Travel retail specialist 2.0 & Partners has appointed Diana Li as Senior Customer Experience Manager, effective immediately.
Li joins 2.0 & Partners’ Customer eXperience Management (CXM) team, aiming to unlock the potential of the travel retail sector and enhance customer experiences for the company’s partners.
2.0 & Partners CEO Fabio Bernardini said: “We are delighted to welcome Diana to the 2.0 & Partners team.
“Delivering and creating an incredible experience has never been more important in travel retail. Diana’s insights and expertise will be a huge benefit to our clients and partners as we work together to take this exciting market to the next level.
“We firmly believe that travel retail is a people business and it is fantastic to be further growing our team with great people as we celebrate our tenth anniversary.”
Li commented: “In 2024, my desire is to escalate our impact by bringing value to new clients with whom we commit to building long-lasting and profitable relationships. Cheers to the adventure ahead.”
Q&A with 2.0 & Partners Senior Customer Experience Project Manager Diana Li
Please tell us about your journey to joining 2.0 & Partners.
I joined 2.0 & Partners because of a shared passion and commitment to helping clients elevate their customer experience game. I am lucky to be part of a talented global team led by Marco [Passoni] and Fabio [Bernardini], the 2.0 & Partners founders.
As for my background, I am a senior brand builder, marketing and customer experience professional. During my professional journey – mainly developed in sizeable 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 means of turning the strategy into a concrete reality.
In this space, I am confident I can leverage my skillset to coach our clients and their sales team to achieve sales mastery and become empowered Brand Ambassadors.
Tell us more about your new role at the company?
I am super proud of joining the team as a Senior Customer Experience Project Manager. My focus is on enhancing the internationalisation of the company operations by developing and delivering the CXM programmes for travel retail clients.
We are ready to bring value to new clients by leveraging our collective strengths, experiences, credentials and the 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 it 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.
Tailored products and brand mix, along with 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. This 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 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 salesperson or ambassador than when they are on the high street.
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 language 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 helping my clients by equipping their sales team with the skills to deliver ease, exclusivity and high-quality service to their customers. ✈
