Throughout 2012, the Chic Outlet Shopping Villages by
Value Retail have been hosting a series of roundtable discussions
exploring the growing trend of Shopping Tourism, specifically within
the outlet shopping sector.
Following roundtables at FITUR, ITB, ATM and ILTM Asia, Chic Outlet Shopping brought the conversation to London with an exclusive evening at the iconic Tower of London on 7 November 2012.
The theme, ‘From Product to Promotion: Putting the Luxury
Experience on the Map’, saw a panel of industry experts from the fields
of tourism, fashion, retail and marketing discuss how brands are moving
beyond the product by adapting their marketing approach to create a
memorable and enticing experience for the international guest.
The event was attended by more than 170 industry
professionals, keen to gain further understanding of the emerging
Shopping Tourism sector and how it impacts on luxury retail and travel
operators.
Moderator Piers Schmidt, Chairman of Luxury Branding, led a
panel of four representatives including Desirée Bollier, Chief Executive
of Value Retail Management, Kevin Jones, Strategic Planning Director
at Havas Worldwide, Tom Marchant, Co-founder & Managing Director of
Black Tomato, and Ian Scott, Director (UK & Ireland), Dubai
Tourism Marketing & Commerce. The panel debated how luxury brands
are shifting their focus to create experiences that provide the added
value the customer has now grown to expect, and discussed issues
regarding the growth and impact of Shopping Tourism on the travel
industry and the way in which it markets itself.
Kevin Jones, Strategic Planning Director at Havas Worldwide,
began the conversation by identifying experience as a “way of shaping a
new vocabulary on which engagement can happen” with customers. He
emphasised a shift in consumer perception, in that: “Experience is no
longer, ‘Wow, this is changing the way that I think about everything’ –
but more, ‘Wow, this brand is really meaningful to me on a day to day
experiential level’”. He concluded that the key is creating a bespoke
experience as “bespoke, by nature, is experience”.
Desirée Bollier, CEO of Value Retail Management, further
highlighted the importance of experience, adding, “It is no longer just
about the handbag”. Bollier stressed that engagement and offer are the
focal points for creating experience: “Our job is to really offer
something that you do not know that you really want. You arrive at one
of our Villages and you get the surprise element of the hospitality and
services on offer, and the experience becomes stupendous… our brand
communication is to be absolutely engaged with our customers, to be
relevant to them and to communicate with them – to create an emotional
link.”
The bespoke element was at the forefront of Co-founder &
Managing Director of Black Tomato, Tom Marchant’s opinion, as he added:
“Great products and great services in isolation do not necessarily
make an exceptional travel experience. In this increasingly globalised
world… what becomes more important to people is having an experience
that is very personal and unique to them.”
Further highlighting the growing trend in Shopping Tourism
and the importance of the experience and location, Ian Scott, Director
(UK & Ireland) Dubai Tourism Marketing & Commerce, added, “The
shopping element in Dubai is an experience. The malls there are
extraordinary; it is not just about the shopping”. Desirée finished the
conversation stating, “Shopping and tourism always existed… all we did
was connect the dots”.
The nine Chic Outlet Shopping Villages by Value Retail, perfectly illustrate the concept of Shopping Tourism in Europe. In 2011, the Collection of Chic Outlet Shopping? Villages attracted more than 29 million visitors, up by more than 12% compared with the same period last year.
Source = Chic Outlet Shopping, etravelblackboardasia.com
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