The panel of influencers who took part in judging the 2023 Global Travel Retail Awards have shared valuable insights into what motivates them to shop in duty free and travel retail, ahead of TRBusiness and m1nd-set revealing the final results at the awards ceremony in Cannes on 3 October.

When asked what inspires them to visit a duty free shop, the lure of eye-catching pop-ups and the opportunity to sample products are factors that were frequently mentioned.

In terms of what makes a product stand out, the panel cited sustainable credentials, including an economical use of packaging (including using less plastic) as a top consideration. Add to that value for money, price, and being able to discover new items they usually wouldn’t find elsewhere.

Factors contributing to making the shopping experience enjoyable, according to the panel, includes having a broad variety under one roof and soaking up the glamour of being in a luxury brand environment – although having more accessible high-street brands available as part of the mix, was an additional point raised.

Please watch the first in our series of exclusive Travel Retail Awards influencer videos below to discover what they had to say. More videos will be revealed in the coming weeks, including during the glamorous awards ceremony in Cannes on 3 October.

Early bird tickets, priced at a special rate, are available for a limited time only – until 31 August! Prices start at £276 (inc VAT) for a single ticket. Simply click the button above to secure your early bird tickets before they’re gone.

The travel retail industry’s only consumer-voted awards programme

Organised by TRBusiness and m1nd-set, the Travel Retail Awards is the duty free and travel retail industry’s only awards programme that’s voted for entirely by consumers.

The finalists were announced on 1 August 2023. Please click the button below to view the list in full.

The Travel Retail Awards are assessed by 5,000 consumer judges sourced from m1nd-set’s unique database of international travelling consumers, as well as our panel of influencers with a combined following of more than one million.

Members of the influencer panel have the added benefit of experiencing the product entries first-hand at our judging weekend in London, which took place in June.

As well as submitting their scores, on a range of criteria, which are allocated using a 10 point scale, the influencer panel is providing personalised, written feedback on each and every entry, which is collated and delivered directly to the entrants.

This valuable feedback can be utilised to further refine products, or the approach to promotions and initiatives moving forward, for even greater success.

The votes from our influencer panel represents 20% of the total score. The remaining 80% comes from the 5,000 consumers sourced from m1nd-set’s unique database – each of whom have travelled through an airport within the past six months. Please see below for a helpful video explainer…

The grand awards ceremony, at which the Highly Recommended and Winner accolades will be announced, is taking place on 3 October in Cannes at Hôtel Martinez to coincide with the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference.

Early bird tickets are available until 31 August 2023. Standard ticket pricing will apply thereafter.

We are looking forward to hosting you for an evening to remember. Simply click the button below to secure your place.

READ MORE: What it means to be a Travel Retail Awards winner

VIDEO: Watch the highlights of the 2022 Global Travel Retail Awards

To find out more, visit www.travelretailawards.com.

Thank you to our event partners.