Does travel retail need to expand its reach and appeal outside of the current shopper base?

One of the big talking points right now is around footfall and conversion and how one of the biggest opportunities and challenges for Travel Retail is about how we can attract more travellers into the Duty Free environment in the first place.  And this is illustrated by footfall currently standing at 43% of travellers, meaning that over half do not enter the store.

However, when we look under the surface of this, we actually also see a really interesting dynamic, in that among those that currently visit the store, a massive 81% browse either every time they travel or every other time they travel.

This highlights a real strength of the channel in that Duty Free has a highly engaged and loyal shopper base, with the vast majority of visitors regularly incorporating shopping into their airport journey.

However, it also raises the important point that in order to drive increased rates of footfall (and ultimately conversion), we potentially, as a channel, need to be looking to  increase appeal and consideration among those travellers who aren’t already familiar with, or engaged in, the Duty Free experience.

The fact that 81% of current Duty Free visitors browse so regularly when they travel demonstrates that once travellers engage with the channel, it can and often does become an established part of their travel routine. The challenge is finding ways to introduce that experience to those who currently overlook it.

Ultimately, sustainable growth in Travel Retail will require more than simply converting a greater proportion of existing visitors. It will also depend on attracting new shoppers, challenging existing perceptions (which may currently be actually acting as barriers) of what Duty Free offers and making the retail environment relevant to a wider traveller base.

Discover more by downloading our latest infographic from our Resource Hub: What is the Duty Free Shopper Frequency?

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