Passengers in the Middle East are more prone to advertising messages during their journeys than travellers in other regions, insight from m1nd-set has revealed.

Effective ‘above the line’ advertising covering online, billboards at airports or in cities and in magazines explains why 43% of the region’s shoppers make a decision to purchase before heading to the airport, a *combined m1nd-set shopper insights and IATA current and forecast traffic data report reveals.

Meanwhile, ‘below the line’ methods such as promotional areas and sales advisors are an influencer on travellers, with 64% of those who engage with sales staff highlighting that as the reason for purchase.

Word of mouth advice and recommendations from friends and families is another important touchpoint.

BEAUTY RANKS TOP

Based on category insight, perfumes rates highest in terms of visits (52%) and purchases (45%), while the overall beauty category (combining make-up, skincare and perfumes) emerges top in the race to grasp the all-important share of the customer’s wallet (19%).

Souvenirs and confectionery also list in the top three for visits and purchasing, while wines and spirits feature in the top five in the categories at 23% and 21%, respectively.

Interestingly, electronics accounts for the highest average spend per passenger ($206) despite taking a lower share of the overall wallet (13%).

When it comes to shopping behaviours, 53% of buyers select promotions, 53% purchase unique duty free products and 62% opt to purchase something for the first time.

Self-purchases remain the most popular (47%), followed by gifting (36%), sharing (10%) and requests (7%).

MIDDLE EAST BOOM

M1nd-set’s analysis supports the trend towards healthy Middle East traffic growth witnessed over several years, with passenger numbers growing by 4.2% to reach over 232m in 2017, IATA states.

Forecast annual growth in the region’s aviation market of around +5% over the next two decades is expected to yield approximately 520m passengers flying to, from and within the Middle East by 2036.

Africa will also benefit from the predicted uptick in passenger numbers, with around 15 markets on the continent estimated to record annual growth of more than 7% over the next two decades.

M1nd-set Owner and CEO Peter Mohn comments: “The report clearly shows that the future is looking bright the for the Middle East, given the traffic forecasts for the region over the near future and long term.

“We have seen some interesting results with certain clients, where we have analysed the key shopping preferences, attitudes, average spend and communication touch points for the key nationalities in the region and helped them use the category specific analysis to increase penetration and conversion rates.

“We are currently in the process of conducting post marketing campaign research, where we analyse the physical, psychological and emotional paths to purchase to optimise future campaigns through a more comprehensive understanding of the key shopper profiles. This is producing some extremely interesting and actionable results.”

*Current and forecast traffic data via m1nd-set’s Business 1ntelligence Service.

Report based on 4,000 face-to-face interviews with passengers who have recently travelled through airports in the region.