The Very Real Value of a Busy Summer Travel Season

The Compass Specialty team is dedicated to finding and optimizing shelf space for our clients, often through retail outlets that aren’t necessarily obvious. One of these is airport stores and kiosks.

And with international travel soaring—Allianz Partners projects a 55% increase in the number of Americans traveling to Europe⁴—airports are a place where brands stand to make big gains this summer and in the months to come.

Customer Development Director Ronnie Jean Burnham notes that airport retail spaces generate more than 2 billion impressions annually, with prospective customer demographics evenly split between male and female travelers (many of whom also have families in tow).

“It is the place to gain exposure to your products,” Burnham says.

Her optimistic take mirrors recent reporting by Airport Experience News. It seems that airports across the country are seeing a significant influx of new concessions, several of which offer healthier meal options—for example, Sambazon Açaí Bowls—and homegrown retail products⁵.

“I do believe the more availability and choices, the easier it will be to make a better choice,” Burnham adds.

It’s a trend that not only challenges the stereotype of unhealthy airport food purchases, but also points to a different kind of health—that of airlines and the travel industry as a whole.

So, as the summer continues, expect more people to hit the airways and highways… and more opportunities for the brands whose products help make these journeys a little easier, a little more unique, and a little more fun.