Confectionery boosts travel retail footfall

Confectionery plays a vital role for duty free and travel retail operators as it drives footfall to other categories, new research suggests.

Half of confectionery buyers surveyed by Tax Free World Association (TFWA) bought something other than their regular product and of these, a third bought an occasional product and 17% bought a product for the first time. This means, according to TFWA, that the duty free and travel retail sector offers a valuable opportunity to any brand looking to raise awareness or break into a new market.

Confectionery has one of the highest levels of conversion within duty free and travel retail, with nearly half (49%) of visitors to the confectionery offer going on to make a purchase. In total, three in ten airport shoppers visit confectionery and 15% spend. The study, TFWA adds, also underscores the category’s importance as a driver of footfall to other duty free and travel retail categories.

Over a third of confectionery buyers purchased confectionery as a gift, higher than any other category other than watches and jewellery. Confectionery buying is also the most impulse driven, with almost two thirds of shoppers buying on impulse, significantly higher than the average across all product categories (41%).

Over half (54%) of travellers questioned said they would be tempted to buy a product that was a souvenir or was unique to the country they visited. In a channel where ‘creating a sense of place’ is often an objective, this is an additional strength of the confectionery sector, where brands have developed inventive packaging and products that reflect the place or region in which they are purchased.

“Confectionery makes the ideal gift or souvenir, it’s a great way to capture the attention of shoppers, and it therefore has a vital role to play for duty free and travel retail operators,” explains TFWA president Erik Juul-Mortensen.

“There is little doubt that duty free and travel retail will continue to provide an opportunity for newcomers to a particular market as well as the established leading brands.”

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