Travel Retail’s Front Line: Is It Failing? Steve Hillam, MD Pi Insight On How We Can Optimise Staff Interactions
5 minutes read
Introduction by: Peter Marshall
Some of the findings and charts featured here from highly respected travel retail research agency Pi Insight are of real concern and may well surprise you. The crunch chart shows that 2 in every 5 (40%) of shoppers are NOT being positively influenced by staff. That rates only as an average to poor C.
This important article determines that there is still a real opportunity to drive sales, promote brand trial and increase the overall basket spend and clearly sets out 5 key themes that will help. Essentially, travel retailers should shift the narrative.
Purchase decisions in Travel Retail are influenced by a unique mix of emotional, situational, and practical factors. Everything from a traveller’s reason for flying, who they’re with, how much time they have, and even their mood on the day can impact what they buy, how much they spend and how they behave in-store. Add to that the layout of the store, how clearly prices are displayed, current promotions, and the wide range of products on offer, and it’s easy to see just how complex the decision-making process is, but also just how open to influence today’s shopper can be.
That’s where store staff come in. Often seen as the front line of the Travel Retail experience, store staff shape the shopper journey from the moment travellers walk into the store. In a busy, unfamiliar environment, and often under time pressure, shoppers rely on staff not just to point them in the right direction, but to guide, recommend, and reassure. Whether it’s highlighting a great offer, helping someone find the perfect gift, or simply answering questions, staff play a vital role in turning browsers into buyers, and influencing the purchase decision making process.
That said, according to data from Travel Retail insights specialist, Pi Insight, today’s Travel Retail shopper is continuing to evolve and so are their expectations of store staff. Stakeholders, therefore, potentially need to ‘reframe’ the perception & role of the shop floor team if the true staff influence potential is to be realised.
Staff Interaction
Currently, we see 46% of Global Duty Free shoppers interacting with staff, with this increasing among certain nationalities, such as Indian, Malaysian and Brazilian, but then decreasing among others, such as Turkish, British and German.
Interaction in Duty Free is driven by many factors, but store navigation and ease of shop are key. Staff play a vital role in helping travellers find their way through what can feel like a large, busy, and unfamiliar space, especially when time is tight. A quick pointer to the right section or help finding a specific product can make all the difference. Just as important is explaining pricing and promotions. Staff who can clearly highlight savings, suggest the best deals, and explain allowances not only build trust but also boost conversion.
However, alongside these factors today’s shopper is increasingly looking for advice. Advice on specific, new or differentiated products, advice on brands, advice on use-cases and occasions, and of course, advice in the form of recommendations. And what’s more, they expect this advice to be from a place of real experience and understanding of a specific product, brand or range, based on real-life interactions.
Staff Influence
There’s no question that staff need to support shoppers with the basics, like helping them find products in the store. After all, deep product knowledge isn’t much use if they cannot locate the item. But it’s possible that too much focus is being placed on this part of the role.
Right now, we see that 61% of shoppers who interact with staff feel positively influenced. This is a solid number, but it also shows there’s significant room to improve. After all, with 2 in every 5 shoppers engaging with staff not being positively influenced, there is the potential that a significant opportunity for driving trade-up, promoting brand trial, or increasing overall basket spend is being missed.
And this especially the case in certain categories like Luxury or among certain nationalities such as Indian and Emirati, where staff impact drops even further, there’s a clear opportunity to make those interactions more effective during the purchase decision process.
A Growing Demand for the Retail Consultant
At Pi Insight, we’ve run plenty of studies looking at how shoppers interact with staff, what they expect, what they value, and what they’d like to see more of in the future. Most importantly, we’ve been exploring how staff influence can be strengthened.
While many of the key themes are already being put into practice in stores around the world, there’s still room to go further and unlock even more impact from those staff-shopper interactions. Here are five key themes that shoppers would like to see more of when it comes to that staff interaction:
- Deeper Product Knowledge
As mentioned earlier, shoppers are increasingly looking for staff to call on real world experience to assist them with their purchase decision. Staff should therefore be equipped with in-depth knowledge of key categories, brands, and product stories—especially in high-value segments. When staff can confidently explain the difference between a single malt and a blended whisky or recommend a skincare product based on skin type, they’re seen as trusted advisors, not just salespeople.
- Occasion Specific Advice
Shoppers are interested in staff being able to support them based on their current situation. Staff should therefore be provided with insights into traveller profiles, best-sellers, and current promotions so they can tailor their recommendations based on the shoppers’ needs on that individual occasion. It does not need to be complex, just adapted to particular scenarios, such as: “This is our most popular fragrance with female business travellers,” or “This pack offers the best value if you’re buying for the family.”
- Experience Enhancers
Shoppers are increasingly interested in shifting the narrative from “helping you find things” to “helping you discover better things”, with staff sharing tips, product hacks, or usage ideas—like cocktail recipes for a spirit or layering techniques for a fragrance. Shoppers are interested in engaging with category experts, like brand ambassadors, but category-wide with knowledge across multiple brands and product lines.
- Consultative Approach
Shoppers are also interested in a more consultative approach to their interactions, with staff asking open-ended questions, such as “Are you shopping for yourself or a gift?” or “What kind of flavours do you usually enjoy?”. They do not want their specific occasion or requirement to be shoe-horned into an existing, one-size fits all sales pitch, they want it to be personalised to their exact needs.
- Storytelling, Not Just Sales
Shoppers, particularly the younger generations, want to feel an affinity to their brand or product they buy, and staff have the potential to be a major part of creating this experience. Shoppers want staff to be trained to share the unique stories behind products, their origins, craftsmanship, exclusivity, etc. to add emotion and value, making purchases feel more meaningful.
As today’s Travel Retail shopper continues to evolve and becomes ever more discerning and selective, the role of store staff needs to shift from just assisting to truly advising. Yes, helping with directions and basic questions is still important, but travellers now want more. They’re looking for knowledgeable, personalised interactions from people who really understand the products and can make relevant recommendations.
With only 61% of staff interactions currently seen as positively influential, there’s a clear opportunity for staff interactions to be further optimised and by giving staff the tools to offer real advice, tell brand stories, and tailor their approach, their role can evolve into trusted retail consultants – what customers are expecting today – not just sales assistants.
