Stuck in the Middle (With Your Data). Why the biggest CRM battle in travel retail is not about technology, but who owns the relationship. By: Diana Ropner
3 minutes read
Introduction by: Peter Marshall
Picture this: You’ve just entered Hong Kong’s hottest new restaurant, and you are ready to see and be seen. Right away you tell the host that you have a major allergy to oaky Chardonnay. Yet, when you sit down, the sommelier walks over and pours you a glass of heavy oak. Even worse, by the time the chef prepares your meal, they had no idea of the modifications you requested because none of those notes made it back to the kitchen. Technically, they are all doing their jobs. But you leave feeling like no one actually knew who you were.
This is precisely what it feels like to be a luxury consumer in travel retail.
A straight-speaking op-ed by guest contributor Diana Ropner.
Tug of War with Your Data
As someone who has over a decade of experience in retail and in working on the frontline, I can tell you this: The brand and the operator share the same floor, the same customer and the same transaction, but operationally they live in entirely different universes.
More concretely, you have the luxury Maisons trying to strengthen their branding with strong storytelling, products and experiences. Then you have the airport operators that are running high-velocity retail spaces where speed, footfall and inventory turnover are metrics that matter the most. Accelerating this divide is the fact that many of these airport boutiques and lounges aren’t even directly run by the brand, they are operated under franchise or license agreements by third-party travel retail specialists.
You perceive the store or shopping environment as a seamless ‘meal’ but behind the scenes: brand in front of house, back-office inventory, and operator CRMs function out of different kitchens.
Let’s say you’ve made a major purchase at an airport boutique, your contact details, the amount you’ve spent and your actual purchase get locked inside the operator’s database. Meanwhile, the brand’s CRM system remains completely blind to the sale. The brand doesn’t know what your preferences are and in turn there is no way for them to serve you.
Naturally, this has created a standoff between brand and operator.
- The Brand’s Fear: “If I hand over my client data to an airport operator, do I lose control of my customer relationship?”
- The Operator’s Fear: “If I share my customer sales data, am I just building the brand’s database at my own expense, especially when I’m the one managing the day-to-day retail operations on the ground?”
The major problem when databases don’t talk to each other is that it cracks the luxury illusion. The customer feels unseen, it makes them known in one touchpoint and completely anonymous in another.
I am not proposing to merge databases, a full integration is illegal and a privacy nightmare. I am, however, proposing a controlled collaboration: a model where we share what is necessary, regulate it tightly, and design around the customer journey rather than internal silos.
Systems do not need to fully merge, but they do need to speak to each other well enough to preserve stability for the customer. In travel retail, the customer journey is shared, therefore the data strategy should be too. It should be built on a three-part model of shared intent, shared rules and shared visibility.
Controlled Collaboration – Sharing without Oversharing
- Start with Use Cases, Not the Database
Brands and operators should first agree on the customer moments they are actually trying to improve, like post-purchase follow-up, replenishment reminders, or VIP servicing. When we lead with “what customer problem are we solving?”, the conversation becomes more practical versus a technical minefield of let’s connect our database.
- Share Only Minimum Viable Data
Not every field in a CRM needs to crossover between brand and operator. What’s actually needed is just the basics: what the customer bought, their style preferences, and clear, upfront permission to follow up. By keeping it strictly focused on what’s necessary for the next interaction, you respect privacy and avoid the nightmare of full database sharing.
- Put Consent at the Center
The cleanest model is one where the customer clearly opts in and understands how their relationship is being managed. This turns data-sharing from a hidden operational hurdle into a transparent value exchange.
- Build a Shared Clienteling Layer
The answer is not one massive database owned by everyone. It is a shared interface that lets the right people see the right information at the right time.
- Define Governance Before Technology
Before you build anything, ask the right questions: Who owns the relationship? Who can contact the client? When a third-party operator is running the physical boutique or lounge, how do we align their frontline staff with the Maison’s clienteling standards? What happens when a traveler buys in Hong Kong and lands in Paris?
Luxury travel retail doesn’t need total data visibility. It just needs enough shared context to keep the magic alive after the customer boards their flight. When brands and operators stop fighting over the ledger, the customer finally stops feeling like a stranger and starts feeling like a client.
