Avolta and Mars Wrigley ITR launch Europe’s first joint transaction zone at Athens International
All smiles at the ribbon-cutting ceremony: (From left to right) Philippe Moryl, Global Head of Category for Confectionery, Avolta; Dinos Eliopoulos, Commercial & Supply Chain Director, Avolta; Sani Saporta, Customer Activation Manager, Mars Wrigley International Travel Retail; Panagis Pylalis, Athens International Airport Store Director, Avolta; Maria Loannidou, GEO & Country Manager Greece at Avolta; Chara Lazaridou, Technical Director, Avolta; An De Volder, Market Director, Mars Wrigley International Travel Retail; Tom Bongaerts, Global Head of Sales, Mars Wrigley International Travel Retail and Rick Jongmans, Global Account Lead, Mars Wrigley International Travel Retail
Mars Wrigley International Travel Retail (MWITR) and leading travel experience player Avolta today (May 21) announced the opening of their first collaborative Transaction Zone.
Located in the duty-free area at Athens International Airport, this space is designed to optimize the checkout experience and increase the average spend per shopper.
Transforming the Transaction Zone from a simple pass through and pay area into a revenue-driving space is the result of a strategic collaboration between Mars and Avolta. With 500 million travelers shopping in duty-free stores each year, the check-out area presents a significant opportunity to drive incremental purchases. Research shows that 41% of travelers often seek products to ‘refresh & energize’ as they prepare for a flight or upon arrival. This makes confectionery, especially in a small, single pack formats at lower price points, particularly well-positioned to meet these consumer needs.
The Transaction Zone is designed to optimize the checkout experience and increase the average spend per shopper
An De Volder, Market Director at Mars Wrigley International Travel Retail, said, “With our Transaction Zone strategy, we are not just putting products in front of shoppers, we are creating an environment that naturally attracts more shoppers and drives higher basket spend through thoughtful layout, smart design and relevant offerings.
“We have seen that, if executed well, we can really help travel retailers turn their existing check-out zone into a significant revenue generator. We are excited to collaborate with our long-time partner Avolta on the transformation of the duty-free area at Athens International Airport. Avolta values innovation in travel retail as much as we do. Our partnership is built on our commitment to understand shoppers and their needs during the shopping journey in an airport, allowing us to continually enhance the airport retail experience.”
The newly developed Transaction Zone in Athens International Airport is now live and an integrated part of the check-out area at the Avolta operated Hellenic Duty Free store. The layout includes a clearly marked Queuing Area, followed by a Manned Pay section. It also features a Self-Scan station. Each section is outfitted with a strategically placed blue colored header that communicates the relevant Transaction Zone category such as “Don’t Forget”, “Have a Treat” or “Refresh Yourself”.
The new Transaction Zone also brings together different categories and brands in one space, offering something for every traveler.
From left to right: Rick Jongmans, Global Account Lead, Mars Wrigley International Travel Retail; Philippe Moryl, Global Head of Category for Confectionery, Avolta; Eva Brouzou, Communications Director, Avolta; Maria Loannidou, CEO & Country Manager Greece at Avolta; Christos Pavlidis, Retail Operations & Network Development Director; Chara Lazaridou, Technical Director, Avolta; An De Volder, Market Director, Mars Wrigley International Travel Retail; Tom Bongaerts, Global Head of Sales, Mars Wrigley International Travel Retail; Sani Saporta, Customer Activation Manager, Mars Wrigley International Travel Retail and Dinos Eliopoulos, Commercial & Supply Chain Director, Avolta
Philippe Moryl, Avolta’s Global Head of Category for Confectionery, commented, “This implementation is the first step of a long-term strategy that aims to understand how we can further improve the shopping experience during those last moments before customers exit our stores. Other installations are then planned for different parts of the world to continue to monitor the impact on customer’s experience and on sales performance. I would like to thank you An, and the Mars team, for your active support in this project and your holistic approach.
“With this initiative we are not only looking at the confectionery category, but at the overall transaction zone experience which includes other product categories. This project is another great example of what we can do, with our airport and brand partners when we share the same vision and ambition, to make travelers happy.”
George Eleftherakos, Athens International Airport Chief Development Officer, commented, “We are pleased to see the launch of the first Avolta and Mars Wrigley ITR Transaction Zone at Athens International Airport, located at the check-out area of our main Duty Free & Travel Value shop.
This initiative is expected to further enhance traveler engagement across diverse destinations, while also highlighting the value of our strategic partnership with Avolta”.
Transforming the Transaction Zone from a simple pass through and pay area into a revenue-driving space is the result of a strategic collaboration between Mars and Avolta
Maria Loannidou, General Manager Greece at Avolta, said, “We’re excited to announce the opening of the first collaborative Transaction Zone by Mars Wrigley International Travel Retail (MWITR) at Athens International Airport, located in the heart of the duty-free area in the Schengen area. This innovative space is designed to enhance the shopping experience, making it easier and more enjoyable for travelers. We’re confident that this new initiative will not only streamline customer interactions, but also further satisfy customer needs.
“This milestone is a testament to the strong partnership between Avolta and Mars, a partnership that continues to bring forward customer-centric innovations in travel retail. Together, we’re focused on creating an exceptional retail environment that offers convenience, quality, and innovation for travelers”.
The Athens International Airport installation is the first in a planned series of joint Transaction Zones to be rolled out across other Avolta managed airports in the world. Both MWITR and Avolta see this as a long-term strategy that is central to their shared future vision, one where retail environments seamlessly adapt to shifting traveler behaviors and expectations.
