subject: Duty Free Prices : Just The Beginning [print this page] . The research showed that travellers originating from the Asia Region typically begin their holiday by purchasing highly desirable goods in airport duty free stores. Running through eleven countries with a response of over 2,200 people, the analysis found that 43% of respondents purchased items from duty free shops on their last international trip with an average spend of over $200.
It was identified that duty free shopping was most popular amongst Japanese and South Korean holiday makers, while South Koreans were also the largest spenders, with an average spend of over $350. With only 49% of Chinese stating that they had purchased duty free, it was a surprise to find that they were the second biggest spenders, averaging $333. Additionally, travellers between the ages of 18 and 29 were found to be the more likely to purchase duty-free goods than those aged over 30 (41%). In respect to overall budget allowances for their international excursions, respondents from New Zealand were found to have the largest travel budgets in the region, with an average spend of $5,588 and more than one-quarter of New Zealanders spend more than $7,000.
The trend for increasing consumer spending on duty free is going against the grain of accepted consumer behaviour during recessionary times. This is due to various factors, with the key being price. The leaders in innovative duty free business practices have produced ever evolving products and services that represent real value, providing a large range of luxury and exclusive items that are exempt from custom duties and taxes. To make the process of purchasing as easy and pleasant as possible, leading chains have implemented various schemes such as ready for collection services, allowing the traveller to browse and purchase the shop's offerings online and collect them as they depart.
A leading New Zealand duty free chain has gone even further and partnered with Air New Zealand to provide an online experience second to none, with over 1,500 products on offer. Not only will a price guarantee be in place, providing peace of mind to your purchases, but monthly specials will also be offered with the ability of purchasers to qualify for Airpoints Dollars on those purchases. The website offers customers direct access to the store, so they may browse from the comfort of their hotel rooms or motor homes. This evolution in service provision is only set to continue... so with low prices just the beginning to your duty free experience, whats holding you back?
