CHINA. cdf Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex, the shopping emporium run by the country’s travel retail powerhouse, China Duty Free Group (CDFG), generated extraordinary single-day sales exceeding RMB120 million (US$16.9 million) on 5 October – right in the heart of the peak Mid-Autumn Festival (6 October) and National Day ‘Golden Week’ (1-8 October) holiday period.
As reported, CDFG has geared up its promotional efforts for Golden Week, traditionally an optimum shopping period for Chinese travel retailers, especially on Hainan island.
The retailer has unveiled what it dubbed a “duty-free shopping feast”, blending global fashion trends with immersive cultural-tourism experiences.
Commenting on its 5 October sales, CDFG said: “This stellar performance not only validates the notable results of our concerted efforts across four pillars – first-store economy, first launches, omnichannel marketing, and service upgrades – but also highlights the robust vitality of Hainan’s duty-free consumption market under the deep integration of ‘Duty Free + Cultural Tourism’.
The ‘First-Store/Launch Economy’ concept, now in full swing, features a range of themed pop-ups.
Since the beginning of the year, travel retail-first stores or flagship stores from multiple leading international brands – including Coach, Estée Lauder and Lancôme – have opened.
During this Golden Week, CDFG has once again ramped up the initiative. Under the theme ‘Read the World, Delight in CDF’, 45 offshore duty-free categories and over 800 renowned domestic and international brands were on offer across the travel retailer’s six stores in the province.
A powerful matrix of travel retail-first stores and concept flagships rolled out a steady stream of CDF-exclusives, first-to-market items and limited editions, the company noted.
At cdf Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex, well-known brands such as Gucci, La Mer and Tom Ford launched pop-up stores that not only brought their latest collections and bestsellers directly to visitors but also broke the boundaries of ‘just shopping’ through immersive settings and personalised services, CDFG said.
Such an approach allows consumers to experience brand culture while being able to select their favorite items and to create distinctive shopping memories, the company added.
As reported, one of the standouts this Golden Week has been the debut of toy and lifestyle powerhouse Pop Mart at the Sanya complex. The exhibition and pop-up (which runs until 1 November) celebrates the hugely popular designer toy character DIMOO. Shoppers can participate in a scratch card game at cdf Sanya to win shopping benefits
Titled ‘Shapes of Nature’, it is the first DIMOO-themed exhibition in China and features exclusive workshops and a stamp collection game. Tourists and Hainan residents who participate in interactive activities have a chance to receive gifts. Visitors can buy DIMOO collectibles and other merchandise at the pop-up and enjoy an engaging retail experience.
Anniversary meets Golden Week: refreshed scenes redefine travel retail
Guided by the ‘First-Store/Launch economy’ concept, CDFG has also focused on its ‘Duty Free + Cultural Tourism’ philosophy. This is intended to upgrade duty-free shopping spaces beyond the mere transactional into cultural tourism destinations that are enjoyable, interactive and shareable.
By introducing high-traffic-generating content such as celebrity concerts and Disney-themed IP, CDFG said it continues to build compelling brand consumption scenarios.
High energy in Haikou
To the north of the island, cdf Haikou International Duty Free Shopping Complex leveraged the dual momentum of its third anniversary celebration and Golden Week to create what CDFG called a uniquely ceremonial duty-free shopping fest for visitors from across the country.
In the acclaimed ‘Sky Secret Forest’ atrium, playful check-in installations such as a giant gachapon machine became popular hotspots. The newly launched ‘MAX Coin’ play-and-earn system links five consumption scenarios – dining, drinks, entertainment, shopping and leisure. This enables consumers to enjoy the dual fun of one-stop play and purchase.
In addition, pop-up stores from Scotch whisky brand owners such as Rémy Cointreau (Bruichladdich), Edrington and Pernod Ricard, along with a rollercoaster lucky-bag market, ‘Cyber Moon Viewing’ interactions and ‘Find the Birthday Lucky One’ activities, have transformed Golden Week into a ‘birthday month = carnival’ annual consumer event, CDFG noted.
Beyond visual and content innovation, CDFG’s six Hainan stores have also rolled out a host of attractive promotions and consumer-focused services to create high-quality consumer experiences.
Encouraging incremental spend
At cdf Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex, shoppers can enter lucky draws for lavish prizes after reaching cumulative spending thresholds during Golden Week.
cdf Haikou Riyue Plaza Duty Free is offering blockbuster deals at as low as 30% of the original price and instant discounts in return for reaching spend thresholds. The downtown store is integrating themed check-ins, traditional Chinese medicine free clinics, and interactive games to create a lively and fun consumer experience.
At Sanya Phoenix International Airport, CDFG provided National Day and Mid-Autumn spend-and-receive gifts alongside an emoji riddle game, while at Haikou Meilan International Airport the retailer offered a combination of ‘early-bird purchase’ subsidies, shopping discounts and dedicated service lanes for seniors and delayed-flight passengers.
Summing up its approach to Golden Week, CDFG emphasised the strength of its broad-based ‘Duty Free+’ approach to driving consumption.
By integrating regional resources, crafting differentiated experiences and optimising seamless one-stop consumer journeys, CDFG said it is not only delivering more convenient and diverse shopping services, but also significantly enhancing Hainan’s unique appeal as an international tourism and consumption destination.
In turn the company said by contributing its best practices to the Hainanese economy, CDFG will help drive an anticipated wave of consumption upgrades following the island’s much anticipated customs closure later this year. 🏝️
