Blueprint and m1nd-set partner to host "The Asia Pacific Revolution" in Singapore
The Blueprint team is ready to discuss "The Asia Pacific Revolution", and how the Gen Z lifestyle is reshaping travel retail
As this interview with Global Travel Retail Magazine reveals, Blueprint and m1nd-set’s upcoming workshop will discuss how Chinese, Indian and Korean Gen Z travelers – set to become travel retail's dominant demographic by 2028 – are fundamentally reshaping the industry with behavior driven by social media, experiential demands and evolving market dynamics, and how the industry should respond.
Global Travel Retail Magazine (GTR Magazine): “The Asia Pacific Revolution” is third installment of insights workshops Blueprint has co-organized with m1nd-set. Can you tell us about the reasons and motivations behind these seminars?
Blueprint: The idea for these seminars arose during industry events where Blueprint and m1nd-set teams would exchange perspectives on how the Gen Z lifestyle is shaping travel retail. Their unique shopping behavior shaped by experiential retail, social media algorithms, technology and sustainability, particularly in travel retail, stood out. Our client discussions, echoed these findings. m1nd-set also noted growing interest from clients seeking deeper insights into this demographic.
We recognized the need for dedicated seminars to offer case-based, practical and data-driven insights. m1nd-set would share bespoke consumer data from global shopper interviews, while Blueprint would present real-world case studies from travel retail, high street retail and e-commerce on how to engage Gen Z.
After positive feedback from our clients, we launched the first “GenZ RedY” insights workshop in Cannes in 2023, followed by an Asia Pacific edition in Singapore in 2024. As experiential retail emerged as a major trend, we introduced the “EX.CEL Experiential Retail Workshop” in Cannes last year. Parallel to these workshops, we have held tailored seminars for leading companies.
Our goal is to explore evolving consumer behavior, identify key drivers of change, and offer actionable recommendations to help industry stakeholders adapt.
m1nd-set brings a wealth of experience and bespoke research to the table. Over the past 18 years, m1nd-set has conducted more than three million interviews and sits on the most sophisticated consumer research database in the industry.
GTR Magazine: So the next collaborative workshop will highlight evolutions among this shopper segment too?
Blueprint: Absolutely. The Asia Pacific region is undergoing significant changes, particularly with the dominance of three key nationalities: Chinese, Indians and South Koreans. International departures among these groups rose by 30% last year, expected to grow by another 19% this year. Together, they account for 37% of all international departures in the region with over 455 million flights; a staggering number of travelers.
As younger generations from these nationalities travel more, their shopping behavior – distinct from older generations – is reshaping attitudes toward travel and travel retail. It is crucial for industry stakeholders to understand the market size and evolving attitudes, as well as the needs and expectations of these travelers to remain relevant.
GTR Magazine: Can you expand on some of the changes you're seeing among these travelers?
Blueprint: The speed and intensity of change have now accelerated to a level where industry stakeholders must revisit their travel retail playbook. At Blueprint, we help these companies adapt to a constantly changing marketplace, as it is essential to focus on market opportunities.
For instance, m1nd-set data shows that footfall among Chinese travelers is below average; fewer than four in ten enter stores. This figure drops even further among older travelers, with less than a third of seniors visiting retail spaces.
Indian Gen Z travelers are on the rise. Last year, nearly one in five (19%) Indian passengers belonged to Gen Z – 5% above the global average. This marks a significant increase from previous years, where they represented 8% and 12% of passengers in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
During the workshop, we’ll explore these evolving trends and discuss practical strategies to attract key traveler segments and convert browsers into shoppers.
GTR Magazine: Can you give us a sneak preview of some of the recommendations you will be sharing at the workshop?
Blueprint: Without revealing too much, we’ll be discussing extraordinary cases influenced by social media, social commerce, experiential retail, artificial intelligence, geopolitics and much more. Most of these megatrends are powered by the influx of Gen Z lifestyle shoppers who are changing the travel retail landscape as we speak. As we approach 2028, these younger travelers will represent 1.2 billion shoppers and become travel retail’s biggest customer profile.
The recommendations will be relevant to industry stakeholders including airports, operators, retailers, brands and industry associations on how to drive footfall, dwell time, conversion, satisfaction and spend.
“The Asia Pacific Revolution” will take place at the MBS Expo Centre level 4, on the afternoon of Sunday May 11, between 15.00 and 17.30 before the official TFWA Asia Pacific opening cocktail commences. Seats can be reserved at the following link: https://asia-pacific-revolution.eventbrite.ch
