Digitally enhanced experiences on-board

We are a demanding society! We expect instantaneous delivery or service at the click of a button and the pandemic has only accelerated this. In the past 12 months, online sales experienced the equivalent of five years growth in just 12 months*. This change in shopping habits, forced by the closure of stores during lockdown and consumers choosing to avoid the crowds, has evolved our relationship with the digital world. Whilst it’s now easier to bag yourself a delivery slot online (remember when they were like gold dust only last year!) the fall out of this change is an on-demand mentality and businesses will need to keep up with these expectations.

So how can the airline industry respond to these changes in consumer behaviour and incorporate more digitalisation? 

In a global survey performed by Monty’s Bakehouse, respondents were asked which digital enhancements they would prefer; ‘Ordering food on demand using inflight entertainment instead of paper options’ was the most favoured option followed by ‘Pre-ordering 24 hours in advance’. Transferring consumers learnt behaviour on the ground seems an obvious place to start, as we have all become familiar with ordering food in restaurants via an app. It also presents an opportunity for airlines to support the sustainability movement, by eradicating paper and food waste. 

In addition to added convenience, health benefits also featured highly with respondents as “calories and ingredients displayed on a digital menu” were favoured with one traveller commenting “I am conscious about the healthiness of the food and drink I eat, so I would like to see the calories before choosing”

Personalisation was another key theme that came through the survey. Just under 50% of respondents said they would be happy to share their personal data if airlines could personalise their products and services. “Passengers should be able to order their meal on-demand when they want it, but within a time window to be fair to cabin crew.” This ‘on-demand’ behaviour will only grow in importance for consumers as they become more accustomed with this level of service on the ground. It is a great opportunity for airlines to establish a unique proposition vs their competitors. The food offering is great way to be different, as one respondent suggested... ” I should be able to ‘build my own tray’ using the in-flight entertainment system”.

For ideas on how you can offer a more personal food offering on-board your flights, talk to our sales team and chefs.

*Source; www.Chargedretail.co.uk