The race to serve key customers (VIPs) at department stores and in the duty-free industry is expanding to airports and overseas. In the past, the focus was on shopping convenience such as exclusive lounges and valet parking, but recently it has evolved to manage the overall travel experience, from airport transfers to overseas shopping to after returning home. As VIP customers with strong purchasing power grow more important amid weak domestic demand, the aim is to boost loyalty by offering differentiated experiences rather than simple discounts.
According to the retail industry on the 26th, Shinsegae Duty Free has operated an "airport mobility service" for its top-tier customers since on the 13th. It is a premium pickup service that uses a dedicated vehicle to link the customer's home with Incheon and Gimpo airports at the desired place and time.
It can be used when departing or returning and operates 24 hours a day. Reservations can be made on the Shinsegae Duty Free website. Depending on the number of passengers and luggage size, customers can choose Staria (7- or 9-seater), Carnival High Limousine (7- or 9-seater), or G90. A car seat can be added, and customers enter the number of passengers, the number of carry-on and checked suitcases, and large items such as golf bags. After booking, a confirmation message arrives via KakaoTalk, and just before pickup a call comes from the driver upon arrival. Customer phone numbers are provided to the driver as a masked number.
The service was arranged through an industry-first exclusive partnership with Rain4Company, a platform transport operator licensed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. It is linked with a flight information API (application programming interface), so if a flight is delayed, the pickup schedule is adjusted. A Shinsegae Duty Free official said it is "to expand the customer experience from the start to the end of the trip."
◇ Services expanding beyond domestic stores to overseas
Shinsegae Duty Free has partnerships with global hotels and airlines such as Marriott Bonvoy, Cathay, China Southern Airlines, and Singapore Airlines, offering shopping benefits and rewards to membership members. By linking travel, lodging, and airline memberships with duty-free shopping, the strategy is to broaden customer touchpoints from the pre-travel stage. The company also plans to gradually expand services that link hotels and airports for foreign customers.
This trend is also appearing in the department store sector. Hyundai Department Store operates valet parking at Incheon International Airport for VIP customers and, through partnerships with overseas retailers such as Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, Hankyu Hanshin Department Store in Japan, and Siam Piwat in Thailand, provides local lounges and personal shopping services. Shinsegae Department Store and Galleria Department Store also support domestic VIP customers in using dedicated services overseas through partnerships with luxury department stores abroad.
In this way, the stage for VIP services is expanding from "in-store" to "customer mobility and travel." In the past, the focus was on improving convenience during department store visits, such as exclusive lounges, free parking, and valet parking, but recently the scope of benefits has expanded to before and after travel, including airport transfers, overseas shopping, and global partnership services.
◇ VIP sales share rises amid weak domestic demand
Behind the expansion of services is a shift in VIP consumption patterns. Despite sluggish domestic demand, the share of VIP customers in department store sales has steadily increased. The focus is on securing long-term customers by strengthening customized services that customers can tangibly feel, rather than one-off discounts or giveaways.
As overseas travel becomes routine, airports are emerging as places to create new touchpoints with VIP customers. The higher the customer tier, the more time savings and convenience matter over price discounts, so services that reduce inconvenience in the transfer process and improve the overall travel experience are becoming a new competitive edge, analysts say.
An industry official said, "VIP customers care not only about buying good products but also about how convenient and differentiated the experience is," adding, "Experiences that save customers time—such as airport transfers, overseas shopping, and travel-convenience services—will become the core competitive edge of VIP marketing going forward."