“We must stay ahead of the game and continue to pioneer.” So says L’Oréal Travel Retail Asia Pacific Managing Director Jesús Abia as he shares the beauty leader’s ambitious vision for the future of airport retail in this engaging video interview.
Filmed during the TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition in Singapore (12-16 May), Abia speaks to The Moodie Davitt Report Brands Director Hannah Tan from the group’s striking pavilion, which showcased its shoppertainment approach to beauty retail.
According to Abia, this is driven by a major shift in shopper preferences with 47% of Gen Z and Millennial shoppers looking for immersive experiences when they travel.
L’Oréal’s standout presence at the Singapore show showcased its commitment to embracing the Pentarchy ecosystem of partnerships. Spanning 510sq m, the experiential showcase featured three multi-sensory experiential lounges with touchpoints tailored for modern travellers.
The space brought together 22 luxury beauty brands from the L’Oréal Travel Retail Asia Pacific portfolio, including Lancôme, YSL Beauty, SkinCeuticals, Prada Beauty, Aesop and Kérastase.
In the compelling video interview, Abia outlines how the beauty powerhouse is responding to the changing dynamics of travel retail post-COVID, particularly the growing demand for experiential retail and sustainable products.
He says, “The L’Oréal Pavilion is a real statement of how strongly we believe in the strategic value of this channel. It’s also an opportunity to share our vision of shoppertainment and how we want to make airports places of excitement.
“To do that, we need to reinvent the ecosystem of partnerships we have with our stakeholders. This is what we call Pentarchy. In our booth you can explore a variety of experiences that reflect what our vision of airport beauty retail can look like.
“At the stand, we have a pampering experience with Lancôme Absolu for visitors with time to spare,” he adds. “At the entrance, there’s a quick beauty fix – ideal for quick skincare or makeup touch-ups. We’re also targeting men, which is why we’ve created a lifestyle and grooming area where travellers can enjoy a cocktail, get a haircut, listen to music and work.”
Abia highlights the group’s recent experiential activations, such as the YSL Beauty Light Club and SkinCeuticals’ first aesthetic skincare outpost in Changi as well as exclusive cross-category collaborations, such as Lancôme x Monopoly, as examples of shoppertainment-focused campaigns brought to life by Pentarchy partnerships.
He says, “The market has radically changed. We’re seeing more Gen Z, more Millennials and more travellers from emerging markets. But across all of them, there’s one key trend: 47% are looking for immersive experiences when they travel.
“We see this as a huge opportunity, particularly because our fundamentals are strong. Appetite for travel is stronger than ever, and the appetite for beauty remains equally strong. This is why L’Oréal Travel Retail is bringing all these new experiences to life.”
Additionally, Abia discusses the group’s ongoing sustainability efforts, including its recent #JoinTheRefillMovement campaign for World Refill Day (16 June).
#JoinTheRefillMovement is the group’s first global multi-brand, multi-category and multi-channel refill campaign. The initiative aimed to drive consumer adoption of refillable beauty products by positioning refills as a new beauty ritual and a meaningful step towards greater sustainability.
Abia says, “74% of travellers say they are looking for sustainable offers. We believe this is a fantastic opportunity as our refills offer great value to our customers. By the end of this year, almost a third of our catalogue will offer refillable options, such as Kiehl’s. It’s good for the planet and good for consumers’ pockets.”
Offering a final message to the industry, Abia says: “We must always stay ahead of the game and continue to pioneer – something we’ve shown with our recent activations and collaborations. Second, partnership is key and we have talked a lot about Pentarchy, which is the future of partnerships in this channel. I believe we can keep working together, and not in silos, to create value in our ecosystem.
“Finally, it’s about people” he adds. “Travel retail is about unique people and we need to bring back this travel retail DNA that is about agility, an entrepreneurial mindset and a spirit of conquest.” ✈
