Once travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic are lifted, mobile-ordering application Grab will introduce new options in airports that will help both guests and staff maintain healthy distances from others while conducting transactions, the company said.
Virtual Kiosk will be a new generation of self-ordering. Instead of stepping up to a large touch-screen menu, users will scan a QR code on their phone, from which they will access a website where they can place an order.
“Virtual Kiosk is a new idea based on our concerns that guests will be less likely to use a touchscreen interface from a hygiene perspective, combined with slashed [capital expenditure] budgets of concessionaires,” said Jeff Livney, chief experience officer for Grab. “It’s just as quick as ordering on a traditional self-order kiosk but from the guest’s own device, so no screens to touch, no payment devices to interact with, and you can stand wherever to social distance properly without being a foot away from a cashier.”
In addition to its hygienic benefits, Virtual Kiosk eliminates the need for users to download a new app to their devices, broadening the accessibility of the service. “The key point is that there is no proprietary app to download, which the vast majority of guests will not do,” Livney said.
As for what the landscape may look like after the pandemic has curbed and daily life begins to resume, Livney said Grab sees a much more technologically advanced customer experience standard in air travel.
“We believe this crisis will drive technology adoption faster than previously expected, as guests are being forced into more contactless experiences. Those who have not mobile ordered or mobile paid before are being forced to now, as it is often the only option,” he said. “Guests will look for more self-service, less touchscreens and interaction. I also believe that concessionaires will look to leverage this rebuild to look at service models which are more efficient and a better use of labor.” With many air travel industry workers being laid off or furloughed in the stalled economy, it may turn out that staff shortages could also inhibit concessionaires’ ability to rebound once restrictions are lifted. With options that allow guests to order straight from their own devices, labor can be reallocated where needed.
Order at Gate is another option Grab will offer guests in the future. Even gate-huggers could be enticed to order from across the airport and have food delivered directly to their seat at gate hold. Restaurants that have to restrict seating capacity due to health concerns or new guidelines could find that such a service allows them to continue serving the same number of guests with less of a space constraint. Livney says he believes more airport concessionaires will be eager to embrace the connectivity and potential offered by technological advancements in a post-pandemic world.
“Over time, I think you can expect to see a more holistic digital experience across an airport concessions program – marketplace, kiosk, order at table, etc. – across concession operators, to create a seamless digital experience for airports,” he said.
