To kick off season 2 of The Retail Wave Makers, Nadine Heubel hosts Marcos Zobel, who is the Sales Director, Travel Retail and Cruises Americas, at Victorinox.

Marcos joins Nadine as the first vendor on The Retail Wave Makers and shares with the listeners the history of Victorinox and their growth in the cruise industry - as well as the brands plans across the cruise channel in coming years.

Nadine and Marcos discuss how to connect with the guests on board and how products can become part of the guest experience on board, creating memories & developing a relationship with a customer whilst they are on their cruise.

Say

Hello to everybody from around the world. Happy New Year Happy

2023 Welcome to the start of season two of The Retail Wave

Makers, a Seatrade Cruise Talks Podcast. My name is Nadine

Heubel. I'm the senior managing director of travel retail North

America at Newmark, formerly known as Harper Dennis Hobbs.

But today I'm talking to you as the retail ambassador for

Seatrade.

Retail has been going from strength to strength in the

cruise industry, and I am grateful for Seatrade to have

acknowledged this development by creating a retail Ambassador

role, which I am honored to have been appointed to. Part of my

responsibility is to create further awareness of this

exciting sector amongst cruise industry peers. And what better

way to do it then creating our own podcast mini-series, The

Retail Wave Makers Podcast. In this podcast series, I will

welcome different stakeholders of the cruise retail industry,

cruise lines, retailers, vendors and consultants. And I will

discuss with my guests, the state of the cruise retail

industry. We have a lineup of amazing guests, and we will hear

from them firsthand about latest innovation, initiatives,

challenges and their personal outlook of the future of cruise

retail. And we will also get a little bit personal with our

rapid fire questions at the end of the podcast.

Today, I'm very excited to welcome our first representative

of the vendor community, Marcos Zobel, the Sales Director,

Travel Retail and Cruises, Americas at Victorinox. Marcos

joined Victorinox over 10 years ago, and has grown within the

company in several strategic roles. Over the years Marcos has

been a pioneer for Victorinox in the Americas travel retail. For

Victorinox, the 10 is strategic, offering a shop window to the

world as well as a wealth of opportunity for consumer

engagement, storytelling and brand building. currently

partnering with the top travel retail players in the Americas,

Dufry, Motta International, DSA, Starboard... just to name a few

than the Victorinox span and its portfolio of multitools watches,

travel gear and fragrances can be found in over 18 airports and

five top border stores and onboard eight cruise ships in

the region. Prior to joining the Victorinox. Mark has spent 15

years working in sales and marketing for Philip Morris

Venezuela, and was an entrepreneur with his own

marketing firm in Miami, managing strategic communication

for companies such as MasterCard, and Disney

production, Latin America. Marcos, welcome to the show.

Let's kickstart Season Two!

Happy New Year and I am super honored to be your

first guest of this new season of your podcast, which I believe

is a great initiative for all of us vendors brands that want to

be part of this channel that is fast growing and constantly

changing. So thank you so much for this.

Absolutely. No, thank you so much for being with

me. Especially after you told me you had just spent three

fantastic weeks in Spain, in Majorca. Maybe you can tell us

quickly about it so that we all get jealous.

Well, definitely. It was a great three weeks, I

was so fortunate to see the two sides of Majorca and the

Mediterranean since we all talk so much about the Mediterranean

in the cruise ships during the summer, which you can see all

the beautiful beaches and all that and then now in the winter,

you kind of see the other side of this destination where you

can go out to the mountains and to be honest, these destinations

have so many things to offer from cultural local

manufacturers, gastronomy, the wine is just super memorable and

special!

Yeah, I can completely relate because I am

German. And we Germans we love Majorca.

Which I was surprised to see so many in the

winter and spending Christmas there.

Yeah I know, we come every year. We love it.

Great.

I'm glad that you had a good time. But now let's

talk a little bit business. So would be great. Actually, if you

could tell our listeners a little bit more about

Victorinox. I'm sure that many of us know that company due to

the Swiss Army Knives but I know that there is so much more to

the company. So let's hear a little bit more about it.

Yes, Victorinox is a multi category Swiss premium

brand. It's over 130 years old is privately owned and is very

special because everything we do is simply inspired by the iconic

swiss army knife. We are as mentioned a multi category

brands so we offer watches, travel gear, fragrance, cutlery,

and of course the Swiss Army knife which all the other

categories are simply inspired by this iconic product.

