M1nd-set Travel Retail Research Director, Clara Susset tells TRBusiness that the company is evolving its methods of research gathering for clients in travel retail, placing further emphasis on the value of each consumer touchpoint, relative to the investment those companies make on attracting the attention of travellers. 

 

Over many years m1nd-set has conducted extensive studies on consumer touchpoints –throughout the customer journey, including at the time a customer books their trip – helping airports, brands and retailers map out their marketing/advertising strategies.

 

However, as Susset reveals, in the past some companies have found it hard to find the insight actionable as the cost involved in grabbing the attention of consumers at up to 50 different touchpoints was considered too high.

 

“So we identified that there is actually a lot of interaction between some of the different touchpoints, meaning that consumers that use one touchpoint might very well use many others. So we then looked at how you could optimise the combination of those touchpoints…[reducing] the number of touchpoints overall but maximising the number of people you interact with. We then added another layer on that, by understanding how the budget is allocated to those different touchpoints.

 

MAXIMISING ROI FOR TRAVEL RETAIL CLIENTS

“For example you might have a touchpoint which allows you to reach 10% more people, which might sound amazing, but then you realise its costing you triple your budget. So why not focus on another touchpoint, which perhaps has a smaller increase in the reach, but it much more affordable. So really our aim for our clients in travel retail is to, especially brands, help them receive the best ROI.”

 

 

Susset also talks about the importance of the new Travel Retail Award category – Best Green Initiative at an Airport and the priority that their clients are placing on sustainability (skip to 03.25).

 

“Many of our clients in confectionery and beauty are particularly concerned about this because it is firstly very important to their organisation, but also because it is an expectation of travellers.

 

“We’ve been doing a lot of research on the impact of these aspects on decision-making [in duty free shops]. There is first of all a concern about the environment in general and the need for consumers to feel like they are buying something which is environmentally responsible, but also concern about health and the types of products they are consuming.

 

“One thing we noticed with business travellers is that they tend to be tired. They haven’t eaten well, they are jet-lagged, they are travelling a lot, so when they choose to recharge, they also want to feel good about themselves.

 

Skip to 05.40 to hear more about m1nd-set ‘s daigou research and its studies on areas of the business outside of airports, including the cruise & ferry channel. Susset also talks about the development of commercial zones at airports and other travel retail locations where retail and F&B are becoming increasingly more integrated.