Research highlights $200m “quick fixes” for Middle East retailers

Gavin Lipsith

A new study from AC Nielsen Middle East has identified easy opportunities for airport retailers to increase their sales

Retailers at Dubai, Bahrain and Cairo airports could grow annual sales by $200m if they follow two “quick fixes”, according to a new AC Nielsen study conducted at the three airports. AC Nielsen Middle East managing director Piyush Mathur presented the study, commissioned by the Middle East Duty Free Association (MEDFA) and Tax Free World Association, at the MEDFA conference in Dubai.

Mathur said that passengers at the three airports who did not visit the duty-free areas were asked for their reasons for not shopping. One of the main answers was product availability, which he said would be easily resolved by greater research into customer needs.

Another important response was regarding local currency, with passengers not having any and not knowing where to exchange currency. That problem would be resolved by having clearer signage to foreign currency exchange kiosks, said Mathur.

Extrapolating from the results of the survey, Mathur calculated that if those problems could be overcome it would generate an additional 1.3m shoppers each year across the three airports. Taking the average duty-free spend of $138 across the airport, those passengers could generate an additional $200m in sales.