Travel industry experts across the globe are all talking about it…but what is Merchandising? And more importantly, what does it mean for the travel industry?

Originating from the world of traditional retail, the concept of Merchandising is providing a choice of products to sell and displaying them in a way to your customers that not only stimulates interest but also entices them to make a purchase.

Retailers use industry expertise, data and innovation to design and offer visually appealing products that are desirably priced and presented at the optimal time during a customer’s shopping experience. Effective merchandising in retail commerce is proven to lead to increased sales revenue and enhanced customer satisfaction.

At Travel Commerce Solutions, our industry experience tells us that through the adoption and successful application of the techniques and principles of retail merchandising, airlines and other travel companies can also realise these great business benefits.

Our industry must embrace a customer-centric retail-mindset through all selling channels. Some of the questions we need to ask ourselves are:

• Do we make our products visually appealing?
• Are they attractively priced?
• Are we offering the right products that the customer and the market demands?
• Are we making offers at the right time during the customer journey?

Those organisations that can say an enthusiastic yes to all of those questions have the passion to put merchandising at the very heart of their business, and in turn build a more powerful and profitable relationship with their customers.