Traveller retail spend is outpacing wider consumer trends with Australians spending around AUD$857 per trip on non-travel purchases.
Travellers are driving broader consumer spend trends, going beyond flights and hotels to spend more than USD$500 (around AUD$702) globally on non-travel retail purchases.
Expedia Group Advertising (EGA) research found Australian travellers outrank the global average, spending around AUD$857 per trip on retail purchases linked to their travels.
The research shows travel is a wider economic driver with 56 per cent of travellers making non-travel purchases connected to their trip, particularly across clothing and accessories, beauty and personal care, travel gear and tech before departure.
Travellers are also spending across the full customer journey, from pre-planning to post-trip inspiration. In good news for travel retailers, the research suggests travellers are highly receptive to relevant advertising during the planning stage.
The research shows Aussies exhibit higher than the global average in-destination and in-store traveller retail spending behaviour on clothing and F&B, and are also more likely to shop in physical stores.
During the trip, local retail shopping (66%) and packaged food and drinks (61%) top the list for in-destination spend.
Meanwhile, 72 per cent of travellers will also make at least one post-trip purchase linked to their travels, such as shopping online for food and drinks discovered while travelling (40%) and seeking out clothing or accessories from newly discovered brands, especially luxury or premium brands (30%).
Convenience is a key factor in financial decision-making with almost half of travellers (48%) opting to pay in full for travel by debit card or bank account.
Travellers also fund their trips by credit card – either paid off immediately (41%) or credit card balance (27%), loyalty points (19%) or buy now, pay later (BNPL) plans (13%).
KARRYON UNPACKS: Traveller retail spend shows the booking is only the beginning with Australians turning trips into broader lifestyle purchases that can inform smarter marketing, partnerships and destination-led retail opportunities.
