The vast majority, about 90% of AsPac travellers who end up making a purchase in duty free, planned to do so before making their trip, says Swiss research firm m1nd-set. This is especially true of millennials.

 

“However, the majority arrive at the duty free shop without having made up their mind about which products to buy specifically… they only have a general idea about the category, the mission or the budget,” reveals m1nd-set.

 

“This opens up huge possibilities to engage with undecided shoppers inside the store. Therefore, make sure your products stand out on the shelves, introduce in-store elements (e.g. gondolas and digital touch points) to ensure that their uniqueness/exclusivity /value are highly visible in order to make them most likely to be chosen.”

 

Around half of travellers from the Asia Pacific region (53%) visit duty free shops and among them the vast majority end up purchasing something (81%).

 

Click to enlarge graphics.

 

M1nd-set also highlights that the majority of AsPac shoppers (62%), once again millennials in particular, do interact with sales staff before purchasing (53% globally). Among those who interacted with a member of sales staff, 65% were influenced to make a purchase (58% globally).

 

“In particular, they help undecided shoppers choose the right product and advise the shoppers on different alternatives,” insists m1nd-set.

 

Having a proactive sales team is therefore crucial in influencing a significant amount of undecided shoppers to make a purchase.

 

“The sales staff should be ready to help with relevant information, taking into account triggers to purchase (e.g. value, gift items, uniqueness and exclusivity).”

 

In a final conclusion, m1nd-set says that if behaviour of these AsPac shoppers remains the same, there is a huge opportunity to convert undecided shoppers into future planners and make sure that certain brands or products are being considered before a traveller leaves their house.

 

“It is therefore extremely important to adapt pre-trip touchpoints to the planning level. [This is] crucial to enhance the pre-trip engagement by communicating