boutiques and kiosks throughout the new retail space over the summer, during peak periods. Brands on offer included Havianas Flip-Flops, Hennessy Cognac and the ever-popular Cath Kidston.

The airport then took to social media, running a number of campaigns in order to promote the temporary retail stands. They encouraged people to tweet pictures of their airport purchases with the #temptedbeforetakeoff hashtag, offering the chance to win the value of the item back again, as an incentive for tweeting.

Retail Technology

In addition to this they have also made it much easer for customers to buy larger items or dispense with the inconvenience of carrying the items with them or checking in extra luggage by offering a ‘Shop Fly Collect’ service where shoppers are encouraged to buy as many items as they like before departure ready to collect on their way back through the airport, on their return journey. They also provide a ‘Reserve and Collect’ service which allows shoppers to order the goods before they get to the airport and collect them when they pass through.

Gatwick’s head of retail, Spencer Sheen reports that some 32% of passengers have used the service, either to order in advance or to plan what they want to buy before they arrive – which is a phenomenal level uptake on a relatively new retail idea.

Accessible technology is also applied to help shoppers to navigate the terminal and locate potential purchases within the retail space. 120 Samsung tablets are dotted throughout the airport providing maps of the different retail stores and details of some of the goods available for sale. Sheen suggests that they are hoping to install even more tablets throughout the airport so that it has “the most tablets in any retail space in the world.”

Expansive Ideas

As this intended increase in technology implies, the plans for the expansion of Gatwick’s retail space aren’t over yet! Sheen plans to focus on food and drink next, along with further exciting plans for the redevelopment of the North Terminal over the next few years. The airport is also racing London rivals Heathrow for permission to build a new runway, which could also bring in more traffic and more potential trade -which can only be a good thing for travellers who love to shop!