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T ravel retail has never had access to more consumer data, yet much of its commercial potential remains untapped. Yesterday afternoon’s TFWA workshop – ‘The connected traveller: How AI turns data into growth’ – featured exclusive insights from an exclusive TFWA study by Kearney. Victor Dijon, Senior Partner and European Lead, Consumer and Retail at Kearney, and Alex Liu, Chairman Emeritus at Kearney, revealed how travel retail compares with other retail channels, where greater value can be captured across the traveller journey, and how AI is reshaping discovery, conversion and loyalty. The ‘2026 Connected Traveler Radar’ is based on a survey of 800 international travelers in the United States and Germany. “68% say AI or social media influenced what they considered buying on their last trip,” Victor Dijon and Alex Liu explained. “Among the most digitally engaged travelers, 73% checked prices, reviews, or product information in store. And 53% are likely to use an AI assistant for travel-shopping tasks over the next 12 months. These findings underpin the core message: AI and data can give travel retail a new way to compete.” Leading retailers are moving from descriptive analytics toward a commercial decision engine. “AI helps them sense demand earlier, make propositions more specific, compare trade-offs across price, range, promotion, and inventory, and equip associates and customers with a more relevant next action,” Victor Dijon and Alex Liu highlighted. “In selected, low-risk situations, it can execute repeatable actions within defined rules and learn from results. Travel retail is at an important but uneven stage. It already has use cases in forecasting, replenishment, content, and digital decision support, but it has not consistently connected pre-trip intent, live journey context, commercial facts, and in-store execution across the ecosystem. The priority is to augment human experience in the store. Travellers still need price credibility, availability, sensory proof, and expert reassurance. AI should help people identify and resolve the doubt that remains, while the traveller retains control of the final choice.” The connected traveller: HowAI turns data into growth Following Kearney’s insightful presentation, Nicolas Van Brandt, CEO of Lagardère Travel Retail Belgium, joined an interactive panel discussion. He emphasised that the technology to transform travel retail already exists. The challenge, he argued, is moving from discussion to implementation. Citing a new AI-powered demand- planning tool introduced 12 months ago, he said the business had increased working capital while reducing inventory by 14%, despite expanding its assortment. The next opportunity lies in connecting data and AI to real-time airport conditions. “We actually have almost all the data. We just need the support of AI to be able to manage real-time data,” said Van Brandt. Instead of receiving performance reports the following day, retailers could use AI to identify issues as they emerge – from falling sales of a particular product to queues at security or border control – and automatically alert teams to act. Data sharing across the airport ecosystemwill also be critical. Van Brandt cited analysis showing that moving from one gate to another could triple spend per passenger on the same flight, underlining how passenger flows and airport infrastructure can directly affect commercial performance. Technology, however, should enhance the physical experience rather than replace it. “The added value we still have in the travel day will be that we will provide emotion,” he said, highlighting the ability to smell, taste and experience products in-store. For Van Brandt, AI also creates an opportunity for leadership: “I spend more time with my team because I have a lot of AI tools doing my job on the back office.” His message to travel retail on AI and data was unequivocal: “Just do it.” Scan the QR code to share your feedback on yesterday’s ‘The connected traveller: How AI turns data into growth’ workshop. The survey only takes a fewminutes to complete. Victor Dijon, Senior Partner and European Lead, Consumer and Retail, Kearney; Alex Liu, Chairman Emeritus and Partner, Kearney; Nicolas Van Brandt, Chief Executive Officer, Lagardère Travel Retail Belgium; and Michele Miranda, Conference Director, TFWA. Thursday 1 October 2026 8 T F W A D A I L Y