May 13 2024  |  Industry News

Changi Airport Group introduces new retail concepts, diversifies iShopChangi offer

By Hibah Noor


Lotte Duty Free's new flagship store brings the magic of shopping at Terminal 3 with innovative retail-tainment like a robotic bartender and interactive wine sommelier

Changi Airport Group (CAG) continues to inject vibrancy to the airport’s retail scene by introducing retail innovations, diversifying its e-commerce business iShopChangi, and refreshing the airport’s longstanding loyalty program, Changi Rewards.

Changi’s eclectic retail mix has grown swiftly, with over 150 new leases awarded, including more than 40 being new-to-Changi brands in the past financial year (March 2023 to April 2024).

Innovative man-less concepts continue to debut in the transit areas, bringing convenience to passengers, and increasing manpower productivity in Changi’s retail arena.

Both Lotte Duty Free’s T2 and T3 flagship stores boast a host of man-less retailtainment. At the T2 store, visitors are greeted by Toni, the state-of-the-art robotic bartender. Upstairs in the ‘Forest of Li Bai Lounge’ travelers can sample from 18 different whiskeys from the automated dispenser or take a photo with K-pop idols in the digital selfie mirrors. The T3 store not only features a robotic bartender similar to T2’s, but is also home to an interactive digital sommelier which helps visitors select the wine most suited for their palate.


Introducing ELLA, a fully automated robotic barista

These man-less concepts also include ELLA, a fully automated robotic barista deployed at Terminals 2 (T2) and T3. Any time of day or week, travelers can simply input their order via the touchscreen, pay cashlessly, and then watch the magic happen as ELLA brews, mixes and serves up the requested drink. To introduce passengers to the local flavors of Singapore, Changi’s ELLA menus also feature a Changi-exclusive Pandan Tea Latte.

The Hydrate unmanned store in Terminal 3, which harnesses the power of AI, allows passengers at boarding gates further away from the main F&B area to grab some quick bites and souvenirs while waiting to board their flight. Customers enter the store by tapping their credit card, pick up the items they wish to purchase, and payment will be automatically charged to their card when they exit the store.


Changi Airport’s e-commerce platform iShopChangi made strides in growing the business in 2023, doubling the number of brands on the platform to over 2,000, including more than 100 off-airport merchants across categories such as beauty, electronics, wellness and more.

Campaigns, such as the inaugural ‘Tax AbsorbMania’, where participants could exchange the goods and service tax in their receipts for iShopChangi credits, as well as partnerships with local brands, propelled iShopChangi into the top three of YouGov’s ‘October 2023 Biggest Brand Movers’ for the first time and contributed to more than 20% of iShopChangi’s new customers.

To further widen its customer base, sales channels were expanded to serve passengers travelling through Seletar Airport and airlines. A special partnership with ZIPAIR made iShopChangi the airline’s in-flight tax and duty-free sales retailer, allowing passengers to shop online, in-air and collect their purchases within six hours upon arrival.

The iShopChangi Collection Centres at T2 Arrival and Departure as well as T3 Arrival have been expanded and relocated, and received a facelift respectively, to make the collection of orders more accessible. Following the relocation, the range of products available for purchase has also increased, and now includes selected off-airport brands too.

New non-traveler services like on-demand, same-day delivery and gift-wrapping were launched to cater to last-minute and special occasion needs, strengthening iShopChangi's position as a premium destination for online shopping, offering convenience, personalization and reliability to its customers.

Through iShopChangi, non-travel retail merchants have also been able to curate a selection of over 1,000 products to be sold to travelers, allowing them the opportunity to successfully traverse both segments while providing more variety to travelling shoppers.

Changi Airport’s loyalty program, Changi Rewards, has refreshed with new membership perks. Members can redeem a range of rewards, including parking vouchers, e-vouchers for use in Changi Airport and Jewel, Krisflyer miles and more.

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