
8 Min Read |
Travel Retail has undergone a radical transformation in the past twelve months, with the majority of the sector effectively becoming dormant in the wake of COVID-19.
The channel may have taken a hard hit in 2020 but in theory it remains a viable and lucrative enterprise that simply needs the key put back in the ignition. When this restart will occur remains to be seen although insiders in both the aviation industry, as well as the travel retail sector itself, have outlined the early to mid 2020’s as a likely timeline.
In the meantime, retailers in China are making the most of the Hainan gold rush while others scramble to take as much of their business online as possible. The hope is that some of the losses from the sleeping giant of travel retail can be recouped through digital sales and engagement.
The digital changeover will probably remain the key focus for many brands, especially within the beauty industry which already has such a strong online presence.
However, this does beg the question of what the future of physical shopping spaces might be, particularly if concerns about future pandemics are to be believed.
Currently, these spaces…