The original online Duty Free shopping portal upgrades messages and affiliates.

The original online portal for Duty Free shopping, Duty Free on arrival ®, was first conceived in 2008. Before then, there was no independent shopping guide that provided a one-stop-shop for global stores. The database of airline and airport stores was later upgraded to include land and sea based outlets in 2009 and launched online in the current format giving travelers access to stores by land, sea or air.

Original Duty Free on arrival journey plan 2009

The concept was devised because global shoppers were moving online, forced on them by airline online check-in and reservation, they were starting to plan all their travel in advance and so wanted the additional convenience to search before they traveled and to check before they fly. 

So when all the destinations and travel modes were included, a journey could be joined up and Duty Free shops could be found for every eventuality, whether it was travel on a cruise, ferry, airline through an airport or just crossing the border by bus.

Duty Free shopping has always been a huge business, but since the introduction of many security rules, travelers were confused as to what they could buy, where and what they were allowed to carry with them on their trip. Duty Free on arrival match the Customs allowances to the journey giving consumers an instant opportunity to understand the (often) confusing rules related to their shopping plans.

2008 Design: Duty Free Allowances by Territory with
graphics showing the rules

The original test site in 2008 was pretty unsophisticated, but the visual concept remains the same to this day, with the use of clear graphics to highlight the various rules and regulations that inhibit shopping. 

Countries like Singapore were refusing to accept the import of items like duty free cigarettes and other countries were refusing or confiscating alcohol, due to new security rules.

Some people had found themselves buying cigarettes or liquors in one airport, but then finding their purchases confiscated at their airport of arrival. Travel forums like Trip Advisor were full of comments about confiscation and the confusion related to the many duty free rules and regulations.

Duty Free on arrival was designed to try and assist shoppers, in advance of their journey, so that such difficulties could be avoided wherever possible. The concept is valid, because not only is the pre-travel search for airport, airline or cruise shopping increasing, but numerous "copycat" websites have since appeared online, claiming originality and first-use.

The Founder of Duty Free on Arrival Ivor Smith said "there is nothing wrong with fair competition, but on the internet there is a distinct lack of it because many sites claim originality, copy concepts or content and search engines rarely police these claims. The browsing public are not stupid and if they have a genuine interest in a niche, they will work out who was the instigator and make up their own mind as to what is useful for them, or not. That said, such claims of originality just demean those who are me-too products, but pretending to be leaders in the market".

Some have tried to join-up the journey, others tried to scrape prices and offer a duty free price comparison facility. In reality, we believe that both options are complex and unworkable, due to the many rules which complicate the issue.

Simply, travelers want to know what they can buy at their destination or en-route and what they can save, or not, making their own research and comparison in the process. And this is what we do!

Each destination, airport or airline page, now includes many direct affiliate retailers, placed by google personalised ads.

2016 Duty Free Retailers now affiliate through Google Adsense

Now, in 2016, the Travel Retailers who operate the stores around the world have also started to move online with their offer. (As per the image above). Aelia* are one of the world's largest Duty Free retailers, operating airport duty free in France, The United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand and are now heavily investing in online advertising, primarily through google ads. Other's like Dubai Duty Free have launched a bold online duty free pre-order site, for use on arrival or departure at the airport. DFS, better known as Duty Free Shoppers "T Galleria" are heavily promoting their Downtown Stores in Asia and WDF (World Duty Free) have also added pre-order for Britain, but not yet for their core market of the Spanish airports. No doubt this will arrive soon.

Whilst all these developments are advancing, DFOA had the small issue of updating the advice for all British airports, because the United Kingdom through their "Brexit" process, will soon leave the European Union. This adds still more confusion, because when and if Britain actually leaves the EU, all the duty free shopping allowances, Customs limits and exemptions could change overnight.

So, the online e-commerce market is moving apace for those on the move and if you want to search the world for those potential tax free bargains... 

Check before you fly at www.dutyfreeonarrival.com The world's first online portal for travelling shoppers.

* Interesting to note how one Aelia promotional ad offers 10% discount, whilst the other offers 20%

The dutyfreeonarrival ® airline and airport shopping guide was founded in 2009 and launched to help travellers understand the complex rules related to Duty Free or Tax Free shopping. The site can also be used to check world airport or airline IATA or ICAO codes. The airlines are listed by the country where their headquarters are located, but your Duty Free Allowances will apply to your point of arrival, not to your point of departure. This is the original Duty Free website for airports, it is independent of all retailers and does not feature any preferred retailers. Our service is impartial.

The original joined-up search for Duty Free. established 2008.

The first Duty Free shopping search 2008/9

The Changing Face of Travel Retailing

The Worldwide travel retail business is worth in excess of $30 USD billion and over two thirds of this is down to airport shopping. Nevertheless, as seen in the past it is more sensitive because of its susceptibility to crisis - SARS crisis and 09/11 are just two examples which hit the sector the hardest. The airport operators world wide are becoming more dependent upon the retail revenue as the emergence of budget airline operators suppress their revenues by moving out to new airports offering the best prices for them.

Over the last 10 years it has become a key feature of airports to showcase "walk-through concepts" - passengers are guided from the airport entrance to the airplane departure gate through a frenzy of retail sales activity (e.g. Duty Free Shop), a path of retail temptation. It is found that passengers are at their most relaxed after completing check-in, passport and security checks.

One of the growing trends now is the advent of the Arrivals Duty Free Shop - perfect locations for last second shopping on arrival or for travellers not wishing to carry duty free goods on a long journey. this gives the retailers an opportunity to showcase locally made products. However, the big drawback with arrivals duty free shops is that this entails changes in legislation to allow such an activity to take place - usually a long draw out process. Recent examples of new arrivals duty free can be found in Switzerland and numerous countries in South America.

