The Data Whisperer: An Interview with Sunbul Dubuni (LSG Group)
Sunbul Dubuni has been responsible for the Areas of Consumer Insight and Trends at the LSG Group since 2008. She specializes in the links between the subjects of Food, People and Travel.
Ms. Dubuni, what exactly do you understand by consumer insight?
When you develop a product, you try to understand who the future users will be, and how this product needs to be designed in order to please them. To do this, it’s not enough just to know their Age and sex. You have to learn to understand their Lifestyle: What they expect, how they behave and what preferences they have regarding travel and Food. If we then manage to see that something has changed in that Lifestyle, that is an insight.
I expect you must spend a lot of time gathering data.
Yes, of course, data is very important, but much more important is what I do with it – how I combine it with Information or my own experiences from other Areas. For me, a database is one source of Inspiration, just like a visit to a cultural Event, a walk around the weekly market in an unfamiliar town, the latest ads on the Internet or watching fashionistas on a Shopping trip. Thorugh a combination of a wide range of sources, you usually see the target Group in a completely new light.
Why have consumer data and insight become so important for the LSG Group?
The Airline sector has changed significantly in recent years. In the past, the structures were much more simple. We had economy, Business or first class, and the corresponding Service concepts for each of them. Now, we are talking about six or more classes on board, about pre-ordering and onboard-sales models and, above all, about digitalization in our industry. In the future, passengers will want even more to be in a Position to shape their journey in accordance with their wishes. I see our Task as being able to offer them a relevant choice.
And how may that choice look?
Depending on the type of journey, it could mean pre-ordering a particular menu on board or selecting a perfume to be delivered to a loved one at home. Even with our traditional offerings, we want to understand better what, specifically, will make the passenger in seat 11A happy – what they would like to eat, whether the crockery design is appealing and what comfort items would make them feel even better. This is where we, as LSG, can provide Support with our Expertise, and also Position ourselves as the market leader.