The Explorer vs. The Mission Shopper
A couple of weeks ago, we posted about the key shopper segments within the Travel Retail sector, with these including groups such as The Gifter, The Premium Seeker and The Value Hunter.
This week, we thought it may interesting to deep dive into two distinct groups which collectively make up a fairly large proportion of the Travel Retail shopper base, but who are odds when directly compared: The Explorer and The Mission Shopper.
šÆ The Mission Shopper
Mission Shoppers are more planned.Ā Before travelling, they often research products, compare prices and decide what they want to purchase or at least the types of products or brands they want to see. By the time they enter the store, the decision has been at least partially made and they’re focused on completing their purchase as efficiently as possible.
For this segment, success depends on making the buying process as simple as possible and assisting with that ease of shop, such as easy navigation through the store, clear product visibility, competitive pricing, product availability and fast, frictionless checkout
While they may still browse, they’re generally less influenced by in-store theatre or spontaneous discovery. Their goal isn’t exploration, it’s execution.
š The Explorer
Explorers have a very different mentality.Ā Rather than arriving with a mission or specific products or brands in mind, they enjoy browsing, discovering new brands and seeing what’s different from domestic retail. Shopping forms part of the travel experience itself.
This segment is naturally curious and is much more receptive to inspiration while in-store and as such, respond particularly well to communications around new product launches, Travel Retail exclusives, retail theatre and brand activations, product demonstrations, sampling opportunities, and limited editions and destination-specific products.
For The Explorer, discovery creates value and the excitement of finding something unexpected or different is more likely to be a direct trigger for purchase.