Innovative Technology Brings Hassle-Free Shopping for International Travelers

Innovative Technology Brings Hassle-Free Shopping for International Travelers

IBM announced today that Duty Free Shops (DFS) is unveiling an innovative new technology system in its giant DFS Galleria mall here that will enable shoppers to easily and seamlessly move quickly through the airport, store their luggage, rent a car, shop at the Galleria and clear their purchases automatically through Customs.

The new integrated, Linux-based technology solution from IBM and its Business Partner, Triversity, also is slated later this year for the new DFS Galleria in Hainan, China, and DFS plans in the future to use variations of the system in its shops throughout the world.

The goal is to integrate advanced technology to create a seamless, convenient shopping experience for travelers as they arrive and depart an airport.

“It is not a matter of adding new systems to our store, but is a new business process for us that is focused entirely on our customers and operational efficiencies,” said Robert Yap, CIO of DFS Galleria. “We simply could not handle the volume of customer transactions without automating our processes. We want to make a traveling customer’s shopping experience a whole lot easier, smoother and hassle-free.”

Here’s how the new system works at the DFS Galleria: A traveler arrives at DFS Galleria and is issued a personalized PAX card that contains a smart chip. He checks in his luggage and has it moved directly to his rental car. He then enters the Galleria where he can shop — customers typically spend anywhere between 3 to 4 hours shopping in the state-of-the-art facility. Even if he buys numerous items at one of the 85 point-of-sale systems in the large store, they all will be combined into one transaction, for easy declaration to customs. At each step along the way, he is identified by his PAX card, and each purchase is recorded automatically to ensure it meets Customs requirements.

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