She reaches into the plastic tray, takes out her handbag and slings it over her shoulder. She hoists her bright orange case off the conveyor belt and places it on the ground. She extends the handle, takes a breath and then walks away from the queue, towards the gleaming logos. Louis Vuitton. Gucci. Hermès. As the lights from the displays fall upon her features, her scowl softens, relaxes, and slowly turns into a smile. Her eyes widen. She raises herself up to the tips of her toes, very briefly. She lets out a six-year-old’s chuckle. And then, quietly, her smile now a grin, she whispers a triumphant “Yes!” before dashing into the first shop.
I have no doubt that marketeers and advertisers have spent – and continue to spend – hundreds of thousands of pounds on research designed to discover exactly what makes us part with our cash before we jump on a flight. But unsurprisingly, they tend not to make their findings public: they don’t wish to reveal all their hard-earned secrets. That said, there is some info out there for those willing to seek it out – much of it anecdotal – and it certainly raises intriguing ideas about why so many of us seem to find it easy to spend sums of money which we’d never allow ourselves to spend outside the highly structured, ritualised experience of going from baggage check-in to passport control to X-ray machine to departure lounge.
Whatever the reasons, we spend a great deal of money on perfume when we pass through airports. In fact, many brands consider travel retail to be crucial to their continued success. Recent surveys published by The Moodie Report indicate that fragrances and cosmetics are consistently in the top 2 spending categories at countless airports around the world. Their popularity is second only to that of alcoholic drinks. What’s more interesting is that the majority of us make impulse buys at airports. Indeed, according to another Moodie Report article, 67% of Chinese shoppers claim that the purchases they make at Duty Free shops are unplanned. In the face of the stats, it’s difficult to deny that when we travel, we like to spend our cash on perfume and we like to be spontaneous.
However, change is afoot. If Abu Dhabi Airport is a sign of things to come, the idle wander through Duty Free could soon become more enticing than it ever was before. The perfume section at Terminal 2 was recently refurbished and now, alongside the usual clutch of Diors, Chanels, D&Gs, Versaces and Paco Rabannes, it features a bone fide niche enclave. It’s not huge, but it’s very pointedly set apart from the rest of the stock and its design aspires to that most lucrative of current labels: luxury. The list of brands it stocks would no doubt fuel a debate amongst impassioned scentusiasts, but at least it’s indisputably non-mainstream: it currently features Diptyque, Penhaligon’s, The Different Company and – don’t shoot the messenger – By Kilian and Bond No 9. Some of these have never ventured into the world of travel retail. Apparently, more are in the pipeline.
[With thanks to Rebecca Mann and Victoria Bowskill of The Moodie Report.]
I too like to see which perfumes are available at Duty Free whenever I'm travelling. It is fascinating to see which perfumes have been selected and how they are presented. I can't help thinking that the bright lights and heat are less than ideal for keeping perfume in optimum condition so I don't buy either.
cheerio, Anna in Edinburgh
Anna, thanks for stopping by.
I know what you mean about the bright lights, but I think stock at airports moves fairly quickly, so I wouldn't worry about that too much. That said, it isn't always easy to find something on which you actually want to spend your cash!
Well, there was a display of Serge Lutens export line in Beirut duty free with a considerable price decrease. Naturally I stocked up – perhaps the first time I bought perfume for myself from an airport.
Anon, lucky you! 🙂 I hope you managed to pick up some of your favourites.