Pacific Gateway Concessions has introduced two concepts at San Francisco International (SFO), Where Traveler News + Gifts and U.S. News & World Report, as well as new interactive technology to enhance the shopping experience.
Where Traveler News + Gifts now has locations in Boarding Areas A and G of the International Terminal. The shops feature a variety of products that are made in San Francisco and the SFMADE nonprofit.
“SFMADE is a great beacon and resource for our buying teams, creating a meaningful assortment, one that truly reflects the values and interests of the San Francisco community of business owners and craftspeople/ manufacturers, and is something we deliberately do to expose the world’s travelers to what is special and unique in our home market,” says Patricia Carpenter, a senior buyer for PGC.
Two U.S. News & World Report locations also opened in Boarding Areas A and G in the International Terminal.
“The relationship our core traveler associates with the U.S. News & World Report brand is one of trust, reliable un-biased news, and that of a top-of-class information resource,” says Kenneth Howe, head of business development at PGC.
The Where Traveler location in Boarding Area A will also debut Anything Interactive, technology developed through PGC’s partnership with the San Francisco-based technology firm Float Hybrid. In that particular location, a Beats Headphone display and a beverage cooler engage shoppers. Lighting and a welcome screen are activated when shoppers approach the displays, and the information that appears changes as people touch different products.
“In this digital age, shoppers want information in real time to make better educated decisions,” says Howe. “We are using cutting-edge technology to provide shoppers that education with the touch of a product.”
Anything Interactive also is able to anonymously track shopper interactions and provide data to cloud-based analytics tools. That data gives retailers a better understanding of shoppers’ habits and their path to purchase. Additionally, the technology allows external information such as flight schedules, the time and the weather to be linked to the displays.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about the shopper,” says Howe. “If you look at the response to our interactive displays, it’s hard to argue that this isn’t something they are hungry for. We saw a 205 percent increase in sales units for our featured beverage brand and 120 percent increase for our featured headphones brand.”
