Case Study: Fraport - Frankfurt Airport Shopping

The entire set of infrastructure requirements had to be developed from scratch. The AOE team, of over 70 people, worked alongside a customer team on the project. It all began with a holistic overview of the omni-channel e-commerce project to capture the customer journey, both inside and outside the airport. Requirements and services for different customer groups were specified, from occasional travellers to frequent flyers. The catalogue was long, and the demands were high, which meant that the architecture of the Airport e-Commerce Suite was correspondingly complex.

This was the rationale behind the implementation of a new kind of omni-channel e-commerce solution, due to: • The unique selection of omni-channel features, services, and infrastructure;

• The modular construction of all components that allows features to be individually selected to be fully aligned with the customer’s requirements and business model.
• The similarly modular configuration of tools, services, and flexible technologies.

The project goal was to provide passengers with relevant information and services during their journey, at the right time and at the right place. These micro-services incorporate the following features:

It was clear that managing all the different retailers’ extensive product data would require a product information management system (PIM). Akeneo PIM was selected as an easy-to-integrate, open-source solution that was also extremely user-friendly thanks to its intuitive user interface. With Akeneo PIM, product data was easy to import and could then be conveniently enriched and translated in-house. The over 300 retailers who would subsequently be integrated into the solution can independently manage their own product data using Akeneo PIM within the e-commerce suite.

Even retailers who already have their own solution have the option of smoothly connecting it to the overall solution. Within the high-level architecture of this ambitious project, Akeneo PIM is responsible for centrally maintaining details of all products and services intended for the Online Retail Platform, known as OHP. If all product details are up-to-date, they can be delivered directly from Akeneo PIM in all relevant formats to additional retail touchpoints in Frankfurt Airport, such as electronic airport desks, apps, catalogues, and so on.

For frequent flyers and international passengers alike, the solution will cover the end-to-end shopping experience, from online shopping (with online payment and fulfillment at the airport) through to after-sales service. Customers can view, buy, and pay for products while preparing for their trip, on the way to the airport, and when they’re in the terminal and can choose whether to collect their purchases in the shop or at the gate or have them delivered to their home.