Clarisse Daniels: harnessing the ‘3Ds’ is vital as the world evolves.

Adaptation, innovation – and a focused ‘3D’ model – all have a crucial role to play within Whyte & Mackay’s growth strategy for travel retail.

Speaking on the “Expanding the Revenue Opportunity: Pathways to Unlocking Retail Performance” panel at the 2025 APTRA India Conference, Whyte & Mackay Regional Director Travel Retail EMEIA & Americas Clarisse Daniels delivered a powerful message about the importance of adapting in order to attract and convert high value consumers.

Whyte & Mackay: in praise of ‘Plan D’

At the heart of her insights was Whyte & Mackay’s 3D model, centred around being Desirable, Distinctive and Differentiated – a formula designed to attract high-value shoppers and deliver on the true meaning of luxury.

“This 3D approach keeps us focused on the metrics that matter, and gives us the courage to embrace new directions,” Daniels explained. “By sticking to our ‘Plan D’, we are confident that together we can deliver incremental category sales of US$2bn to GTR over the next five years.”

Whyte & Mackay’s definition of ultimate luxury is centred around two key elements: time and space. “The luxury shopper should feel privileged, not overwhelmed,” Daniels underlined, adding that making the best use of a traveller’s precious time, by harnessing the ‘3Ds’, is vital as the world evolves.

A predicted increase in high value travelling consumers bodes well for the prestige liquor category, Whyte & Mackay believes.

“In order to stay relevant and flourish,” she noted, “we must adapt to attract and convert high value travelling consumers.” And Daniels shared plenty of data demonstrating the potential available to leverage. According to World Data Lab, in 2005 the world will add 11 million wealthy consumers this year – with significant disposable income to spend on travel. In her presentation, Daniels also highlighted how India alone will add 21 million affluent consumers in the next decade (source: World Data Lab).

Importantly, Daniels noted the key role Brand Ambassadors play within Whyte & Mackay’s GTR strategy, and how the right sales advisors are uniquely placed to build lasting – and lucrative – relationships with travelling consumers. “By applying human emotional intelligence to our 3D model, we attract and convert high value shoppers,” she explained.

In the APTRA panel discussion, Daniels also addressed how to optimise the commercial performance of the prestige liquor category specifically.

Daniels concluded: “For future success, understanding the needs of the next generation – especially younger consumers who are making single malt Scotch their first entry into whisky – is vital. And to fully exploit all prestige opportunities and optimise commercial performance, we must continue to adapt in order to attract and convert a richer population.”

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