Method of operating a duty-free store at an airport with a product storage area and product pickup area

摘要

The disclosure provides a method of operating a duty-free retail operation at an airport. The airport includes a secure zone and a non-secure zone, which are separated for passengers by a security checkpoint. The duty-free store may be located in the non-secure zone of the airport. The airport may also include a product storage area and a product pickup area, which can be accessible from the duty-free store or remote from the duty-free store. The product storage area may store copies of the products displayed in the duty-free store. A passenger customer can purchase products displayed in the duty-free store, for example, by scanning QR codes associated with products and making a payment using a mobile computing device. Copies of purchased products may then be retrieved from the product storage area and delivered to a designated product pickup area before the customer boards the plane.

主权项

1. A method of running a duty-free retail operation at an airport, the airport comprising a secure zone and a non-secure zone, which are separated for passengers by a security checkpoint, the method comprising:
providing a duty-free store in the non-secure zone; displaying products for sale in the duty-free store, the products for sale comprising a first product and a second product; displaying unique product identification codes in connection with products displayed therein, the unique product identification codes comprising a first unique identification code associated with the first product and a second unique identification code associated with the second product; providing a product pickup area; providing a product storage area configured to store copies of the products displayed in the duty-free store, the product storage area being inaccessible to customers; receiving, by a computing system associated with the duty-free store, a first request for initiating a purchase transaction, the first request being created and sent from a mobile computing device of a first customer in relation to the first customer's capturing of the first unique identification code using the mobile computing device, the first request comprising first product information indicative of the first product; in response to the first request, creating a first database entry associated with the first request, the first database entry comprising the first product information; in response to the first request, sending to the mobile computing device transaction information associated with the first database entry for use in initiating a payment transaction for a sale of the first product; performing a payment transaction for the sale of the first product using the transaction information and referring to the first database entry; upon completion of the payment transaction, providing the first customer with pickup information for picking up a copy of the first product within the secure zone; subsequent to completion of the payment transaction, initiating retrieval of a copy of the first product from the product storage area for delivery of the copy to the product pickup area; and delivering the copy of the first product to the first customer at the product pickup area.