The whole aim of these latest trends is to convert the "passenger" into a "shopper" - no easy feat since in excess of 70% of passengers do not shop, not really surprising as they are actually there to travel!. However, a well spoken about concept in the airport industry is the phrase "sense of place" in conceptualizing travel retailing. One of the foremost authorities on this is Robbie Gill of The Design Solution company who have designed airports throughout the world. He believes that this "sense of being" should and will play a major part in transforming passengers into shoppers via transforming their travel retail experience. Gill believes that bringing a "local flavour" into the equation will go a long way to achieving this and he cites the examples at Barbados' Grantley Adams International Airport, where the shops all have corrugated roofs reminiscent of chattel homes, and Minneapolis with sculptures of Snoopy and Canada geese in the terrazzo floors. Changi Airport in Singapore has its own very unique 'sense of place' through the remarkable range of gardens such as the Sunflower Garden, Orchid Garden, Cactus Garden and Butterfly Garden.

The Design Solution recently worked on The Irish Whiskey Collection Duty Free retail store at Dublin Airport's new Terminal 2. This is retail with a true 'sense of place', as it only promotes Irish Whiskeys to local and international travellers. The new concept and store design was created solely to boost Irish Whiskey sales within the airport's duty free store, boosting Irish Whiskey sales by over 30%.

It can be demonstrated that 'sense of place' is far more than bricks and mortar; it is of the locale, the commerce and the culture. It shows a more interesting passenger experience, and in today's tough operating climate where travellers have more choice of where to fly from than ever before, that cannot be underestimated.

The Duty Free Shopping Copa runneth over for travelling Brazilians.

Brazil is fast becoming the consumer product cash cow for major brand owners with an overheating demand for “produtos importados”, or branded consumer products, in our speak.

Brazil’s domestic retail prices for consumer goods are far higher than in Europe, The USA and neighbouring Paraguay or Bolivia, so “shopping tourism” is now a major business from Brazil. Duty Free Shopping Centres have become a high priority target for shopping tourists, especially for Fragrances, Beauty and Cosmetics products.

In an attempt to dampen exploding consumer demand and to protect local manufacturing, Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff has recently introduced a range of protectionist import tariffs whilst disregarding the price of some locally produced products, which may already be up to 25% more expensive than branded imports.

The paradox is that Dilma’s protectionist policies are helping to drive up prices of all consumer products and this has precipitated an outbound Tax Free Shopping tourism boom. Their currency, the $Reais is also at its highest level for years against the Dollar, Pound and Euro, so not only are overseas products cheaper, but cheaper still with an estimated 20% overvalued currency. Take this equation into a Duty Free Store and Brazilians have become like the proverbial “kids in a sweetshop” when passing through border stores or airports.

Yahoo Brazil’s InfoMoney Report recently enlisted the advice from Braztoa (Brazil Association of Tour Operatos) Magda Nassar and Julio Serson of the Brazilian Hotel Operators Forum (FOHB) to suggest the best shopping locations for outbound tourists.

The USA came out as the top recommendation, especially during the department store liquidation sale periods according to Julio Serson. The Duty Free Special Territory Panama, where the price for electronics is the lowest in the Latin continent, came a close second. Add to that an expanding COPA Airlines network to Brazil with a large regional airline hub at Panama Tocumen airport and you have a recipe for Tax Free shopping success. Magda Nassar was quoted as saying “As a Tax Free shopping country, prices in Panama are super competitive”.

Nassar also mentioned some interesting travel shopping ideas not normally associated with Brazil, Cruises to Panama and shopping in Dubai and other Middle Eastern States such as Lebanon. With Emirates Airlines now flying from both Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo to The UAE, it is fascinating to note how the Brazilian spending tentacles are spreading further afield and how gold and jewellery savings were highlighted.

But there is caution in the air too. An excellent report by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, International Business Editor for Britain’s Daily Telegraph, highlights the risks and statistics quoting influential sources in his report ………

The Latin Tiger may have overtaken France, Italy, and Britain to become the world’s fifth largest economy on some measures but it has also been relegated to 126th place by the World Bank for 'ease of doing business', behind much of Africa. Cyclical warning signs are flashing amber across the board.

Knight Frank’s global survey shows that Brazil’s house prices rose 26pc last year, leading the world by far. The global average was 0.5pc. "Prices are crazy," said Eduardo Paes, Rio’s mayor. Even 'favelas' are frothy as developers close in. A good slum is worth a four-bedroom house in Arizona - if you can prove ownership.

Brazil’s economy ground to halt late last year. It has since rebounded, but may struggle to repeat the great leap forward of the Lula years given the headwinds of a super-strong real (20pc overvalued says Goldman Sachs). Labour productivity has not remotely kept pace with China or the Asian tigers, which is why industrial output has almost halved to 14.6pc of GDP, a level last seen before the great industrialization drive of the of late 1950s. The country is becoming 'post-industrial' before it is rich.

But, Brazilians are feeling rich already, especially now they travel abroad en masse and search the world for Duty Free bargains.

Heathrow, tax free discounts and shopping around online by Kelkoo

The article widely circulated and also published by Britain's "Guardian" newspaper today, comments on how duty free and tax free prices may not be what they seem after a survey undertaken in airport shops around Europe by Kelkoo the online retailer.

If travellers wish to shop around for prices and deals they can now find out where they can shop on arrival and all their allowances, this can now be done at our global online search tool

check before you fly at http://www.dutyfreeonarrival.com/