China Trading Desk reveals 65% of Chinese travellers are driven by Xiaohongshu/Douyin promotions at airports

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By Jill Sayles

Published January 7, 2026

Social platforms play a significant role in shaping airport shopping intent

Airport shopping has become a mainstream part of the outbound travel journey for Chinese consumers, but converting interest into actual spend is increasingly an execution challenge rather than an awareness one, according to new research from China Trading Desk (CTD).

Releasing results from its Q4 2025 China Outbound Travel Survey on 7 January in Singapore, CTD found that 64.4% of surveyed travellers are likely or very likely to shop at the airport.

However, a sizeable 26% remain undecided, representing what CTD describes as a commercially decisive swing segment for airports, retailers and brands seeking incremental growth.

China Trading Desk Founder & CEO, Subramania Bhatt said: “Airport travel retail is no longer a demand question, it’s an execution question. The job is to convert a large intent pool by showing the right products to the right travellers, early enough in the journey, with a checkout experience that is fast, confident, and defensible.”

Conversion is shaped upstream: social creates intent, price and trust close it

The survey shows that social platforms play a significant role in shaping airport shopping intent. Some 65% of respondents said promotions on platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Douyin make them more likely to shop duty free at the airport. However, CTD cautions that influence alone is insufficient to secure purchase.

Nearly all travellers surveyed (98%) compare airport prices with online channels, meaning airports and brands must compete on clear value propositions, exclusives and transparent pricing, rather than visibility alone. Discoverability may start the journey, but price logic and trust ultimately determine conversion.

The findings also underscore the continued importance of human interaction in high-consideration categories. Three-quarters of travellers (75%) said staff assistance is important when purchasing duty-free products, reinforcing that final purchase decisions are often made in the last moments through consultation, reassurance and speed of service.

The best conversion pool sits with repeat and premium-leaning travellers

While near-term outbound travel intent remains stable, with 22.9% planning to travel within the next three months, up 0.44 percentage points quarter-on-quarter, CTD notes that airport retail opportunity is concentrated among travellers most predisposed to convert.

Frequent travellers show an airport retail propensity of 72.3%, representing a 1.12× lift versus average travellers, while high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) register a 71.2% propensity, or a 1.11× lift. These segments, CTD suggests, should be prioritised in targeting and merchandising strategies.

What this means for airports, retailers and brand partners

Based on the findings, CTD’s recommended playbook for Q1 2026 focuses on closing what it terms the “conversion gap”. Key actions include winning the product shortlist before arrival by linking creator-led discovery with real-time product availability and shopping lists, and converting undecided shoppers through brand-finder tools, clear price communication and reserve-to-pickup options.

The company also advises leading with high-conversion categories, notably beauty and fragrances, while expanding basket size through gifting options, travel sizes and airport-exclusive bundles. Importantly, service should be treated as revenue infrastructure rather than brand theatre, given the weight travellers place on staff assistance.

With Chinese New Year approaching as the next major travel peak, CTD notes that the conversion window is already opening. While many travellers may still book flights late, product shortlists are built earlier in the journey. Airports and brands, the report argues, should therefore seed airport shopping plans upstream through creator and travel-app ecosystems, then close the sale in-store with price clarity, brand findability and fast pickup for time-pressed shoppers.

“They’re already searching,” Bhatt added. “The winners will be the operators and brands that show up early enough to make the shortlist, then close the purchase when travellers are in the store.”