Seatrade 2025 in review – A vision for the future

We present further highlights of the Seatrade Cruise Global retail sessions in Miami in April; this session focused on the future of retail in the cruise channel.

May 23, 2025 - 21:50

Seatrade 2025 in review – A vision for the future

INTERNATIONAL. ‘Vision 2035’ was the theme of a forward-looking panel discussion at Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami (8-9 April) that examined the future of retail in the cruise channel.

Seatrade is the world’s leading annual gathering of the cruise industry. In the past two years, The Moodie Davitt Report has organised and led a series of discussions focused around retailing onboard, with input from the cruise retail Trinity of cruise lines, concessionaires and brand owners.

In this session, key questions included how does the rising appeal of cruise to a new generation translate into an updated guest proposition and retail offer? And how is the sector adapting, reacting and planning for the future of cruise ships to ensure relevance to these new generations and for changes in travel and purchasing habits?

Assessing the demands of a new generation of cruise guests were (from left) Carnival Cruise Line Vice President Guest Commerce & Onboard Revenue Luis Terife, Diamonds International Chief Commercial Officer Elchonon Shagalov, Starboard SVP Fine Jewelry & Watches Caryl Capeci Cossart and Avolta Senior Vice President Caribbean & Cruises Gian Botteri with The Moodie Davitt Report President and moderator Dermot Davitt

Joining The Moodie Davitt Report President and moderator Dermot Davitt were Carnival Cruise Line Vice President Guest Commerce & Onboard Revenue Luis Terife; Diamonds International Chief Commercial Officer Elchonon Shagalov; Starboard SVP Fine Jewelry & Watches Caryl Capeci Cossart and Avolta Senior Vice President Caribbean & Cruises Gian Botteri.

Assessing how Carnival Cruise Line views the potential of a younger generation, Luis Terife said: “We carry over 6 million guests a year and over half of those are Gen Z and Millennials.

“What do they want? They want experiences. So they over-index on shore excursions. They want to be connected. And they like to engage on every aspect of the cruise experience.

“What we need to do, from a retail point of view, is to educate them, entertain them, make them understand the value proposition that we bring and provide experiences in every category.”

Elaborating, he said: “Every category that we sell onboard needs to provide an experiential retail moment for them. We create liquor tastings, where we try to bring together the story between the brand, the destination and the experience onboard.

“In beauty we must have the right product based on their needs and based on skin features that fit every demographic.

“So every brand and category needs to ask, how can I customise what I’m offering to create an experience?”

**The two days of retail sessions drew a strong audience among cruiselines, concessionaires and brand owners**

Presenting the Diamonds International view, Elchonon Shagalov said: “How we look at our category specifically is all about authenticity.

“These travellers are looking for something that not only gives them an experience, but gives them even something deeper, and they are willing to pay for that.”

Outlining how generational differences play out, he added: “When an older demographic comes into our stores, they want to build a certain level of trust just as they have with their jeweller back home.

“With the younger generation, it’s more about also creating specific memories, not just buying a product, but incorporating how they are commemorating it.”

Of the new consumer, Caryl Capeci said: “They want immediate gratification. Everything comes through their phone so they look at buying things in a very different way. They don’t walk through stores and browse in the way we would.

“We use AI guidance in beauty, we use QR codes to bring up product information. But because the phone is such a crucial element of these guests’ everyday lives, the most important thing we could do is to bring full wifi access into the retail spaces for everyone, allowing brands to access it for example.

“We also want to take best-in-class land-based retailing but then differentiate that experience for cruise. Personalisation is very important. You can think about apparel or totes or different items that you can customise for a guest that is looking to commemorate the trip.”

The panel addressed their respective companies’ focus on a new generation of travellers, including Millennials and Gen Z, the challenge of engaging with them via multiple communications channels and of ensuring they are exposed to relevant retail experiences onboard. Above, Caryl Capeci and Luis Terife; below, Gian Botteri and Elchonon Shagalov.

Addressing how Avolta is looking at the cruise guest of today and tomorrow, Gian Botteri said: “Retail is not just a stand-alone store or about an activity that sits apart. It has to connect with the rest of the experience. So we have to work hand in hand with the brands and the cruise lines to deliver the experience.

“If the guest can enjoy a cocktail in a bar, and we can bring this customer to the store and show them that unique or exclusive product, it creates an experience.

“We are focusing right now on how we create these activations through pop-ups and in other places.”

Agility and speed are factors that will define the future, said Terife.

“We need to follow the trends very closely. We need to acknowledge how the supply chain works for the cruise industry, and we need to react and adapt quickly, especially for these demographics.

“They know what products their favourite influencers are promoting, and they expect us to have those products onboard. To our partners, we are saying, how can we create in cruise the fast-fashion model that exists in other places, and move faster. We need to be relevant to the season, to the location, and trial and test new items onboard that these guests want.

“At the same time we need to focus on what kids want. We carried a million kids last year. For the summer, for Spring Break or for Christmas holidays, what are the kids asking for?”

Noting that fully personalising the offer across 6 million guests is impossible, Terife said that ‘personalisation at scale’ is the goal.

“We understand who is coming and who is in the travel party. We might know what they did last time, so we can engineer offers, invitation, and create positive surprises and experiences that trigger experience, participation and hopefully trial.

“Then onboard personalisation such as engraving on watches or personalising apparel can work well.”

Shagalov added, “With all of our experience landside and the capabilities that we have with customisation, specifically for fine jewellery and for watches, we can customise one of a kind pieces that add value to the guest experience.

“And it is not just about being relevant and adapting, but also being ahead of the curve with new concepts for cruise. And that is what we aim to introduce.

“We believe that being able to encompass all categories on a cruise ship is a natural evolution from having just diamonds and watches, but it also helps create an elevated guest experience by eliminating the internal competition among different types of vendors onboard. You’re able to have one message, incentivise your staff to really connect with the customers, and it becomes about that personal connection. To be able to control the wider retail experience onboard is definitely an area that we are moving towards.”

Capeci highlighted the importance of pre- and post-cruise communications with the guest, building a wider relationship beyond their time onboard.

“If we talk to the Swiss watch brands, they ask how they can be more connected to the guest before they encounter the small space we are asking them to personalise onboard? They all have aspirations to take their brand and integrate it into the vacation experience, not just have it appear in a retail format.

“Also what we see is that on land the luxury brands might take a salon at a leading hotel where they do their VIP clienteling. We could do the same in cruise. So we are thinking about how we can use the entire ship footprint, not just the retail space.”

Botteri added, “We want to deepen personalisation but we also need to have spaces where we can change and adapt to demand.”

On planning space for the future, Terife said that Carnival is now sharing plans with partners for ships that will come on stream from 2032.

“We are thinking about design options for the new ships, whether it’s space for activations on beauty, whether it is flexible shelving so you can use it during the day for one category, then swap it and use it for a different category, or in the existing fleet how we can add pop-up activations. That adds value as the guest sees something new.

“For the future with our partners we are thinking about reimagining retail digitally and physically. We are trying to close the whole loop and make retail a full part of the experience.”

In a quickfire round-up of how they view the dynamics that will shape the future of retail in cruise, speakers variously highlighted the importance of playing catch-up on using technology onboard; giving access to new credit and payment options for consumers; the rise of sustainable products and leveraging data from loyalty programmes.

*This article alongside other highlights from Seatrade Cruise Global 2025 first appeared in The Moodie Davitt eZine. Click here for access.