Airport Shoppers Shift To Value, Convenience And Self‑Treating

Travelling consumers are looking for better value says duty-free group, DFWC.

A new survey suggests travelers are becoming more value‑conscious in airport shops—unsurprising given the spiraling cost of air travel last year, with further increases likely as the geopolitical situation in the Middle East pushes costs higher. With travel budgets squeezed, passengers have less to spend in the terminals.

France-based Duty Free World Council (DFWC)—the global voice for the duty- and tax-free industry—cites value and convenience as becoming more important to travelers in 2025. DFWC’s full-year Global Shopping Monitor found that ‘good value for money’ was the main driver for 27% of shoppers, up from 25% in 2024. And convenience and the desire to self-treat also saw year-on-year gains, rising to 21% and 18% respectively.

As these factors grow in importance, stakeholders in the airport shopping sector have not done enough to give consumers more confidence around value. The DFWC monitor said the channel “continues to face challenges around price perception which remains a barrier to purchase.”

A sizable 16% of travelers cited ‘higher prices compared to home’ as a reason not to buy, while ‘no motivating discounts’ was another purchase barrier for 16% of the sample. Most notably, ‘buying elsewhere’ jumped from 10% in 2024 to 14% in 2025, implying that competition from both downtown and online platforms might be having a negative impact on the channel. This competition will only stiffen as Gen Z travelers, who are growing in number, are locked into shopping and price comparing on their phones. 

Lounges: an alternative commercial proposition

Moreover, annual results from a number of major airport operators including London’s Heathrow Airport and Spain’s Aena showed that retail concession revenue fell last year, or grew below traffic levels. In Europe, in particular, airports are adapting to lower growth and higher costs in a more volatile world. As retail struggles to keep pace with shifting shopper expectations, airports are looking at alternative revenue streams—for example lounges.

Thomas Kaneko Henningsen, partner at Danish business development agency Blueprint, told airports association ACI Europe last month: “Airports need to actively develop higher-yield areas—with lounges evolving from loyalty perks into a strategic and scalable revenue stream at the heart of long-term value creation.” This is one alternative to low-yield shopping as revenue per passenger declinesand piles even more pressure on airport shops as lounge customers, once comfy, are lost.

Tapping into changing behaviors

DFWC’s monitor noted that self-consumption was the top reason to purchase at 55%, a three point rise on the previous year while gifting declined by 2% to 23%. Where airport retailers can score sales is to tap into the rise of the impulse buyer and more demand for products that are exclusive to airports. Impulse buying rose to 31% last year, from 28% in 2024, while 64% of shoppers sought airport exclusives or unique products, a sharp increase from 57% in 2024.

These were the two strongest trends picked up by the 2025 monitor, based on interviews with 24,500 travelers. DFWC said: “The full-year analysis implies that a shift in shopper psychology is underway. Dr. Peter Mohn, CEO and owner at m1nd-set, which undertook the research, commented: “Impulse buys now account for nearly a third of all duty-free purchases, highlighting a significant shift toward more spontaneous behavior. And nearly two thirds of shoppers are specifically seeking exclusives.”

He added that airport retailers need to offer better value, but also a sense of discovery that cannot be found downtown. In addition, with 74% of shoppers saying they were positively influenced by staff advice, in-person interactions remain critical.

DFWC president, Sarah Branquinho, said: “The human element remains an important catalyst for conversion. The interaction rate between travelers and sales staff rose four points to 53% in 2025. People play a huge role in converting browsers into buyers, highlighting the positive impact a well-trained and highly skilled sales force can add.”