Retail sales at Changi Airport show signs of recovery
Travelers from Indonesia, India and Thailand were the biggest spenders at Changi Airport in 2022
Changi Airport has reported that concession sales have been boosted as passenger traffic continues to see steady recovery since the relaxation of Singapore’s border measures in April 2022.
According to a press release, "Changi’s stores in the transit and public areas, as well as its online sales, recorded total concession sales of S$1.1 billion (US$822 million) in 2022, representing 37% of sales in 2019. Sales in December 2022 reached 58% of the 2019 level on the back of a passenger traffic recovery to 72%. More than nine in 10 landside and airside shops are open today to serve travelers as the airport prepares to welcome even more passengers in 2023."
With the near absence of travelers from China, traditionally a major market for Changi, travelers from Indonesia, India and Thailand led the way as the biggest spenders at Changi Airport in 2022. Liquor & Tobacco, Perfumes & Cosmetics, and Luxury emerged as the most popular product categories. Over 13 million transactions were recorded in 2022, averaging about 35,000 transactions each day.
Teo Chew Hoon, Changi Airport Group’s (CAG) Managing Director for Airside Concessions, said, “We reinvented ourselves during the pandemic and explored creative ways to engage our customers. We were also relentless in rolling out promotions and attractions to delight passengers and enhance their shopping experience. Among these was the year-long ‘Win With Changi’ campaign. As we congratulate the winner of the Porsche Taycan and the other lucky winners of the 100 million Changi Rewards points this year, we are also readying ourselves to welcome more passengers with even more exciting promotions.”
The airport-wide ‘Win With Changi’ shopping promotion, which ran from November 2021 to October 2022, boosted commercial performance at Changi Airport last year. The campaign received 1.6 million participating entries, contributing total sales of about S$411 million (US$307 million).
To participate in ‘Win With Changi’, members of Changi Rewards (CR), the airport’s loyalty program, need to spend S$50 (US$37)at the airport’s terminals, Jewel Changi Airport (Jewel), iShopChangi or Changi Eats to participate. A total of 100 million Changi Rewards points (worth S$500,000 or US$373,804) were given away during the campaign period including weekly, monthly and quarterly winners. One lucky shopper was also picked each month for a shot at winning the Taycan at the Grand Draw event.
Out of the qualifying buys of the 12 Grand Draw finalists, half were purchased from Changi Airport’s terminals and iShopChangi, while the other half were from Jewel. On February 19, the Grand Prize winner of ‘Win With Changi’ was crowned. Singaporean Amanda Marie Siow, 30, challenged the 11 other campaign finalists in a series of four games in an event held at Jewel’s Cloud9 Piazza, ultimately emerging as the champion. The teacher took home the grand prize of an all-electric Porsche Taycan.
“I’m so thrilled to have won the grand prize for ‘Win With Changi’,” said Siow. “Shopping at Changi has led to such pleasant surprises – who would have guessed that dining at Canton Paradise in Terminal 3 would land me as December’s finalist for ‘Win With Changi’, let alone be able to win the Grand Draw! With so much to look forward to at Changi, I’ll be sure to keep shopping and dining here.”
With nearly all the shops open in the terminals now, CAG is ramping up collaboration with brand partners to offer a myriad of shopping and dining promotions at the airport this year.
Among them is Changi Airport’s popular ‘Be A Changi Millionaire’ campaign, which is set to make a comeback later this year for the 11th instalment. The airport-wide year-long shopping promotion ups the stakes, with shoppers standing a chance to win the highly coveted grand prize of S$1 million (US$747,563) in cash. Aside from the grand prize money, campaign participants can also win other enticing rewards peppered across the year.
iShopChangi, the airport’s e-commerce platform, will offer up to 40% off wines and spirits all year round, as well as monthly promotions for both travelers and non-travelers that extend to its many other product categories. Travelers can also look forward to an enhanced shopping experience in the transit areas with the proliferation of more Changi 1st pop-ups. These activations often feature limited edition product launches that are first in Asia, or even the world. Since the reopening of borders, there have been nine Changi 1st outposts, including three travel retail product exclusive launches and six concept exclusive launches. Transit travelers can expect to encounter more of these novel outposts throughout this year.
Alcohol connoisseurs can look forward to the second installation of ‘World of Wines and Spirits’ this year. A partnership with Lotte Duty Free, the event last year featured over 200 of the finest products from more than 75 brands, including first-in-the-region rarities from renowned labels such Bowmore, The Macallan, Midleton, The Singleton and Penfolds.