Amazing. I didn't know that the company is

actually has such a long history and it is that old. And I'd also

forgotten about the cutlery. I think I even own some Victorinox

Well, and to be honest, everything started with

cutlery.

a cutlery workshop over 130 years ago. So that's how

everything started. And then came the iconic legendary swiss

army knife. And also something important for the company is to

really protect these Swiss values, design made in

Switzerland. So that's something that our company, especially

nowadays is extremely proud of.

All right, great. Why did actually Victoria Knox

decide to enter the cruise channel, and maybe talk a little

bit about this, but also tell us where you can be distributed.

You said, we are at the beginning I said 8 cruise ships,

but maybe you can talk a little bit more about it?

Well, I think that the the timing could not have

been better for us part of the global development for the

brand. And its categories back in 2017, Victorinox created the

travel retail division. Then as part of the tribal retail

division, there's been teams allocated to each one of the

regions, and even through COVID, strategically growing. And

today, we have over more than 100 points of sale at airports

globally. So then back in 2019, as part of this travel retail

development, we set our eyes into the cruise channel. And the

first approach was to learn about this channel. So we

participated in the DFNI cruise conference here in Miami, where

you and I briefly met. And I have to be honest, I was very

impressed by your presentation where you talked about all that

logistics and operation behind it. So that I really enjoyed in

it. And to answer a question about where we are today, we're

very fortunate to start working with a company like Starboard

that gave the opportunity to the brand. So last year, we started

with them, and we were currently listed in over six ships.

Nevertheless, this year, we push it to this year, we're going to

roll out our brand into the Royal Caribbean ships. Right.

Amazing. And thank you for remembering my my

presentation. I think logistics can be a very dry topic. But I

think it's also a very important topic when it comes to cruises.

It's like one of the make or break disciplines in the cruise

industry.

Definitely is and one of the things I also would

like to add is being a multi category brand, how to enter

into the cruise channel, we entered with the watch category.

Nevertheless, in selective ships, we have curated a travel

gear offering where guests can give themselves up for their

adventurous and expedition. So it's really more than just

selling product or placing the brand is how can our brand be

part of their traveling experience or vacation?

Very important point. I think this is how you

connect with the guests on board that you are offering a service

which is actually an added value to them for their holiday

experience.

Exactly.

Now I have a question for you about the South

America you have worked in, in Venezuela for many, many, many

years. And North America cruise retail is very much developed.

But people also talk about South America. It's still a small

market, but it's a fast growing cruise market for you what is

the biggest differentiator between a North American

consumer and the South American cruise consumer?

That's a very good question. And previously, before

I joined the Travel Retail Division I was responsible for

for local markets. So I oversaw all Latin America from Mexico

down to Argentina, local market. So I really got to learn a lot

about the culture, the consumer and their consumer behavior and

their choices. So from my point of view, in talking specifically

about the cruise channel, the North American passenger is

currently a very mature segment. They are very loyal to the

traveling format. Even during COVID They were still booking

their 2023 vacation. So I will say that for cruise ships.

Again, it's a very mature segment. South America from my

point of view represents a very big opportunity for cruise ships

is definitely a market with a lot of expansion. And the main

difference when we think about a consumer profile, South American

passengers they really like to shop like when they go on

vacation. They enjoy the traveling and they really enjoy

their shopping so in not shopping around the souvenirs or

memories. No they go out and they really like to purchase

their their brands and their products and reward themselves.

So, actually victory knocks is South America is a very strong

region for us with a very strong and loyal customer base.

Well, interesting, which is your

biggest market in South America?

Mexico is our strongest market.

Okay, great. So we need a lot of Mexican guests

on the cruise ships?

Of course, it's a big market, but also we have the

Brazilian consumers, we have the Argentinian consumers. So again,

and also see in it is from the travel retail perspective, and

which are the airports that drive a lot of our sales,

mainly, you will see it is comprised between Argentina,

Brazil, Mexico, these are very important locations for us.

Thank you for sharing this. And you also

mentioned when when we talked a little bit earlier, before

starting the recording, you said that we need to cruise channel-

cruise is your baby. I love this, because in a way, it's

also a little bit my baby I feel. So let me ask you

something when you joined the cruise industry, to European

what was the state of the cruise retail industry? And what has

changed? Since you got involved in the cruise channel?

