Airport retail: Why the passenger experience is becoming a key success factor for brands
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What factors contribute to a retail location’s success? For the longest time, the answer was: location, footfall and visibility. Today, another question is becoming more important: at what moment do customers encounter a brand?
Especially at the airport, this moment makes all the difference. Travellers have time on their hands, are in a particular frame of mind and are open to new experiences. This creates a significantly different environment than traditional high-street or shopping centre retail.
When the journey becomes part of the brand experience
Thus, at Düsseldorf Airport, retail is seen as an integral part of the overall passenger journey. The more pleasant the experience, the greater the willingness to discover new brands, be inspired and take advantage of offers.
To enhance this unique quality of experience further, the airport is continually investing in the optimisation of processes, passenger areas and services. Measures, such as the digitalisation of check-in and baggage drop-off processes contribute to making travelling more comfortable. At the same time, passengers are given more time throughout their journey.
This is a decisive advantage for fashion and lifestyle brands: the brand is not only experienced at the point of sale, but as part of a positive travel experience.
More than just retail space
At the same time, airport retail comes with particular challenges. That is why Düsseldorf Airport sees itself as more than a landlord; much rather, it is a partner to its brands. The Commercial Team supports concepts from the initial idea, through to implementation and right up to ongoing operations. In the process, it provides airport-specific know-how, operational expertise and joint marketing.
21 million opportunities for brand engagement
With about 21 million passengers a year, Düsseldorf Airport offers access to an international audience. Meanwhile, established brands such as Victoria’s Secret, Marc O’Polo and My Jewellery create a high-quality retail environment.
This reputation is also recognised internationally: accolades, such as the recent Skytrax Awards, underscore the quality of the passenger experience and the location’s appeal.
Therefore, for brands today, the question is not just where they want to have a presence, but also at which moment they are experienced.
Düsseldorf Airport combines reach, quality of stay and partnership to create an environment in which travellers can become customers – and that is precisely where the strength of modern airport retail lies.