Stewart Dryburgh, General Manager, Nestlé International Travel Retail: “As one of the pioneers of travel retail exclusive confectionery, including the Nestlé SWISS brand which can only be found in airports, Nestlé International Travel Retail continues to innovate and adapt to the ever-changing requirements of the travelling consumer.”
Stewart Dryburgh, General Manager, Nestlé International Travel Retail, is participating in this year’s ACI EUROPE Airport Commercial & Retail Conference. Ahead of the event, he shared his thoughts on the importance of reinvention and responding to changing consumer behaviour within travel retail with Ross Falconer.
The key message that Stewart Dryburgh, General Manager, Nestlé International Travel Retail, will deliver in this year’s ACI EUROPE Airport Commercial & Retail Conference is that continual adaptation is critical to ensure continued success. “High quality research with insightful outputs is a critical part of quickly spotting these changing consumer trends and meeting consumer needs,” he says.
Indeed, reinvention is important even for a household name such as Nestlé, which has built innovation programmes with the consumer at their heart throughout its 153-year history.
“As one of the pioneers of travel retail exclusive confectionery, including the Nestlé SWISS brand which can only be found in airports, Nestlé International Travel Retail continues to innovate and adapt to the ever-changing requirements of the travelling consumer,” Dryburgh explains. “We do this through key research and insights in order to understand how and why consumers make purchasing decisions while travelling – why they do or do not shop and what motivates them.”
Consumer needs are changing continually, however the pace of change is accelerating and this creates new
NITR’s travel retail exclusive KitKat Senses range is primarily targeted at Millennials. The range has been expanded with the launch of KitKat Senses Mini Desserts, including five flavours: Strawberry Cheesecake, Crème Brulée, Milk Chocolate, Tiramisu, and Cherry Brownie.
opportunities for those who spot them first. “With the ever-growing number of ‘experience-focused’ Millennial consumers dominating spending in travel retail, we need to stay very close to their needs as their lifestyles change with parenthood and increased responsibilities,” Dryburgh adds.
Confectionery with SOUL
Nestlé’s travel retail strategy for 2019 and beyond continues to focus on SOUL (Stories, Occasion, Unique,
Local) – its brand building framework specifically designed for travel retail. “This will now be housed in a brand-new consumer ‘need state’ framework, which will be presented for the first time at the ACI EUROPE Airport Commercial & Retail Conference,” says Dryburgh.
SOUL has been developed as a response to the ever-changing travel retail industry, particularly among Millennials, who now represent over 50% of all spend. “As a generation that continually seeks new experiences, Millennials are natural explorers – looking for the experience that fits their mood, personality and the moment,” Dryburgh adds.
Their use of technology is also drastically different; they are more likely to disengage for entertainment and social media, as soon as they have dwell time at the airport. As a result, brands need to innovate and reconnect with these consumers.
“For these reasons, NITR’s SOUL framework and 2019 innovations are an answer to these industry challenges. They deliver engaging experiences and shareable brand stories, enriching consumers’ travel experiences,” Dryburgh concludes.
