In the latest episode of the Marketing Dividends series presented by the AANA, the marketers behind two of Queensland’s biggest brands offer insights into how physical retail presence can be used to drive customer experience and to build brands.

Joining host James Hier were Mark Reinke, chief customer experience officer at Suncorp; and Darren Wright, general manager of product advertising, customer experience and sales at Flight Centre.

Wright said Flight Centre see its retail stores as a real competitive advantage.

“All of our stores are in high streets or in the big shopping centres,” he said.

“We leverage the significant capacity of these retail stores to bring consumers back to the brand and also position who we are.

“We use that bricks and mortar to… surprise, delight, educate; to get our customers excited and obviously then celebrate once they travel. So, it gives you that tactile feeling in a customer experience model that you don’t really get when you’re transacting online.”

For Flight Centre to remain competitive, particularly against pure online plays, means constantly refreshing the offers available via its Stores, according to Wright.

“We have a speed-to-market strategy that’s around two hours,” he said.

“If a new offer or fare becomes available, Flight Centre want to ensure that it is advertised across our store network and communicated to our customers as quickly as our online-only competitors can.

“We can communicate that in the storefront, with our digital screens within two hours.”

Reinke said retail stores are also an integral part of Suncorp’s strategy. Having opened two concept stores in the last six months – one in Sydney and the other in Brisbane, he believes Australia is moving towards an ‘experience economy’.

“People really value experiences. The ability to create immersive experiences… is a great way to bring our brand to life,” he said.

“We are experimenting around the right recipe to really engage people.”

You can check out what more Wright and Reinke had to say n the below video.

In the latest episode of the Marketing Dividends series presented by the AANA, the marketers behind two of Queensland’s biggest brands offer insights into how physical retail presence can be used to drive customer experience and to build brands.

Joining host James Hier were Mark Reinke, chief customer experience officer at Suncorp; and Darren Wright, general manager of product advertising, customer experience and sales at Flight Centre.

Wright said Flight Centre see its retail stores as a real competitive advantage.

“All of our stores are in high streets or in the big shopping centres,” he said.

“We leverage the significant capacity of these retail stores to bring consumers back to the brand and also position who we are.

“We use that bricks and mortar to… surprise, delight, educate; to get our customers excited and obviously then celebrate once they travel. So, it gives you that tactile feeling in a customer experience model that you don’t really get when you’re transacting online.”

For Flight Centre to remain competitive, particularly against pure online plays, means constantly refreshing the offers available via its Stores, according to Wright.

“We have a speed-to-market strategy that’s around two hours,” he said.

“If a new offer or fare becomes available, Flight Centre want to ensure that it is advertised across our store network and communicated to our customers as quickly as our online-only competitors can.

“We can communicate that in the storefront, with our digital screens within two hours.”

Reinke said retail stores are also an integral part of Suncorp’s strategy. Having opened two concept stores in the last six months – one in Sydney and the other in Brisbane, he believes Australia is moving towards an ‘experience economy’.

“People really value experiences. The ability to create immersive experiences… is a great way to bring our brand to life,” he said.

“We are experimenting around the right recipe to really engage people.”

You can check out what more Wright and Reinke had to say n the below video.