Consumers at the airport

The opening of Bangalore's new International airport may not be as welcome to passengers as it is to retailers. That's because of a captive consumer segment with disposable incomes that inevitably would be spent at stores in the airport.

As per a 2008 IMRB International study, 71% of travellers spend one hour or more in the airport complex prior to departure, while 75% or more spend at least 30 minutes post arrival. The IMRB study also says that 42% of airline travellers frequently make purchases at stores or restaurants within the airport. The study shows that 99% of airport travellers own mobile phones, 71% own credit cards, 42% own home audio systems, 41% own automobiles and 32% own diamond jewellery .

Various studies also indicate that 85% of passengers want shops easily accessible from the departures lounge. The IMRB study cites that 75% of travellers look at advertising displays at airports, and 73% of travellers can be reached at least once during a three-month airport advertising campaign. The study also reveals that the kind of advertising likely to catch attention are back-lit displays (up to 68%), TV (up to 56%), scrollers (up to 40%), trivisions (up to 26%) and kiosks (up to 24%).