SWITZERLAND. Inflight retail specialist gateretail today announced what it dubbed a “game-changing alliance” with predictive analytics technology provider Black Swan Data.
gateretail, a member of gategroup, the global leader in airline catering, onboard retail and other hospitality products and services, said that the alliance will “redefine” aviation retail. This will be achieved through new tools and infrastructure designed to open up a new level of passenger choices and airline revenue streams, the company claimed.
gategroup said: ““Leveraging Black Swan’s award-winning, data-driven passenger experience software and gategroup’s global retail network, serving 700+ million passengers a year, the alliance intends to transform aircraft into retail shops in the sky.”
The alliance will deliver a platform designed to allow travellers to use their personal electronic devices to browse and purchase movies, music, food, travel, duty free and WiFi packages.
Airlines will be able to cater to passenger product preferences on current, connecting, and future flights and share in expanded and newfound revenue opportunities. This will be achieved through gategroup’s ‘last-mile’ retail infrastructure and Black Swan’s intelligent analytics services to make retail predictions for travellers across multiple channels.
“This alliance between gategroup and Black Swan signals an exciting new age of airline and travel retail, where we can effectively offer up with confidence an expanding line-up of products and services that passengers truly want to buy and enjoy inflight,” said gategroup CEO Xavier Rossinyol. “Together with Black Swan, and its innovative ability to help airlines better understand and serve their passengers, we look forward to taking the airline passenger retail and travel experience to new heights.”
“gategroup and Black Swan have aligned to help ensure airlines not only offer an expanded product offering that is better aligned with passenger expectations but also, through advanced demand forecasting, reduces waste in line with their sustainability efforts,” noted Black Swan Data CEO Steve King.
“This is the perfect combination of operational airline retail know-how combined with leading-edge technology that will allow travellers to select the products they want with the convenience of delivery to their seat as part of an enhanced flying experience.”
