It's summer. The holiday season is just around the corner. Where do you plan you go this year? If you choose the metal bird for your trip and book a flight, you will again see an interesting phenomenon: the chic shop windows of luxurious global brands such as Gucci, Versace, Rolex, Burberry and so on.
The interesting thing about it: Airport shops of luxury brands are mostly deserted - there are often more staff than customers. Have you ever asked yourself this question: How many people actually shop there and how many people just browse and look around (or even stand outside the shop window)?
The rents for premises at airports are extremely high. From a purely rational point of view, this is a financial disaster for a shop owner. Not so for a brand.
EMOTIONAL CHARGING OF A BRAND
The number of touchpoints with a brand is a decisive factor for the willingness to buy in the target group. The more points of contact, the more trust and emotional connection, the better.
The airport shops mentioned are not about the sales in this one shop, because most people just look around. It's about the brand being seen and noticed (!) - in all its glory.
There are hardly any more points of contact between a brand and the widest possible range of people (worldwide) than at a busy airport.
Millions of passengers bustle at airports. The number of contact points with a brand is therefore extremely high - no matter how great an online marketing strategy can be.
People are in a travel mood, see beautiful things and experience them right in front of their eyes. Special lighting design, suitable background music and special room fragrances tailored to the brand are used to stimulate several sensory organs at the same time. After all, it's about feeling a brand with all your senses.
EMOTION BEATS MIND
The more senses are addressed, the more likely it is that a brand will be perceived and charged with emotions. An impression that is anchored in the brain.
Ultimately, it is not the rational decisions that make us buy (or not buy) something, but the unconscious, emotional decisions. With our mind we only try to rationally explain or justify our emotional decisions afterwards.
So what could be better than perfectly designed stores that appeal to customers with all their senses? And that in an environment in which millions of different and always new people who have the money for a plane ticket (purchasing power).
With this in mind, we wish you a great start to the holiday season. And maybe you now perceive brand shops at airports from a slightly different perspective.