Heathrow’s complimentary personal shopping assistance for customers seeking that special, personal touch, features an elite squad of 24 Personal Shoppers who put their style sensibilities and international knowledge to optimum use to offer you an unrivalled shopping experience.
Nadia Vere, Deputy Head of PR at Heathrow, while on a one-day whistle-stop trip to Doha, told Community, “Launched two years ago, the Heathrow Personal Shopper service has gone from strength to strength. It’s particularly popular with Qataris, who happen to be among the top five nationalities using the service each year. On an average, Qataris spend around 800 pounds (QR3,540) per visit. We know they love the big brands, including a lot of English brands like Mulberry and Burberry, but also Chanel, Cartier, and Gucci.”
According to data compiled by Heathrow, the most popular brands among regional customers are Chanel, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, Tom Ford, Cartier, Gucci, Bvlgari, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Burberry, Bottega Veneta, and Harrods. From the most coveted handbags to the finest of cosmetics and perfumes, Qatari shoppers make some of the fanciest buys. “A lot of Qataris buy engagement rings but it’s the beauty products that they buy the most, also because at Heathrow, we offer a large variety of beauty items,” Vere explains. “Qataris love to get the item first. They want to be ahead of everyone. So if there’s an item you know that’s available at Heathrow and you want to get it before anybody else, Personal Shoppers will help you do that.”
Offering 300 tax-free brand outlets, many with exclusive items unavailable elsewhere, it’s understandable why the discerning shopper is flocking to this service. “More than 40,000 appointments were handled by our growing Personal Shopping team last year,” Vere said, “Of the 24 Personal Shoppers, about five speak Arabic and in a number of dialects as well. The idea is you can book for the Personal Shopper service online. It’s free and it takes five minutes. You can request for the Personal Shopper to call you before you actually fly through just so he or she gets to know a little more about your personality and what you are planning to buy. You can tell the Personal Shoppers exactly what you are looking for and what you want to buy, and they will curate and bring items for you to help you get what you need. There’s no obligation to buy at all. If you say it’s just not quite the right time for you, they will say no problem at all… see you next time!”
As for perfumes, Heathrow sells upwards of 2.6 million bottles of perfume each year. The most popular fragrances among Qataris are those with “an overarching oriental scent”, according to the latest data from World Duty Free, such as YSL Oriental Collection, Dior Sauvage, and Giorgio Armani Prive Rose D’Arabie.
Chris Annetts, Heathrow’s Retail and Service Proposition Director, said, “Heathrow is home to around 3,405 fragrances across 104 brands. We have both exclusives and new season fragrances, including a new floral exclusive Tom Ford Vert Boheme, as well as a new season fresh CK One Gold.” Oriental scents such as cinnamon and ginger are preferred by those in Qatar, points out Heathrow’s new global fragrance report.
The Personal Shopper, an accredited stylist, is great at giving insights into what people are buying, Vere points out. “If someone wants something but isn’t sure of the specifics, the Personal Shopper will explain why he or she will really like this, and that a lot of people who have bought it have been happy with it.”
More than 80 per cent of customers use the service to spend their VAT refunds. The average spend of regional users has been found to be 300 pounds on fragrances, per visit, and up to 1,000 pounds on beauty products.
Taking bespoke shopping assistance to the next level, Heathrow Personal Shopping offers a personal touch and brings together all the stores at the airport. A note by Heathrow on how it all works, reads, “Your Personal Shopper will arrange where to meet you after security. You will have their contact details, in case you are delayed. Our Personal Shoppers, can meet day or night, speak a wide range of languages and can help you with fashion advice and styling, gift ideas or choosing the perfect travel accessories. Based on your consultation, your Personal Shopper will have prepared a shopping plan to make the most of your time. In Terminal 2 and 5 you have the option to enjoy your Personal Shopping appointment in the comfort of your own private lounge, while our Personal Shopper team assist you with styling and selecting your choices.”
In the lounge in Heathrow’s Terminal 2, for instance, you can try on the products you bought at leisure in the suite with a changing room, Vere points out. “Since there are several free beauty treatments being offered at Heathrow, many try these treatments, like a mini facial that lasts 15 minutes, and end up buying a number of products. We also have plenty of customers who like to go back. Typically, Qataris and other customers from the region use this service twice a year, if they are regular travellers. We build personal relationships with our customers. So the customer returns to that same Personal Shopper who is well aware of his or her taste and preferences. At the same time, the Personal Shopper reveals exclusive offers to the customer. We are the first airport in the world to offer this service,” Vere said.
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