Click on the video above to watch the full episode, filmed in Singapore by Alexander Roux for The Moodie Davitt Report
Introduction: In this latest episode of Moodie Davitt Showtime, Mars Wrigley International Travel Retail (ITR) Market Director An De Volder outlines how the company is evolving confectionery beyond traditional transactional purchasing to create more engaging traveller experiences.
Mars Wrigley ITR is sharpening its focus on experiential confectionery retailing in Asia Pacific, with initiatives spanning transaction-zone merchandising, sense of place gifting and immersive retailtainment concepts such as the new M&M’s Experience at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
De Volder underlines the ‘transaction zone’, the checkout area often overlooked within airport retail environments, as a key opportunity to drive incremental purchases.
She says: “The transaction zone is a substantial focus for us within travel retail. It’s an area of the store often overlooked by retailers, but it can be a strong revenue driver.
“Travellers are unlikely to buy a US$15 product at the end of their shopping journey, but they may purchase something at a lower price point – a ‘For me, for now’ occasion. It’s about helping retailers capture that final purchase opportunity just before travellers leave the store.”
De Volder says the strategy forms part of a wider ambition to reposition confectionery as a more experiential category within travel retail.
“Confectionery in airports can sometimes feel transactional, with people simply picking up an item quickly. But we know it can be much more than that,” she notes.
“Beyond the transaction zone, we focus on offering a strong portfolio of traveller-relevant products. Then, of course, we have the M&M’s Experience, which is available in only a few locations globally because it is designed to be exclusive and highly immersive for shoppers,” she adds.
As reported, Mars Wrigley ITR introduced its first M&M’s Experience shop-in-shop in Asia, located within the Candy Party Store at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in partnership with Valiram and FNA Group International. The opening marks the fourth M&M’s Experience location worldwide and the first in Asia, reflecting growing retailer interest in more immersive shopping environments for travellers.
According to De Volder, the open concept was designed to encourage interaction and discovery. “It’s a fully open, 360-degree space that is highly accessible and delivers a true brand experience. Interaction is central to the concept.
“Visitors can play a digital video game, create short personalised videos to send to friends and family, and enjoy several customisation opportunities.”
The activation also features Malaysia-exclusive packs, a gifting studio with stickers and cards, and the first-ever M&M’s x Crocs collaboration within an M&M’s Experience location.
“When we opened the store, it immediately attracted strong attention from travellers, with many stopping to explore the space, engage with the interactive elements and enjoy the pick-and-mix offering,” De Volder adds.
“There was also a great deal of interest in the M&M’s x Crocs products.”
Sense of place and product collectability continue to play an important role within Mars Wrigley’s innovation strategy, particularly through M&M’s gifting formats inspired by local destinations.
“We’ve been working hard on the sense of place and travel retail-exclusive (TREX) portfolio because we know that one of the strengths of M&M’s is its characters and colours, along with the collectability of the products,” De Volder explains.
She adds that the company is balancing accessibility with premiumisation by offering products at multiple price points while expanding gifting and personalisation opportunities.
“It’s all about making sure our travel retail offer is relevant to travellers who want to bring home a meaningful gift from the places they visit,” she says.
Looking ahead, De Volder says the company sees plenty of exciting growth opportunities across Asia Pacific as the new product pipeline rolls out across the region.
“I think this is only the beginning,” she concludes. “The future holds many exciting opportunities for us as a company and for the wider travel retail industry, particularly in Asia Pacific.” ✈
