Luxury brands are opening airport pop-ups to reach high flyers

Walk through Terminal 4 at New York JFK International Airport in the coming days and it will be hard to miss the giant Tiffany & Co. box strategically designed to disrupt your walk from check-in to gate. The signature blue box, a prominent symbol in luxury retail, directs travelers´ – specifically men’s – attention to Tiffany & Co.’s new luxury fragrance TIFFANY Eau de Parfum in the weeks leading up to Valentine´s Day. The installation, executed by design and brand consultancy Bloommiami, is just one of dozens of pop-up projects luxury retailers are launching at international airports to capitalize on the flow of travelers. Bloommiami develops airport pop-ups for luxury retailers. It has worked with brands such as Carrera, LÓréal, Glenmorangie Whiskey, and Shiseido to design, build and execute pop-ups at international airports in Miami, New York, Los Angeles and Honolulu. “Flying is seen as an exclusive and positive experience – while traveling, you’re allowed to indulge yourself – and this feeling is something that the brands of 2017 can take advantage of. For this reason, we expect to see growth in the demand for luxury products over the coming year,” said the advertising team at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, which was one of the first international airports to introduce pop-up shops. Schipol expects a 10-percent to 15-percent increase in passengers from China, the United States and India – all of which are among luxury retailers´ target markets – in coming years.