Millennials represent approximately 40% of the traveller base across all regions and recorded the strongest overall performance among the age groups examined. They generated a global average spend of US$142 and a conversion rate of 67%.
The research also identified differences between shoppers who seek product discovery and those who plan specific purchases before travelling. Younger travellers displayed a stronger interest in discovering new products, with 67% of Gen Z shoppers and 65% of Millennials making first-time purchases in duty-free stores.
However, m1nd-set reported significant regional variations in these purchasing patterns. Younger travel retail generations also showed high levels of digital engagement, with 59% of both Gen Z and Millennials checking prices during their journeys, mainly through online sources.
Boomers were the most specific purchase planners globally. According to the findings, 31% already knew the exact brand and product they intended to purchase before entering a store.
By comparison, Gen Z and Gen X recorded the highest levels of impulse purchasing. In each group, 32% of shoppers made spontaneous purchases inside travel retail stores.
Category preferences also varied between generations. Boomers showed a stronger preference for alcohol, which accounted for 28% of purchases, and tobacco, at 23%.
Gen Z shoppers demonstrated the strongest interest in food, at 42%, while Millennials led beauty purchases, at 56%.
Peter Mohn, CEO and owner of m1nd-set, said: “Understanding generational differences in shopper behaviour is critical for travel retail stakeholders to optimise engagement with an increasingly diverse multi-generational travelling public,” Mohn said. “By moving beyond one-size-fits-all strategies and effectively engaging a diverse, global customer base, retailers can remove purchase barriers and optimise revenues across different regional markets”.
Mohn also cautioned against applying global travel retail generations trends uniformly across individual markets.
“It is important to highlight the fact that global trends do not always reflect what happens in individual regions,” Mohn explained. “While Millennials are the highest spenders worldwide, older travellers spend more than younger generations in Asia Pacific, underlining the need to adapt retail marketing strategies to regional dynamics” Mohn added. “In Asia Pacific for example, Gen X shoppers lead with US$154 average spend, followed by Boomers ($138) who outspend both Gen Z ($135) and Millennials ($132). In the Africa and Middle East region on the other hand, we see the highest average spend for Gen Z shoppers at $164.”
The research found that human interaction remains an important conversion factor, particularly among younger travellers. Millennials recorded a staff interaction rate of 56%, while Gen Z followed at 54%
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Among shoppers in both age groups who interacted with staff, 76% said the interaction directly influenced their final purchase decision.
The findings also highlighted barriers that can prevent travellers from visiting stores or completing purchases. Convenience and limited time represented the main obstacles to store visits globally, cited by 40% of respondents.
Boomers were particularly affected by these factors, with 45% identifying convenience and time as barriers. Once travellers entered a store, product assortment became the main obstacle to purchasing, cited by 49% of shoppers.
Price and promotions followed at 45%. Millennials showed the highest sensitivity to product variety, with 50% identifying assortment as a barrier.
Meanwhile, Gen Z shoppers were the most likely to leave without purchasing because of higher prices or insufficient promotional offers.
Mohn said: “As generational profiles continue to evolve across regional markets, understanding local generational differences and responding to age-specific shopper expectations is becoming as important as nationality or category-specific marketing.”
He continued: “Given their higher conversion rates, a pronounced appetite for discovery, and a stronger reliance on personal staff interaction,” Mohn continued “Millennial and Gen Z travellers emerge as the primary engine for industry growth. Their more exploratory approach and reliance on online price comparison will require travel retail stakeholders to reassess how they engage with their most active shoppers.”
Mohn concluded: “Stakeholders need to move beyond broad demographics, taking into consideration these agespecific nuances, to deliver tailored value propositions that resonate with the unique behaviours of every traveller,” Mohn concluded.
Tags: Peter Mohn m1nd-set
