At 2.0 & Partners, we are proud to have a team who boast decades of travel retail experience between them. But our team members are as diverse as our clients and the travelling shoppers they serve and each of one brings their own unique experience and insights to travel retail.
Today, we are delighted to introduce Diana Li, Senior Partner, Customer eXperience Management, at 2.0 & Partners, and the latest member to join our team.
Please tell us about your journey to join 2.0 & Partners?
I joined 2.0 & Partners on a shared passion and commitment to helping clients to elevate their customer experience game. I am lucky to be part of a talented global team led by Marco and Fabio, the 2.0 & Partners founders. As for my background, I am a senior brand builder, marketing and customer experience professional. During my professional path, mainly developed in big corporate settings, I had the chance to learn what draws the line between strong and weak brands; the key is a clear and deliberate customer experience strategy that is effectively and consistently operated at every single interaction.
This is particularly relevant in the retail space, where the frontline staff are one of the key ways of turning the strategy into a concrete reality. In this space, I am confident I can leverage my skill set to coach our clients and their sales team to achieve sales mastery and become empowered brand ambassadors.
Tell us more about your current role at the company?
I am super proud of joining the team as a Senior Partner, Customer eXperience Management. My focus is to enhance the internationalisation of the company operations by developing and delivering the CXM programs for travel retail clients. We are ready to bring value to new clients leveraging our collective strengths, experiences, credentials, and global footprint of 2.0 & Partners team.
What do you think makes travel retail such an exciting market?
It offers huge potential for brands and retail operators because is a unique market in many ways. Among these, the opportunity to access a diverse and global customer base offers the chance to truly differentiate the commercial mix compared to other marketplaces, such as the domestic sector. A tailored product and brand mix and an exclusive customer experience, built upon the specific mindset and behaviours of the passengers, are also vital in delivering multiple benefits for every stakeholder. On top of that, I am amazed of how resilient this industry is. Despite the negative impact of the pandemic, we can see the industry working with great confidence towards ambitious targets, which demonstrates our shared ability to learn, adapt, evolve and grow.
What have been some of your most interesting learnings in your role so far?
I have been fascinated to gain even more insights into why investing in customer experience training is even more critical in the travel retail industry than in others.
We have a potential customer dealing with dwell time and the stress of regulatory and security checks at the airport. Not surprisingly, ease of shopping is a top purchase driver in a travel retail context. That also means, as research shows, that most customers are more prone to be guided and influenced by the sales person or ambassador than when they are shopping in high streets. This offers a great opportunity for retailers and their sales teams to drive revenue through the mastery of customer experience in this specific arena. Moreover, frontline staff are expected to provide information regarding duty free allowances, time to gate, currency exchange rates and to manage cultural and languages differences. It is clear that travel retail expertise is an imperative for all industry partners who want to keep up with the service required by the customer.
And within this context, I am committed to help my clients by equipping their sales team with the skills to deliver ease, exclusivity and high-quality service to their customers.
What is your wish for the business in 2024?
My wish is that we escalate our impact by bringing value to new clients with whom we commit to build long-lasting and profitable relationships. Cheers to the adventure ahead.
Diana can be contacted by emailing diana.li@20partners.com
