The analysis draws on a decade of shopper insights from m1nd-set’s Business Intelligence Service (BIS), covering 2016 through the first half of 2026. It tracks value, in-store experience, brands, exclusives, promotions, price comparison, digital marketing and sales staff influence.
Value declines as brand availability gains importance
The share of global travel retail shoppers identifying value as a purchase driver fell from 74% in 2016 to 50% in the first half of 2026. In-store experience influenced 62% of shoppers in 2016, declined around the pandemic period and recovered to 54% in 2026.
Promotional purchasing also changed over the period. The share of shoppers buying on promotion increased from 54% in 2016 to 68% in 2022, during the post-pandemic recovery. By the first half of 2026, it had fallen to 47%.
Price comparison followed a different trajectory, increasing from 60% in 2016 to 65% in 2026. The indicator experienced sharp fluctuations during and after the pandemic years.
Digital marketing and sales staff influence
Awareness of digital and in-terminal marketing touchpoints fluctuated over the decade. It fell to 14% in 2020, rose sharply afterwards and reached 31% in the first half of 2026.
Interaction with sales staff remained close to its 2016 level of 57%, reaching 56% in the first half of 2026. However, their influence on purchase decisions increased. In 2026, 75% of shoppers who interacted with sales staff said those interactions positively affected their final purchase decision, compared with 63% ten years earlier.
Commenting on the findings, Dr Peter Mohn, CEO and owner of m1nd-set, said: “Ten years ago value was by far the main reason people bought in duty free. Today it still matters, but it is no longer as important. Shoppers are influenced by a much wider set of factors, such as the quality of the store environment, the strength of the brands on offer, the ability to check prices, and the advice of sales staff. Stakeholders must no longer treat value as the only lever.”
Mohn added: “The gaps that characterised shopper behaviour in 2016 have closed considerably. Whichever world region a traveller is from, their expectations on the shop floor are now much more consistent. This means that marketing, merchandising and staff training can no longer assume large regional differences in the weight given to value, experience or brand. The same core elements matter across the board, even if local nuances remain.”
Regional differences in staff interaction narrow
Regional patterns in sales staff interaction and influence have also converged, leaving relatively modest differences between markets. Before the pandemic, travellers from Asia Pacific and the Middle East and Africa interacted with staff more frequently.
Travellers from the Americas generally interacted less often, apart from a brief peak during the 2021–2022 COVID-19 recovery period. European travellers tended to interact least frequently.
By the first half of 2026, interaction rates had converged across regions, reaching the low-to-mid-50% range. Staff influence remained broadly consistent across world regions over the decade, with only minor variations. By 2026, the positive impact of staff interactions had converged at approximately 75% across all regions.
Mohn said: “A helpful, well-informed assistant still makes a measurable difference. Even as price comparison becomes commonplace and digital messaging reaches more travellers, engagement with sales staff is more effective than it was a decade ago. Investing in staff knowledge and relevance is not a soft option; the insights show that sales teams directly impact conversion.”
Multiple factors shape shopper behaviour
According to m1nd-set, global duty-free shoppers now respond to several factors rather than one or two dominant drivers. Their behaviour also shows greater consistency across regions than at any point during the past decade.
Mohn said: “The challenge for the industry is to ensure that shoppers understand the value of the duty free offer, they discover an in-store experience that is truly engaging, and they find brands they recognise and trust. It’s equally important that digital touch points are visible to travellers before and during their journey, and that staff are able to guide shoppers in their purchase decision.”
He continued: “Shopper behaviour previously differed quite broadly across world regions but is now much more aligned in several key areas. Marketing, store layout and training programmes need to reflect this reality while still allowing for differences between individual shoppers and markets.
Tags: Dr Peter Mohn, m1nd-set
