Barbara Wold, International Speaker, Author and Business Strategist, opened the second executive conference session on day two of the Summit of the Americas in Orlando.

Speakers explored the needs and shopping behaviour of millennial travellers – as well as those from other generations – living in the Americas, at the second executive conference session on day two of the duty free and travel retail Summit of the Americas in Orlando.

The importance of millennials in particular has prompted companies such as Travel Blue to launch new brands in an attempt to more effectively connect with them in duty free & travel retail.

As reported, the new Travel Blue brand will be launched at the TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition and Conference in Singapore this May (Basement 2, Stand G1) and will include a range of Bluetooth headphones, cables, power banks and adaptors.

Opening yesterday morning’s conference session, Barbara Wold, International Speaker, Author and Business Strategist, said: “When it comes to millennials and what is going on in the business and travel industry, you have to be aware of what is going on around you and absorb and take it all in.”

CONSISTENCY IS KEY

Millennials are ‘very’ interested in the experience and want it to be consistent, according to Wold. “They are looking for impeccable service and experiences, but you need to get to know the millennial first.”

Wold added: “Millennials are more interested in culture than they are to party. They are keen to know what is going on and want to create their own experience.”

Offering a DF&TR perspective, she said: “Millennials are not going to the mall, but are travelling. This is where duty free and travel retail has a chance.”

Peter Mohn, CEO & Co-Owner, m1nd-set and Anna Marchesini, Project Manager, m1nd-set present insights on the travel retail shopping behaviour and expectations of the different generations in the Americas.

The role played by staff in making millennials feel as comfortable as possible in an airport environment must not be underestimated. “Millennials want knowledgeable sales people who know what they are selling. The merchandise can be fabulous, but if it is the wrong staff it doesn’t work,” emphasised Wold.

Travellers passing through airports, “want to come across personnel who think on their feet.”

WHAT ABOUT KIDS?

She explained: “When travellers ask for recommendations, they expect anyone working in any airport store to know the airport well.”

Wold also emphasises that the focus should not just be on millennials, but other age groups that still exist. “Children in the United States, for example, either purchase or influence the purchase element to the tune of $650bn.”

Summing up, Wold says millennials want to be around other people, plugged in and for people to have fun around them. She concluded: “It’s amazing how things are changing today. You have to change your mode of thinking to think about millennials. The most important thing is the experience they have.”

Confectionery is the top category purchased among millennials in DF&TR, according to the study.

AMERICAS SHOPPING BEHAVIOUR

Next on stage was Peter Mohn, CEO & Co-Owner, m1nd-set and Anna Marchesini, Project Manager, m1nd-set, who presented insights on the behaviour and expectations of travel retail shoppers (from the Americas), segmented by generation.

Mohn, who revealed international passenger numbers in the Americas (departures and arrivals) amounted to 487.87m in 2018 and that air traffic rose +5.6% compared to the year before said: “In 2020, we expect to hit over 500m international departures and arrivals in the Americas and 915m in 2034.”

In terms of DF&TR shopping behaviour in the region, m1nd-set has drawn from its database of 500,000 international travellers representing more than 100 nationalities worldwide.

According to the m1nd-set study, 38% of millennials in the Americas visit duty free shops to look for promotions.

Marchesini said: “Millennials are not only driven by price and value-related aspects – a specific characteristic of American shoppers – but want to kill time and actually be surprised. They do not have a specific mission.”

She added: “When it comes to purchasing, millennials want to find something that is different and unavailable in their own country, but exclusive to duty free. This comes before finding a good deal and promotions.”

While 38% of millennials cited promotions as the main reason for visiting duty free shops, 33% suggested the opportunity to browse around influenced their decision to do so.

In addition, 26% of passengers felt spending time in duty free shops gave them the chance to kill time before flights.

More to follow….