In a recent discussion, David Turton, Chief Technology Officer at Branchspace, shared valuable insights on how airlines can embrace modern retailing. Here are three key strategies he recommends for airlines to implement today:
1. Decoupling Legacy Systems with Pragmatic APIs: A crucial consideration is the abstraction of details and the implementation of pragmatic APIs to disconnect from legacy environments. This ensures a seamless separation between the consumer-facing digital experience and the underlying infrastructure. By achieving this decoupling, airlines can facilitate the replacement of various components over time, streamlining the transition to modern retailing.
2. Embracing Modularity in Digital Ecosystems: Turton emphasizes the importance of building modularity into the digital ecosystem. Airlines should be prepared for varying transition speeds – from swift, total replacements to gradual step-by-step approaches. To accommodate these differences, it's essential to ensure that digital experiences, solutions, and technology components are modular and easily activatable or connectable. This includes thinking about abstraction layers and implementing versatile capabilities such as adaptable shopping carts capable of interfacing with diverse offer and order management systems.
3. Future-Proofing for Varied Transition Paths: Recognizing that each airline possesses unique infrastructure, partnerships, and risk appetites, Turton underscores the importance of tailoring strategies to individual circumstances. The transition to modern retailing may unfold differently for each airline, and flexibility is key. Anticipating and preparing for these diverse pathways involves considering factors like evolving abstraction layers, resilient capabilities, and connectivity to different offer and order management systems as they evolve or get replaced over time.
David Turton's insights shed light on the dynamic nature of the aviation industry's journey towards modern retailing, emphasizing adaptability, modularity, and strategic planning as essential components for success. Airlines that proactively address these considerations will be better positioned to navigate the evolving landscape of digital customer experiences and stay ahead in the competitive market.
Branchspace as a new generation tech and consulting company supports all the mentioned strategies with its dynamic retailing platform Triplake and Transform services supporting airlines on their digital journey.
This video was part of the webinar by The International Air Transport Association (IATA), September 2023.
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