Duty free and travel retail the ideal platform for confectionery brands says study

A recent study from leading duty free and travel retail trade association Tax Free World Association (TFWA) has confirmed that the duty free and travel retail sector is a vital showcase for the aspiring confectionery brand. Half of confectionery buyers surveyed during the study 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 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 also underscores the category’s importance as a driver of footfall to other duty free and travel retail categories – a good reason for duty free retailers to give the category plenty of prominence in store. 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,” says 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.” The confectionery report, which is available as an exclusive benefit to TFWA members, is part of the TFWA Category Reports series, produced by Counter Intelligence Retail. It is based on approximately 1,000 shopper interviews conducted at four key airports across the globe. A minimum of 50% of the sample were duty free buyers. The full report is available as an exclusive benefit to TFWA members at www.tfwa.com.