Discover how to transform travelers into shoppers with innovative concepts, a spectacular assortment, and digital inspiration.
To create an unforgettable experience in travel retail today, it takes spectacular assortments, engaging activations, and a personalized approach. While there is passenger traffic and a captive audience at the airport, inspiration is necessary to drive footfall and conversion in the shop.
Not least due to technological advances and fierce online competition, people expect a much more exclusive experience in travel retail. Gebr. Heinemann CCO Inken Callsen stresses that this is precisely the company's strategic focus: “Our aim is to offer travelers so many exciting things that are out of the box, out of the ordinary, that we turn them into shoppers. We are and will continue to be primarily a brick-and-mortar store, and this is where we stay engaged with the consumer. We also aim to have a full digital journey. But what we are doing in travel retail is a physical experience – and a beautiful one.”
Sören Borch, Director Sales Experience & Excellence at Gebr. Heinemann, explains what this means in detail: “It is our ambition to continually push innovative concepts while offering the best mix of the Heinemann assortment in line with the passenger profiles and trends as well as best practice examples in the respective global markets.” With travel retail also facing intense price pressure from online competition and domestic markets, shoppers have high expectations for savings in duty free. “At the same time, we want to differentiate ourselves through our spectacular assortment with products that are among the most exclusive, trendiest, and rarest in our industry,” he adds. One example of this was the successful introduction of a pre-loved luxury concept onboard Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas in 2024.
Shoppers Should Be the Best Brand Ambassadors
Back in 2023, Gebr. Heinemann tested the first multisensory experience space at Copenhagen Airport. Thanks to this pilot for digital engagement, the company learned that experience should not be restricted, but felt throughout the whole shop. In the future, Heinemann shops will therefore feature “beacons” of inspiration in all categories. “The more multisensory an experience is, the more memorable it will be and the more it will contribute to unlocking the potential of further conversions and increasing the dwell time in our shops,” says Sören Borch. “We want shoppers to be our best brand ambassadors because they have had great experiences with us.” Digital motion and engagement screens literally play a significant part in achieving this aim. During the European Championship for soccer in the summer of 2024, they were set up in the Heinemann shops to allow travelers a chance to test their goalkeeping skills, while in December, passengers had the opportunity to compete against each other in a downhill race on a digital ski slope.
Another new development is designed to tickle travelers' taste buds and contribute to a memorable experience: the tasting trolley. Equipped with a fridge, the small mobile unit has been deployed at more than ten locations worldwide. This easy-to-handle promotional tool can be set up on the fly, giving shop staff the freedom to open products and invite travelers to try them. It is particularly beneficial for smaller locations where large supplier promotions are less frequent and helps to increase dwell time.
We want to differentiate ourselves through our spectacular assortment with products that are among the most exclusive, trendiest, and rarest in our industry.
Latest Additions to a Spectacular Assortment
Sören Borch underlines that Gebr. Heinemann works closely with its suppliers to offer a spectacular assortment, and then gives an overview of the latest additions: “We are really pushing ahead with niche fragrances and have opened dedicated spaces in our shop in the new Main Plaza at Vienna Airport as well as in Copenhagen. We will also be bringing this to Antalya Airport and on board the AROYA. An entirely new addition to the Beauty category is our wellness and health assortment, which we launched in Hamburg and Düsseldorf in September 2024, with other European locations to follow. In addition, we will add electronics as a new category at our Jeddah Airport location in 2025.”
There is another project that the Heinemann Sales Experience & Excellence team and Purchasing divisions are starting to roll out in 2025: Gebr. Heinemann's popular future-friendly assortment, which focuses on products with sustainable qualities, will become Responsible Choice. Instead of being presented on the familiar cross-category podiums, the products will be displayed in their respective categories and promoted with highlighters, electronic shelf labels, and special activations.
Spreading the Magic and Exciting Travelers
With their service attitude, expertise, and passion, the impressive Heinemann employees in the shops worldwide play a major role in turning travelers into shoppers. Creating spaces with an impact is also important: In 2024, Gebr. Heinemann and its brand partners have once again proven that they know how to transform a shop into an unforgettable experience for travelers with their striking activations. Eye-catching, immersive, and fun activations attracted people's attention and prolonged dwell time. One example was the Unleash Your Summer Self campaign by Sol de Janeiro, launched at Istanbul Airport by Unifree Duty Free and Gebr. Heinemann in cooperation with L'Occitane, featuring a pop-up in vibrant colors, exclusive products, and a DJ show. “One of the levers for the success of the promotion was the accompanying social media campaign, which increased our reach. This is a great way to let travelers know before their trip that it is worth getting to the airport early because something special is happening there,” reports Inken Callsen.
Loyalty Benefits Money Can't Buy: Heinemann x ME
As a valuable travel companion, Gebr. Heinemann inspires travelers along the entire consumer journey. The Heinemann app is the digital touchpoint for this, and one of its key components is the Heinemann x ME rewards program. At its launch in 2011, Gebr. Heinemann was the first company in international travel retail to develop such a personal rewards program, offering a wide variety of member privileges and services. Today, Heinemann x ME is available at 22 international airport locations and on 15 cruise liners. Benefits include early access to hot drops, exclusive product offers, discounts on hotels or car rentals, special vouchers, and prize draws for experiences money simply can't buy – such as the VIP meet and greets with Formula 1 driver Nico Hulkenberg at the 2024 grand prix in Melbourne and Zandvoort.
The weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix was won by a lucky couple from Germany, who were able to enjoy the event up close in the Paddock Club, the exclusive VIP area. This was topped off by personal meetings with Nico Hulkenberg, who gave them an insight into the training and race processes. Gebr. Heinemann has been a sponsor of the Formula 1 driver since 2023 and will expand the partnership with him in 2025. As an international ambassador, Nico Hulkenberg also generates a high reach for the Heinemann brand via his own social media channels and attracts thousands of new members to the Heinemann x ME rewards program.
Engaging with Travelers and Inspiring Them
The rewards program, as well as the entire Heinemann app, is undergoing continuous development: In September 2024, an enhanced version with a completely new look and feel was released. “It is all about consumer centricity. We want to engage with the traveler as much as possible. The interaction with them is at the heart of the Heinemann app. The better we know each traveler, the easier it becomes to address them with personalized communication, inspire them with the right products and exclusive promotions tailored to them, and to turn this into a purchase in the shop,” concludes Inken Callsen.
