Airline passengers mourning the loss of in-flight catalog SkyMall may soon find a familiar sight in their seat pockets.
Scott Jordan, CEO and founder of multi-pocket travel clothing company SCOTTeVEST, intends to fill the vacuum created by SkyMall's loss with a new in-flight shopping experience: SKY2BUY. It will be in planes in test markets around the United States in June or July of this year.
"This summer, fly with SKY2BUY, your new mall in the sky," Jordan said.
SKY2BUY will aim to be a high-end travel magazine featuring a plethora of brands that cater to travelers as well as editorial content pertaining to travelers. But unlike SkyMall, SKY2BUY won't be a stand-alone publication. Instead, it will be included in existing airline magazines as part of an advertising section.
The goal for this is to cut costs and pass savings along to customers and generate additional profits for airlines. Inspired by duty free shops, SKY2BUY will reward customers with discounts for purchasing while traveling. And by allowing customers to purchase directly from advertisers, companies will receive the orders faster and customers are likely to receive their product much quicker.
In addition to SKY2BUY's initial 16-page spreads, the company is developing an app that will allow travelers to purchase in the sky. The app will be available as a free download.
The original SkyMall sold at auction this month to New Jersey-based C&A Marketing Inc. for $1.9 million.