MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA: M1ND-SET CONSUMER PROFILE


regions tended to spend quite a lot of time at the airport before departure, which offered retailers a great opportunity to engage with them through activations inside and outside the stores. “It Is worth highlighting that ‘Local


Are travel retailers in the Middle East, such as Bahrain Duty Free (pictured above) offering enough local products?


“Considering the significant amount of undecided shoppers (those who plan only generally), the sales staff should be ready to help with relevant information, taking into account triggers to purchase (e.g. value, gift items, uniqueness and exclusivity) to have a greater impact on decision making.”


Anna Marchesini, m1nd-set


any type of product in duty free stores than the global average. “However, we would like to


highlight that 79% will still be willing to test/try products,” continues Marchesini. While research undertaken in


June offers valuable insights about the behaviour we can expect from Middle East and African travellers in the future, once international travel resumes on a meaningful level we may see some pre-Covid trends resurfacing too. To put the post-Covid data in


perspective, m1nd-set also provided some information on Middle East


and African travellers from 2019, when traffic volumes had yet to be affected. According to m1nd-set’s research undertaken in November 2019, four out of 10 travellers from Middle East/Africa did visit duty free shops and among them the majority ended up purchasing something. This means that the region had


enjoyed moderate footfall yet high conversion rates pre-Covid and could well enjoy these again in the future, once international travel returns to 2019 levels.


Gift seekers Travellers from the Middle East and Africa, pre-Covid, tended to be mostly male, middle aged, (41 years old on average). However, a good share of travellers from the region were millennials. They tended to fly with ‘regular


airlines’ in economy class for leisure purposes. However, m1nd- set said that a considerable share of passengers also travelled for business, alone or with colleagues/ managers in business class. Pre-Covid, travellers from these


Staff interaction: Middle East and African shoppers


According to m1nd-set’s 2019 research, the majority of ME/African shoppers (57%) interacted with sales staff before purchasing (higher vs global average – 51%). However, among them, only 40% of purchases were influenced by the staff (the global share is 55%) “This finding should ring a bell as


it highlights the strong necessity to further train the sales staff given the difficulty to influence ME/African


26 TRBUSINESS


travellers,” says m1nd-set Project and Business Development Manager Anna Marchesini. “Considering the significant amount of undecided shoppers (those who plan only generally), the sales staff should be ready to help with relevant information, taking into account triggers to purchase (e.g. value, gift items, uniqueness and exclusivity) to have a greater impact on decision making.”


Touch Seekers’ were particularly representative among ME/African buyers [in 2019] especially because this was in line with ‘looking for a gift’ as the number one driver to visit,” adds Marchesini. “This means that they tended to seek authenticity and local products, including international products with a local touch.” “Travel retail is a very appealing


channel for them as it offers products which are unique and not available in the home country.” Interestingly, ME/African


travellers are more likely to shop across a number of categories than those from the Americas or Europe. They are most likely to shop for fragrances. It is clear that pre-Covid, the


majority (75%) of ME/African shoppers pre-planned their purchases in advance, at least to some extent. However, the majority (56%)


said they arrived at the duty free shop without having made up their mind about which products to buy specifically and only had a ‘general idea’ about the category, the motivation or the budget. «


*Fieldwork: 1-15 June 2020. Sample size: N=300 Middle Eastern/ African travellers who claimed to be willing to fly internationally again within the next 24 months, once travel bans are lifted.


M1nd-set: ME/African shoppers were keen to engage with sales staff instore in 2019.


NOVEMBER 2020


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