Yes, I mentioned to you that is certainly like my

baby. Because when when we were developing all the different

layers when you're developing the commercial strategy for the

travel retail channel, definitely I said, especially

being based in Miami, I said, cruise ships, we need to put it

in that list, of course, to your question. In business, it's all

about timing and momentum. And I will say that, we've been very

lucky because while the brand is still very new in the channel,

we're being part of this new era, or this new chapter, in

terms of a new vision that the cruise lines have for retailing,

for what I see cruise lines are expanding their business model,

generating revenues from other areas inside the ship.

Traditionally, it was all about the dining experiences selling

the packages for the expeditions in the adventures and in the

wellness, but are the new ships that are being rolled out,

they're really taking into consideration to have a very

strong retail footprint. So for us, it is a great momentum and a

great timing. The other fascinating thing for me in this

channel, and what I have learned is the possibility of developing

a relationship with the consumer, you know, you will

have them there for a period of a week or or two. And you can

really develop this customer relationship and experience with

them. And how can this brand connect with them? So for me, I

will say that when we talked about the status or the state of

the retail, for me, it's that that momentum and special

timing.

Yeah, I agree. I mean, from from an airport

perspective, airports would dream to have a customer for

their for a week, they have been there for a couple of minutes.

And really in the in the cruise industry, we can really build

this relationship with our guests. Because we have been

there for a couple of days, sometimes one week, two weeks

and even longer. So that's a really great point.

But the other thing is, we as brands also need

to be very mindful on how do we develop this channel? Because

it's not just about placing the product and a couple of

promotion. And that's it No, is how much content can we

generate, to connect with a consumer for over a week?

I agree. And this is maybe a good segue into

another question I have for you. So what do you think what are

the key success factors are the keys to success for windows in

the cruise channel? I mean, you already mentioned one...

From our experience, I will break it down

in three keys to success. The first one is you need to think

long term, you know you need to be invested for the long ride.

The channel has an extremely high level of complexity, as you

know. So you need to be patient and you also need to adapt

yourself. So to succeed, and here comes your presentation

that you make logistics and operation need to be extremely

agile. Because things really happen very fast. For example,

we had we were implementing one of the programs with Silversea.

And we had to ship the product directly to the port where this

ship was going to dock so again we're talking about stores that

are moving around the world stopping in different

destinations. So in terms of logistics and operation, how do

you adapt into all those moving pieces? And I will say that the

third key to success will be to understand the itineraries the

customer profile and then curate those assortments because if you

go in thinking that one size fits all, that's the wrong

approach.

Thank you. And I like this. And I'm sure that all

our vendors listening would agree or actually, you know,

take some inspiration from what you just said. So now we talked

all about, let's say, the positive and the momentum we are

building. But what do you see as the biggest untapped opportunity

in the cruise retail industry? And what can we do to make it

even stronger?

Well, during this journey of learning and

educating ourselves into the channel, I was fortunate to

visit a couple of ships. And actually, in one of the ships

that where we listed the brand, I was also fortunate to go in

and train the staff and all that. So big picture talking.

And looking at all the different categories, I say that the

biggest opportunity will be to transform the passenger, and

sales staff mindset, it's not about going into a ship thinking

that you're going to buy value, or you're going to find a deal

in the stores, for me is that we all understand that it's all

about selling memories. It's all about being part of your

vacation. It's all about rewarding yourself with a

premium product, that when you go back home, you're gonna

remember oh this this watch this Victorinox watch that I bought

was with me and all the expeditions I did. And it brings

me so many good memories. When I did the Antarctica or when I did

the Mediterranean, and I went sailing or so for me, it's more

about what people are buying is memories, experiences, and not

just going thinking about a deal.

Yeah, I completely agree with you. It's

like, you know, like really something which is much more

emotional and not transactional, we have to get our thinking away

from transactions, we have to really connect on an emotional

level with our guests.

Exactly.

Great. So from all the retail initiatives you

did so far on on your ships, which one are you most proud of?

Since we're still in the initial stage of

introducing the brand, because it happened in queue three of

last year, we're still gathering all the data, knowing all the

processes and all that. So I will say that the answer is a

work in progress, we will have to do a different podcast to

give you examples. Nevertheless, what I am most proud of at this

stage is the long term commitment from Victorinox from

the brand in the development of the champ and being part of it

and to grow. So for me, that's what gives me a lot of

confidence is the backup and commitment from the company.

Yeah, this this sounds great. And also, even if

you say it's a work in progress, I really have to say from my

side that I'm super impressed about, you know, you say your

newcomer to the to the channel and you to start it. But all the

knowledge and all the expertise you have already gathered. I

think that's that's amazing. And many really people can learn

from this. So so don't don't please don't be shy in in really

celebrating your successes already.

