Passenger traffic in the Middle East posted modest growth of +2% in Q4 2017, according to the Duty Free World Council’s (DFWC) Quarterly Global Shopping Monitor produced by m1nd-set.

Asia Pacific (+12%) displayed the most encouraging growth, followed by Europe (+8%), North America (+7%), and Latin America and Africa (both +6%), reveals the monitor, which covers inbound, outbound and intra-regional traffic patterns.

The latest results embed for the first time this new element: air traffic benchmarking from m1nd-set’s forecast partner IATA.

SATISFACTION IMPROVEMENTS ‘MODERATE’

Overall satisfaction levels among global shoppers have increased ‘moderately’ during the quarter year-on-year.

A one percent increase in this variable can be attributed to Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East, while the Americas reported ‘stagnant’ satisfaction levels during the same period.

Notwithstanding these observations, travellers view duty free shopping as an important ‘part of the travel experience’ (46%); a ‘great place to purchase gifts’ (41%); a ‘great place to buy new brands’ (30%); and an area for ‘exclusive and unique products’ (29%).

Elsewhere, the percentage of shoppers purchasing for gifting increased by 3% on the previous quarter due to seasonal factors.

PRICE COMPARISON ANALYSIS

Also new to the DFWC monitor is a segment analysis of shoppers that price compare.

On average, 54% compare prices, primarily with downtown stores (22%), with airport shops (20%) and online (12%).

Unsurprisingly, millennials compare most with other shops, with 69% saying they compare prices, while 50% of middle-aged travellers compare and 37% of senior travellers browse for deals.

Breaking down the data, ‘inspiration seekers’ emerge as the main customer segment that compares prices most frequently, with more than seven out of 10 choosing to do so.

This compares to ‘conventional deal seekers’ and ‘rational stock-up shoppers’, six out of 10 shoppers of which compare prices.

*The DFWC quarterly KPI monitor is assembled from more than 4,000 face-to-face interviews with international travellers at airports across the globe’s major regions during Q4.

Fieldwork and analysis undertaken in December.

All images courtesy of m1nd-set/DFWC.