if done well, passengers'

retailing experience onboard

can be a key differentiator.

rail operators >

With more passengers per journey but lower ticket revenues, now is the time for the rail industry to fully exploit ancillary revenue streams.

With ever more scrutiny on rail ticket prices and increased competition with airlines and between operators, rail businesses are now adopting similar business models to the low cost airline sector, where cheaper ticket prices help ensure passenger volumes, and ancillary revenue streams are opened and exploited to bolster profits.

On many routes, the difference in cost and time between rail, air and road is marginal. In such crowded markets, your brand stands out not just through keen pricing but with excellence in service, delivery, customer care and customer comfort - the whole passenger experience.

If done well, passengers’ retailing experience onboard can be a key differentiator between competitors, particularly if delivered with style and kept fresh with frequent and innovative updates.

In this way, train operators have a number of distinct advantages over other transport sectors, airlines in particular. With vastly more stowage capacity, more frequent resupply opportunities and less weight restrictions than airlines, rail operators can take advantage of stocked items - food, drinks, games, books, music, gadgets etc - like no other sector, as well as opening new lines in zero-weight, zero-stock items such as destination attraction tickets, onward journey tickets, mobile phone top ups and hotel booking (see Virtual Inventory Products).

Initium Onboard provides the means to achieve all of this, and so much more. Our intuitive point of sale system, onPOS2, is a delight to use, even for the new user. It assists the sales process, highlighting related products, promotions or newly available items, as well as providing live stock information. onPOS2 improves the sales process, whether it be an at seat trolley service, buffet/bar service or restaurant car service.

onPOS2 seamlessly communicates with onBOS2, the management and warehousing part of our solution (in realtime if necessary, via Wi-Fi or GSM connectivity), passing essential data to the onBOS2 database, which can then be reported and analysed.

Put together, the rail operator has better visibility of their ancillary revenue business, tighter control, less shrinkage loss, and improved management of costs associated with catering - opening out an historical rail industry cost overhead into a significant profitable revenue opportunity.