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Travel souvenir

One of the most commonly bought items by travelling shoppers is a memento of their trip. It is often something to use to declare that they have been to a particular destination, and as a way of sharing the trip experience with friends and/or family.

Making associations between confectionery as travel souvenirs can enhance purchases. Creating special packaging with destination cues – even something as

simple as a sleeve – is an effective way to do this. The mostimple as a sleeve – is an effective way to do this. The most suitable format is a box, especially if it is a gift, but other formats can also work.

Travellers tend to look for special brands from destinations. For example Patchi or Al Nassma camel milk chocolate in the Middle East, or local products and ingredients (nuts, dates, lokum etc).

A souvenir from my trip
to share my experience
and memories with
friends and family

While global brands may not be specifically linked to the travellers’ visited location, unknown products, brands or ingredients can also run the risk of the buyer gifting something unknown and therefore not being well received. Familiar international brands that can create a souvenir feel, through packaging perhaps, can tease the traveller imagination and drive sales. This also cuts out the operational complexity of implementing a local level story for these brands.

Local products have an authentic feel so experiences with a local theme are another way to communicate souvenir appeal and for airport retailers to celebrate Sense of Place. These can be anything from large-scale customised brand activations to product personalisation.

Consumer insights

  • In the travel retail context, a souvenir or ‘travel reminder’ represents a key gifting opportunity, especially for chocolate
  • Travel reminders account for 17% of gifting chocolate value according to Nestlé/m1nd-set research
  • The same research also suggests that ‘local touch’ seekers represent 40% of travel retail confectionery buyers compared with 31% of overall buyers in the channel
  • About 18% of travel retail confectionery buyers choose a product because they want a souvenir from their trip
  • The souvenir driver is particularly strong among travellers from Europe, USA and UAE, but weaker for Chinese. It’s also more important for business travellers compared to leisure travellers.

Spotlight Series

December 2019

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