Get On Board!
Setting up a Retail outlet in an Airport Terminal is a little different from one in a Shopping Centre or a Shopping Strip.
There are similarities but definite differences.
If the opportunity arises to take up an airport lease, consider these 5 gems of wisdom before you undertake your commercial shop fitout.
We think they’re worth passing on, after having completed retail fitouts in an airport setting and having knowledge of shopper behaviour.
1. There’s time to spare.
Most passengers are idle for a short while, waiting for a flight and are ready to be distracted by what’s on offer.
This brief window of opportunity is there for the taking, so your shopfront and retail layout should be attractive enough to trigger their interest.
2. It’s a different world.
There’s a definite change of environment once you step into an airport terminal. It’s a fairly obvious contrast with life “outside” and normal routine.
A high quality shop fitout should reflect this difference to set a different mood with creative flair.
Setting a mood with a subtle cultural flavour is another idea. If the Airport is located on the Coast, for instance, then let your customers “feel” the sand and the beach within your fitout.
3. It’s a captive audience!
Your customer base will walk past your shopfront, regardless of bad weather, public holidays, special events and so on.
You actually know that they are going to front up, so you can plan for an influx at particular times.
Clever marketing strategies and excellent shop display come into play here. Take advantage of all of these “prime times”.
4. There’s money to spend!
Most passengers have spare change. The majority are quite happy to spend before stepping aboard a flight.
There’s always those who need to buy food and drink to kill time, purchase gifts for someone back home, or treat themselves to a new item of clothing or jewellery to make the trip complete.
Retailers need to take advantage of this diversity of reasons when thinking about their internal shop layout.
Make it easy for your customers to sit in a relaxed mood over a coffee, to seek out merchandise quickly and easily, or to try on items of clothing in a short space of time.
5. You’ll need to be aware of flight schedules.
This will help in catering for the arrival and departure of different cultural groups.
For instance, menu board offerings or merchandise display need to be flexible enough so that they can be reconfigured to suit the tastes of the varying groups of passengers who arrive and depart at different times of the day or the week.
So, it’s a different retail landscape, being part of the commercial scene at an airport.
It’s a narrower band of customers to deal with, but a very motivated one.
Get on board to create a retail fitout which really works in this setting!
