With the health crisis, many have avoided travelling or have been banned from travelling for an extended period of time. For China, who is the biggest outbound tourist market, with an average of 2.1 trips per year, would be feeling a strong urge to travel once again. Especially, as families are scattered across the globe and having not enjoyed a happy Chinese New Year, the health crisis further strains so many relationships, both personal and businesses.
To reconnect again, the frequency of travel will increase more than before as it bridges the emotional distance. For both business and family, ‘reunions’ will undergo a systemic shift and ‘Gifting’ will become top of mind once again returning to the air.
What that translates for Alcohol Brands:
The opportunity to provide a sense of togetherness and cohesion at a time when isolation and loneliness are widespread. Creating a logistic convenience for consumers to have ‘reunions’ without the highly stressful experience and leverage technology to turn travel plans into emotionally positive moments.
Rooted in the need to connect, a consumer journey made of both tangible and intangible experiences would give clear advantage to brands when travel retail recovers. Emotions are running high as travellers embark on their first trip again, or are finally meeting their loved ones (even Clients) again in another country. Brands with gifting sets that are able to capture and translate the emotional celebration of health and travel will be a welcome sight for these travellers.
Be with. Self-made occasions going beyond ‘thoughtful gifting’ to ‘vessel of connections’.