A new commercial entity fusing cutting-edge technology with shopper insight has arrived in global travel retail.

dcGTR (#CreativeCommercialTech) is a partnership between leading retail design and shopper marketing agency dcactiv and respected travel retail industry executive Alan Brennan.

Drawing on 3D virtual reality/ augmented reality technology and integrated digitalised mobile apps, dcGTR provides businesses with a unique end-to-end service to capture more efficient and effective shopper intelligence that can be used to drive travel retail purchasing.

Alan Brennan, Managing Director, dcGTR told TRBusiness.”Our primary goal is to engage and work with key industry stakeholders across different categories and departments as the technology is transferable; to demonstrate the added-value benefits of our differentiated approach; and leverage our first-to-market technology to deliver great results with greater shopper purchase and increased conversion.

‘FIRST-TO-MARKET TECH’

The core competencies and capabilities of dcGTR are based on six commercial pillars: planning, design, research, selling, execution and learning.

Through these prisms, customers can apply, integrate and customise functions according to their business needs.

The technology itself can be used to create, test, measure and develop virtual retail environments, brand activations, point-of-sale material and integrate digital and physical touchpoints with target shopper groups across multiple nationalities.

“The output captures greater intelligence as to what are the most effective elements to engage shoppers, trigger greater purchasing behaviour and transform the shopper experience with the net impact of increased conversion,” continues Brennan.

“All of this can be achieved in a cost-effective process, and prior to any major capex on retail projects such as new store design, renovation and brand activation.”

Creative technology company dcactiv possesses more than 20 years’ experience providing shopper marketing solutions to FMCG companies such as Lego, Energizer, Nestlé, Unilever and Coca Cola.

Asked what inspired the partnership, Brennan said: “Rob Thorpe [dcactive Managing Director – Associate Partners] and I have known and worked together for a number of years, specifically during my time with Nestlé.

“dcGTR was conceived following a series of meetings between Rob and I at the dcactiv headoffice in Bath, UK when we took a deep dive into global travel retail from the perspective of today, tomorrow and the future, centred on the traveller/shopper, stakeholders, technology, retail environment, digital transformation and industry challenges/opportunities.

“This resulted in the birth of dcGTR, as we could see the industry need to bring a differentiated approach by leveraging cutting-edge technology to better understand the shopper, what drives their purchasing behaviour and in turn increase conversion during the shopper journey, both today and in the future.”

The partners have also formed a strategic collaboration with m1nd-set, providing customers with a powerful end-to-end tech-based solution in travel shopper research.

dcGTR intends to attend the TFWA Asia Pacific show in Singapore and TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes, with Brennan confirming to TRBusiness the firm is in ‘close dialogue with a number of different international stakeholders’.