Travel Retail distribution / KAM effectiveness

More doors do not guarantee more growth.

How a Travel Retail KAM team can turn distribution ambition into a sharper customer, portfolio and investment strategy.

See the commercial case See Marksyte's support

An evidence-led composite case for KAMs, sales directors and commercial teams.

01Situation 02Problems 03Reasons 04Support 05Outcome

Executive summary

The opportunity pipeline was full. The definition of a good listing was not.

Situation

Growth was measured in new doors

The brand wanted more airports, operators and visibility across Travel Retail.

Commercial tension

Access outpaced productivity

Different locations received similar ranges, while support costs and sell-out evidence remained fragmented.

Decision

Replace reach with distribution quality

Prioritise the accounts where shopper fit, execution and contribution can be proven together.

Situation

Travel is growing. Retail productivity does not rise automatically.

9.8bn

global airport passengers in 2025

+3.7% vs 2024ACI World ⁰¹

4.0bn

international passengers in 2025

+6.1% vs 2024ACI World ⁰¹

$7.57

non-aeronautical revenue per passenger in 2024

down from $8.61 in 2017ACI World ⁰²

Airport and retailer buyers are not buying passenger volume alone.

Footfall→Conversion→Basket→Margin→Productivity

For the KAM, global brand strength must become a credible local value case.

Problems

Distribution was growing faster than the commercial logic behind it.

100M

Volume became a shortcut

Airport traffic was treated as the addressable shopper opportunity, without enough detail on terminal, nationality, mission or store access.

Risk: big airport, weak fit

1×

One range travelled everywhere

Core, gift, premium and immediate-consumption SKUs were presented without distinct roles by customer or location.

Risk: duplicated space

Openings counted before proof

Listings and sell-in led the dashboard; rate of sale, repeat orders and contribution after support arrived later.

Risk: false-positive growth

B2B

The sell-in stayed generic

The story explained the global brand, but not why this operator should allocate space in this particular location.

Risk: weak buyer relevance

€?

The real cost sat across functions

Terms, fixtures, promotions, packaging, training, forecasting and complexity were not combined into one opportunity P&L.

Risk: revenue without contribution

Reasons

Five root causes sat behind the visible sales problem.

Shopper

Passengers ≠ shoppers

The relevant demand pool changes by route, nationality, mission, time and travel party.

Translate traffic

Channel

Brand fit ≠ distribution fit

Pack, customs, shelf life, replenishment and explanation needs can break an attractive proposition.

Test operability

Portfolio

SKUs had no distinct jobs

Without roles for traffic, conversion, margin, gift or destination, every product asked for the same space.

Assign roles

Economics

Gross sales hid support

Customer terms, activation, logistics, markdown and complexity were not consistently netted from the opportunity.

Model contribution

Organisation

Functions used different rules

Sales, marketing, finance and supply optimised reasonable—but different—definitions of success.

Align decisions

The decision model

Prioritise on attractiveness and ability to win.

Ability to win HighLow

Protect value

REPAIR

Existing access, weak productivity or economics.

Fix range, terms or execution

Compound proof

SCALE

Attractive opportunity with repeatable performance.

Expand deliberately

Release effort

DEPRIORITISE

Insufficient value relative to complexity and support.

Say no with evidence

Buy learning

PILOT

Attractive opportunity with incomplete proof.

Set a time-bound test

LowCustomer / market attractivenessHigh

Attractiveness

Relevant passenger pool · category potential · format fit · margin pool · strategic value

Ability to win

Demand · occasion fit · portfolio · price · operability · relationship · investment required

Support from Marksyte

From fragmented evidence to account choices the KAM team can use.

The workstream follows the commercial decision—not a standard research template.

01Diagnose

Establish the baseline

Connect sell-in, sell-out, margin, distribution, stock, promotion and activation by account, location and SKU.

Productive vs marginal listings
Availability and data gaps
True rate-of-sale view

02Prioritise

Score the opportunities

Compare customer attractiveness with the brand's ability to win, including the investment required.

Scale / pilot / repair / stop
Location-level opportunity logic
Defensible pipeline choices

03Design

Define the right range

Assign each SKU a commercial role and build scenarios by operator, format and traveller mission.

Core vs extended range
Gift, premium and conversion roles
Incrementality and complexity

04Model

Build the account economics

Link rate of sale and shopper assumptions with terms, activation, logistics and risk.

Sell-out−Terms−Support=Contribution

05Equip

Create the buyer story

Turn the analysis into a customer-specific case for category value, execution and mutual growth.

Shopper and mission opportunity
Value to conversion, basket or margin
Objection and give-get logic

06Activate

Set the scale trigger

Agree the pilot scorecard and review cadence before the listing goes live.

Rate of sale and availability
Contribution and incrementality
Scale / adapt / hold / exit

The KAM toolkit

Four assets. One commercial story.

Every output connects the internal investment decision with the external buyer conversation.

01 / DECIDE

Account opportunity model

WHERE TO PLAY

02 / RANGE

Customer portfolio logic

COREGIFTPREMIUM

WHAT TO SELL

03 / NEGOTIATE

Buyer-ready growth case

WHY IT WINS

04 / LEARN

Pilot scorecard

WHEN TO SCALE

Commercial outcome

Measure distribution by the value it creates—not the doors it collects.

Evidence rule: this is a composite case, so no client result is claimed. A live case should report only verified commercial measures.

ObjectivePrimary measureLeading evidence

Better distributionWeighted distribution in priority locationsListing quality · format fit

Stronger productivityRate of sale per pointAvailability · conversion · UPT

Better economicsContribution after supportMargin · payback · promo dependence

Sharper portfolioIncremental SKU productivityMix · cannibalisation · complexity

Stronger customer positionListings won, retained or expandedPilot progress · repeat orders

What KAMs can use tomorrow

Five rules for the next customer conversation.

01
Translate traffic
Passenger volume is context. Relevant shopper demand is evidence.
02
Give every SKU a job
Space is easier to defend when each product creates distinct value.
03
Model contribution after support
Sell-in is not proof of a profitable listing.
04
Make the story customer-specific
Global strength must become local category value.
05
Agree the scale trigger first
A pilot needs a decision rule, not an open end.

Research base

Sources behind the market context.

External sources support the market evidence and retailer examples. The company scenario is an anonymised composite.

ACI World

Final 2025 global and international passenger data

↗ 02

ACI World Insights

Airport non-aeronautical revenue and retail productivity

↗ 03

Avolta Annual Report 2025

Traveller intelligence, assortment and location-level reviews

↗ 04

Lagardère 2025 Universal Registration Document

Travel Essentials network, formats and geographic scale

↗ 05

Gebr. Heinemann Report 2025

Channel breadth and distribution business profile

↗ 06

Gebr. Heinemann Norway case

Local assortment, regulation and traveller relevance

↗

Bring one live decision

Which account, market or SKU deserves your next Travel Retail investment?

Use a 30-minute working conversation to frame the decision, available evidence and practical next step.

Book a 30-minute discussion contact@marksyte.com