Shoppers make good travelers

More than 50 percent of international shopping travelers surveyed who have visited the United States in the last 12 months are likely to come again over the next year. That’s good news for the U.S. economy according to a study commissioned by Taubman Centers and Shop America Alliance in partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Travel & Tourism Industries.

New research on The International Shopping Traveler from the top five international inbound markets to the U.S. — Canada, Mexico, UK, Germany and Japan, representing 75% of all inbound U.S. Travelers — was conducted by Mandala Research via an online survey in January 2009. Survey respondents in each country, 1760 in total, had visited the U.S. in the past 12 months and had shopped.

Shopping, dining and cultural travel are among the top tourism activities in the U.S. These activities are especially important to international travelers and continue to be so even in these challenging economic times. “Travel and Tourism is an important economic contributor to the retail sector, as we see in our tourism shopping centers. The results from this study are positive for the U.S. travel and shopping industries and for the country overall,” says Robert Taubman, Chairman, President and CEO of Taubman Centers, who also serves on the United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board.

"The International Shopping Traveler study will help retailers, destinations and travel companies better understand and attract the shopping traveler," says Helen Marano, Director, Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, U.S. Department of Commerce. “This can go a long way in boosting tourism. Shopping certainly spurs visitation to and spending in destinations all across the United States, which, in turn, has a positive impact on the employment and economic health of those areas.”

Highlights of The International Shopping Traveler study results include:

Nearly 20% of these travelers say they have already booked their next trip to the U.S. and an additional 50% are very likely to visit and shop in the next 12 months.

For a large number of travelers, shopping influences destination choice. 30% said it was a factor in their choice of destinations, while 23% said it was a key reason for the trip.

These travelers allocated a sizeable portion of total trip spend to shopping activities, spending on average $1063 per person on shopping out of a total average of $3692 per total trip, per person. While spending varies by market, the percent of shopping spend reported in the total trip spend was an average of 29%, and as high as 40% with Mexican Shopping Travelers.

International shoppers most frequently purchased apparel.

Footwear (47%), food/candy (47%) souvenirs (47%), fashion accessories (39%) and cosmetics/beauty products (39%) were key categories purchased by the international shopping traveler.

84% made purchases for themselves followed by spouse/significant other (68%) and children (44%).

Brand preferences* vary by inbound market. The top 25 brands shopped for overall are:
1. Nike
2. Levis
3. Gap
4. Polo Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger
5. Abercrombie & Fitch
6. Calvin Klein and Coach
7. Adidas, Gucci and Chanel
8. Sony, Armani, Banana Republic and Louis Vuitton
9. Apple, Prada and Victoria’s Secret
10. Old Navy, Dolce & Gabbana, Diesel, American Eagle, DKNY,
Hugo Boss and Hollister
*Duplicate names on the same line indicate that the same percentage of International Shopping Travelers surveyed, selected those brands.

Good value and a wide selection of brands are most often cited as important elements of the shopping experience.

It is clear that International shopping travelers are also cultural travelers—visiting historic sites (48%), museums/art exhibits (39%), concerts/theatres (36%), national parks (48%) and 27% report also shopping at Museum Stores. 42% reported seeking out unique dining experiences while visiting the U.S.

vast majority of international travelers currently use online sites to plan and book their travel to the U.S.

Destination preferences* vary by inbound market. The top 25 cities visited by international shopping travelers overall are:
1. New York, NY
2. Los Angeles, CA
3. Las Vegas, NV
4. Orlando, FL
5. San Francisco, CA
6. Honolulu, HI
7. Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL
8. Chicago, IL
9. San Diego, CA and Washington, DC
10. Houston, TX
11. Boston, MA
12. Buffalo, NY
13. Atlanta, GA
14. Phoenix, AZ
15. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX and Seattle, WA
16. Tampa, FL
17. Philadelphia, PA
18. Detroit, MI
19. Fort Myers-Naples, FL
20. West Palm Beach, FL
21. Denver, CO
22. Portland, OR
23. Baltimore, MD

Top five inbound countries to the U.S.: Canada, Mexico, Japan, U.K. Germany

Average trip expenditure is $3692; average spent on shopping is $1063