Lower-Income Airport Shoppers Are Overlooked And Undervalued: Study

Are airport retailers leaving cash on the table because they are too focused on chasing passengers with the fattest wallets? A myth-busting new study suggests that lower-income travelers are not lower-value shoppers—far from it—and that stores might be missing a trick.

The research from Switzerland-based travel retail research agency m1nd-set challenges what it calls “one of the industry’s most entrenched assumptions” about lower-income travelers: that they don’t spend much. The data suggests that they are, in fact, highly efficient converters and can outperform shopper segments traditionally seen as a better bet for average transaction values (ATVs).

“Far from being low value, low-income travelers are one of duty-free’s most underestimated growth drivers because they spend strategically, selectively, and make the most of the travel retail environment,” said Dr Peter Mohn, CEO and owner of m1nd-set. “Low-income buyers are often misunderstood. They may be slightly less likely to enter a store, but once inside they have a higher conversion rate than other segments.”

Now might be the moment when airport landlords and retailers will start to target them. A flurry of annual results for 2025 show that per-head spending could be at a crossroads. For example, at the two gateways to Paris, the joint venture retail business Extime Paris saw per-head spending fall as luxury went off the boil in the second half.

Across the 46 Spanish airports operated by Aena, retail revenue failed to keep pace with traffic growth in 2025, and London Heathrow Airport reported a 2.3% drop in retail concession revenue year-over-year as traffic grew 0.7% to a record 84.5 million passengers.

Travel retail’s long-running focus on luxury shoppers may no longer be delivering the returns it once did, so for airports wanting to target lower-income shoppers, these are some of their key attributes:

• They travel and shop infrequently
• They have limited discretionary budgets, but are not purely price-driven
• They like well-known, trusted brands
• Promotions and clear value cues provide reassurance
• They frequently buy gifts
• They value staff guidance and social recommendations
• They do not browse extensively.

This group represents only about 12% of the global duty-free buying population, making them the smallest of five core shopper segments identified by the agency and based on attitudes and motivations towards shopping, not on demographic criteria such as income, age, or nationality. They engage more than average with digital elements, in-store innovation, and sales staff.

Lower-income buyers tend to be slightly younger than typical airport shoppers, with a higher concentration of Millennials. In Africa and the Middle East, they skew even younger with an average age of 38, while in the Americas the segment tilts to women.

Online savvy, less planned, more impulsive

These shoppers are the most digitally aware in duty-free, with more than half noticing pre-trip digital touchpoints. Yet they are the least planning-oriented, making them the segment with the highest impulse purchase rate at 34%.

Anna Marchesini, head of business development at M1nd-set, told me: “They are more likely to make their final decision inside the store, driven by what they see, by promotions, and by staff interaction. In practice, this means that these shoppers are highly influenced by in-store stimuli.”

This combination of digital awareness and spontaneity is fertile ground for discovery and innovation. It means lower-income shoppers outperform when it comes to first-time purchases and buying duty-free-exclusive products, a major focus for brands and retailers in airports. “The income label masks a very strategic mindset,” said Mohn. “This is a highly selective shopper: their spend reflects quality, usefulness, and relevance rather than volume.”

Though low-income shoppers buy the same average number of categories per transaction (1.6) as other travelers, their better performance is rooted in an appetite for discovery and channel-exclusivity, often only buying items they have never previously owned. They are willing to spend more on practical, high-ticket categories such as electronics, watches, skincare, alcohol, souvenirs, and gifts.

Patterns in common

While preferences vary by category and market, several common patterns emerge. Lower-income shoppers are typically drawn to core or hero lines from international brands rather than niche or experimental products. Mid-priced collections with a clear value proposition tend to perform better than entry-level or ultra-premium items, and ‘bestseller’ signposting acts as a strong purchase trigger.

In practical terms, to draw these shoppers in, retailers could focus on the following categories:

• Beauty: established fragrance or skincare lines from global brands in giftable formats or travel exclusives
• Wines & Spirits: recognized international brands at accessible price points, rather than limited editions
• Confectionery: premium mainstream brands positioned as reliable and appreciated gifts
• Accessories or souvenirs: practical, branded items with clear use or symbolic value.

Marchesini said: “Although lower-income shoppers generally have more limited budgets, they don’t automatically trade down to the cheapest options. They may buy less frequently, but when they do, their purchasing is highly intentional, relevant and meaningful. In short, their spend reflects selectivity. They are not necessarily shopping in premium or luxury ranges, but they are choosing products that deliver strong perceived value, reassurance, and credibility.”

Mohn added: “This segment punches well above its weight. These buyers are driven by what we call an ‘efficiency paradox’. They enter duty-free shops to save money, and those perceived savings act as a catalyst for higher-value spending.” The m1nd-set findings suggest that lower‑income travelers are not just an overlooked segment—they may be one of the most strategically important for future duty‑free growth.