Aeroporti di Roma, WIB Smart Lockers Arrive at Fiumicino: Buy When You Leave, Collect When You Return!
- 2 August 2023
- Elena Federici
Pictured, left to right: Elena Federici – Sales Manager WIB; Costanza Rebecchini – Account Manager Retail ADR; Alice Assom – Account Manager Ricoh; Isabelle Vinet – Stageur BU Commercial ADR.
In the relentless pursuit of innovative solutions to enhance the passenger experience at airports in Rome, we have collaborated with ADR (Aeroporti di Roma SpA) and our partner Ricoh to create a Smart Locker service that allows passengers departing from Area A of FCO to pick up products purchased before the outbound flight upon their return from a trip.
The airport’s shops indeed offer many purchasing opportunities, but often these are turned down for various reasons: the products may be too bulky for travel, too delicate, or more.
Thanks to the “Pick Up on Return” service, active at Fiumicino Airport from June 12, 2023, passengers can comfortably leave their purchases in the store and receive an email code to collect them upon return from the WIB Smart Locker, located in the baggage reclaim hall of Terminal 1.
Retailers can use the service via a specialized Software platform developed in collaboration with our partner Deverse: within moments, they can book a WIB Smart Locker cell of the appropriate size, and then place the customer’s purchase inside on the day of their expected arrival.
Should the passenger fail to collect the product within 12 hours of their arrival, the system sends a notification to the retailer, who can collect the product and coordinate a new pickup with the customer.
The implementation of this service has been a success, also thanks to the custom hardware of the locker, designed and developed together with ADR to accommodate the largest number of purchases, ensuring easy and safe interaction with passengers and retailers.
Together with ADR and Ricoh, it was decided to configure the WIB Smart Locker with numerous medium and large cells to best handle bags, clothes, and other bulky items difficult to carry during travel.
ADR sponsored this service through various channels – including billboards – and created a specific section on its website, thereby increasing awareness of the service’s availability and its potential adoption.
According to Costanza Rebecchini, Retail Account Manager: “The ‘Pick Up on Return’ service aims to improve the passengers’ experience at the airport, enhancing and facilitating the purchasing process by offering a convenient, safe, and innovative service, particularly easy to use both for retailers and passengers. Initial feedback is very positive, with rapid growth in usage.”
Alfonso Correale, CEO of WIB, commented: “This service represents a significant step forward in the airport experience for both passengers and retailers, and we are delighted to be at the heart of such a significant change, together with our partners and forward-thinking entities like ADR.
Airports, ports, train stations, and bus stations: the role of these places is profoundly changing – from mere transit points to places of experience – and with our solutions, we are pleased and proud to accompany this evolution.“