The deadly waves of the COVID-19 pandemic have toppled countries and the industries supporting the survival of their economies. Among the worst hit was the aviation industries as the virus gripped its clutch on travel and tourism. However, the industry is seeking a jump start to gain back the elevation. Out of the many attempts that the aviation industry is making to achieve buoyancy, the most unorthodox and peculiar way was adopted by an Osaka-based budget airline called Peach Aviation Limited.
The airlines took notice of the rising popularity of ‘Gachapon’ or ‘Gashapon,’ a vending machine that dispenses capsule toys.
Peach Aviation Limited modified these popular vending machines and tweaked the dispenser to give out capsules containing various destinations. The gist of this novel marketing move is that people will be given a capsule, and the travel destination would be a surprise to them, reported Japan Times.
Many of the company’s employees thought that the promotion idea would not fly and made peace with selling even one capsule in a day. However, on the contrary, the vending machine idea was a complete hit in Japan. “We were thinking that it would be alright if we could sell one capsule per day. Yet the gachapon became a sensation through social media,” Shuntaro Kosasa, Brand Manager, Peach Aviation Limited, told Japan Times.
According to the official data, the airline has managed to sell around 3,000 capsules in the past months, with the rate of sale peaking at 150 capsules in a day. Unlike the regular toy capsules, the Peach Aviation Limited capsules cost around 5000 Yen, or roughly Rs.3296.
People are awarded 6000 points on the purchase of one capsule, with each point amounting to one Yen. Therefore, the interested tourists and travelers get a discount of 1000 Yen on their airfare. The airline has arranged tours through domestic flights bound for areas like Sapporo, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Naha.
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