Footfall was never the problem
Around 19 million passengers pass through Auckland Airport each year. Converting them was the constraint.
Non-aeronautical revenue per passenger was declining as shopping behaviour moved online. Travellers browsed physical stores less, arrived closer to departure, and expected the same personalisation from an airport that they get from any other retailer. Dwell time set a hard ceiling on how much of that 19 million could ever be reached.
The commercial estate was fragmented too. More than 70 retail and F&B outlets, a loyalty programme and an off-airport business each operated as a separate customer relationship. Auckland Airport needed one channel that connected them, and that stayed open for the whole journey rather than the 40 minutes a passenger happens to spend in a terminal.
About Auckland Airport
Auckland Airport is New Zealand’s largest and busiest airport, processing over 19 million passengers annually. It serves as a key gateway to the Asia-Pacific region and hosts more than 70 retail and F&B outlets across its international and domestic terminals. Committed to innovation and passenger-centric solutions, the airport is undergoing a major development programme to transform into a world-class travel hub. With a strong focus on technology and convenience, Auckland Airport offers seamless digital services, including its Strata Club loyalty programme, which rewards travellers for shopping, dining, and booking services both at the airport and online via The Mall.
"The Mall offers a best-in-class digital retail experience - not just in travel retail, but across the whole market. Since its debut, we have seen a 20% month-on-month growth in e-commerce sales (pre-COVID) and our downtown business has nearly doubled in volume. This is the next evolution of our business."
The Mall: one storefront, open for the whole journey
Auckland Airport partnered with Omnevo to launch The Mall, a digital retail platform serving both domestic and international passengers. It replaces the dwell-time window with continuous availability: passengers shop from home, en route or in the terminal, with delivery or flexible airport pick-up.
The platform brings the airport's retail partners into a single catalogue, integrates the Strata Club loyalty programme so points earn and burn across the estate, and extends reach into channels travellers already use, including WeChat. It connects to Auckland Airport's existing systems rather than replacing them, and new retailers and product ranges can be onboarded without a development cycle.
Commercial priorities
- Lift NAR per passenger. Reach passengers before they reach the terminal, and convert the ones who never enter a store.
- Grow average transaction value. Move from single-item purchases to baskets, with related products surfaced at the point of decision.
- Own the customer relationship. Loyalty, promotions and customer data held by the airport rather than distributed across concessionaires.
A retail channel that outgrows the terminal
Since launch, The Mall has moved from a digital extension of the airport to a commercial channel in its own right.
- Online revenue up 30% year on year, with order volume up 23% over the same period.
- 20% month-on-month growth in e-commerce sales in the period following launch.
- Off-airport reach. Downtown business volumes close to doubled, extending the customer base beyond departing passengers.
- Higher conversion and larger baskets, supported by loyalty integration and personalised promotion.
- Commercial control. Real-time sales visibility across the retail estate, and a direct data relationship with both passengers and retail partners.
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