It's definitely a teamwork. I will say behind all

this so Thank you.

Absolutely. But now as we talked a little bit

about you know that you are that you kind of a new company

already so know so much about the market. So what would you

say which vendor could be really used as the benchmark for cruise

retail and why? What's the which vendor you look up to look to

for inspiration?

Well, definitely, I'll give you two concrete

answers or choices that I always keep in my mind. One is Bulgari,

I was very impressed with their holistic approach to the channel

in their shop entertainment initiative and how to bring

their their heritage to not only the product, but everything that

happens around these products in the period of one week. That

really express this Italian heritage and design and jewelry.

So that is one and definitely the other one is the Swarovski

brand in the Swarovski staircase they did in an MSC ship. And for

me that was impressive because it seen brands that are going

above and beyond just selling products or presenting their

brand in a certain way. They are really getting out of their

comfort zone. And again, just going above and beyond creating

an icon that will represent your brand. So those two, I was very

impressed.

And it's funny that you mentioned this because

I actually have a picture of this Swarovski staircase with

myself and the team on it. And this was I think done in 2019

the picture and I recently looked at it and it gave me

really goosebumps

And going back to selling memories. There you go.

There's so many little details that will connect with the brand

during your sailing and after your sailing experience.

Absolutely. So this is a Seatrade podcast, I,

of course, want to ask you one question about sea trade as

well. So what can we at Seatrade do to support the cruise retail

industry even more?

Here, I will say that I am planning to

participate in the next event that Seatrade will have in Fort

Lauderdale. As mentioned before, the way we approach things, we

want to educate ourselves first. So before making any comment, I

think that I want to go to the show, I want to understand what

Seatrade is and then see how can we take advantage and leverage

on the platform that Seatrade offers. But I will say that so

far with the initiative like this podcast, I think this is

great, because it's an avenue for more people to be exposed to

the channel. And the opportunity that the channel has, again,

like I said, at the beginning of the podcast is fast-growing,

changing. So to be part of this new era of cruising, and to have

Seatrade behind supporting and ner and more people that are

behind these kinds of projects. I think this is great, fantastic

for us.

Thank you. So definitely, you have to come

back on the podcast because we have to follow up on two things.

Now we have to follow up on your success in the channel, but also

about your opinion of us about the seatrade exhibition. And so

now we have talked a lot about Victorinox and your professional

opinion. But now let's talk a little bit about you, Marcos, as

well. Are you ready for our rapid fire questions?

We're ready. Those are like from previous podcasts.

So I think I'm ready.

Good. So what's your favorite cruise

destination?

I will break with the norm. Everyone talks about

the Mediterranean. So we'll break with the norm and I'll say

Antarctica you know the expedition go on out there.

It'll say Antarctica.

Okay, great. When you go let me know I come with

you. So what's your favorite location to add to unwind on a

cruise ship?

I will say dining, because it's a good time for you

to sit down enjoy a nice meal wine and sort of talk about the

experience of the day so dining.

Great. Buffet or a la carte breakfast?

Definitely a la carte.

Bingo or trivia?

I'll say bingo, brings me memories.

Love it. What was the last product you bought on a

cruise ship?

Last time I did a cruise ship was Alaska over 12

years ago. And if I recall, it was John Hardy or David Yurman

ring from my wife.

Oh, that's great. So that he wants something for

your wife? Great husband. Yes. Most favorite speciality

restaurants on a cruise ship?

I'll say Italian or Asian. Because in Asian, they

have the teppanyaki. So it's sort of everyone can be together

and enjoy that.

And last question, which was the most

exciting new ship launch in 2022?

Well it's not my style of cruising, because of

the size, I will say that Royal Caribbean Wonder of the Seas is

simply impressive. You know, a crib with over eight

neighborhoods three waterslide ice skating ring, like you name

it. There's something for everyone. And is it's again,

simply impressive!

Amazing! To finish with the wonder of the

seas. That's great. So Marcus, thank you so much. This was

fantastic. I learned a lot about the brand about your perception

and your perspective of cruising, but also a little bit

more about yourself. And I liked the idea of going to Antarctica.

So thank you so much for being on my podcast and I'm going to

say we will see each other again on the podcast and in in maybe

season five or season six. So thank you so much for being with

me.

Once again, thank you for this fun morning and

interaction and really looking forward to supporting this and

many other initiatives. And once again, thank you and everyone

behind for making this happen.

Perfect. Thank you!