easyJet will start trials of a new inflight digital retail solution, developed by gategroup in partnership with Black Swan Data.
The solution, called Epax, will be available this winter and will offer airline customers a convenient way to access inflight retail services, allowing them to browse, order and buy from inflight retail ranges, all from their own mobile devices.
Passengers will be able to access a full on-board retail offering in one location from their own personal device, keeping physical contact with equipment or material onboard to a minimum.
The retail experience will be accessible via onboard Wi-Fi network through the passenger’s own browser. Epax also uses machine learning and data driven innovation to offer more relevant choices to passengers.
By removing the need for physical menus and brochures the platform also has the potential to remove hundreds of tonnes of paper a year from the cabin, while smarter loading of cabins based on retail data can be anticipated to reduce waste.
Robert Carey, Chief Commercial & Customer Officer at easyJet, commented: “We are always looking to enhance our customer’s travel experience. From searching for a flight to making sure they can eat what they want onboard, we are excited to bring this new technology to market as a means to give customers more of what they want and reduce waste across the airline.
“We continue to innovate with partners like gategroup and Black Swan Data to ensure that when it is possible for us to welcome more customers back on board, we are matching improved inflight options with our crew who continue to provide a leading standard of safety-focused service and onboard hospitality.”
Federico Germani, Chief Commercial Officer at gategroup, added: “We are delighted to be partnering with easyJet to be working on this innovative industry-first solution and to trial a mobile, end to end retail experience in the cabin. At gategroup we are committed to data driven innovation across our retail offerings, providing value not only to the end passenger but also helping our airline partners build superior customer experiences.”
