Traditional retail remains under pressure. 

Declining footfall, disrupted loyalty patterns, and shifting consumer needs, values and choice sets have left brands searching for the next growth opportunity. 

Which is why cruise retail, a channel forecast to welcome over 42 million passengers annually by 2028, needs to be on your radar.

Those numbers mean this is far from being an afterthought.

So how do you make it work?

The Executive Summary

This ‘blueprint’ highlights the eight steps, opportunities and approaches that show how forward-thinking brands can unlock extraordinary value by:

• Embracing emotional engagement over simple transactions

• Tapping into unrivalled guest insight and predictive data

• Turning retail into theatre, story, and cultural connection

• Partnering to co-create exclusive, high-dwell level experiences

• Harnessing smart tech without losing the human touch

1. See the tipping point: from sideline to strategy 

Cruise guests enter a unique retail environment relaxed, ‘present’ and very much inclined towards discovery. 

With dwell times averaging 7-14 days at sea and nearly half of all guests making unplanned purchases, the stage is set for retail brands to build emotional and commercial momentum at enviable levels, far ahead of those who remain on the outside.

This is a fast-evolving retail world where time and trust, and room to offer something personalised as part of that, become valuable opportunities that can help you win.

The blend of pre-planned shopping missions, spontaneous impulse purchases, and the lasting buzz generated by retail experiences that reflect a destination’s unique character makes cruise retail a compelling opportunity for brands looking to make a meaningful impact.

Key Metrics & Implications:

Metric	Impact	Strategic Implication
42M+ Passengers by 202821% growth 2024-8	Explosive and ongoing audience growth	Major opportunity to expand global market reach to actively interested shoppers.
47% Impulse purchase rate	High conversion environment	Captive audiences where the new, the topical and the travel and destination relevant will cut through brilliantly.
Sales uplift often in excess of 100%	Experience-led ROI evidenced in action	Investment in guest experiences pays off for the short and long term impact.
87% influenced by onboard storytelling	Deep emotional connection	Narrative and experiences drive loyalty, build brand resonance and wider brand shareability with a guest’s extended world connections
92% of guests very or quite likely to shop on board (precruise research of 5000 cruisers 2024)	Ready-made retail opportunities	A demand led opportunity, where guests see retail as central to their trip and not as an interruption.

But this isn’t just about numbers, it’s about mindset. 

Cruise guests are:

• Relaxed and receptive: Holiday mode creates openness to new experiences
• Time-rich: Extended journey allows for deeper brand engagement
• Digitally savvy: Broad demographics react well to the seamless and the personalised 
• Value/Values-conscious: Quality and authenticity matter more than lowest price

2. Look beyond the transactional

Cruise retail thrives on theatricality and curated moments rather than just simple transactions.

Every onboard pop-up, sensory space, and themed event turns a standard visit into something more rounded, dynamic and head turning. Designed to resonate emotionally, the best turn retail into an integral chapter of any guest’s cruise story.

And the model helps drive repeat visitors, with guests typically revisiting shops at least 3 times per trip. 

Effort brings reward.

Key Engagement Strategies:

Brand Theatre

• Pop-ups synchronised with itinerary highlights
• Day-to-night space transformations that evolve to surprise and delight
• Cultural curation tied to destination stories
• Personalisation that creates memorable holiday moments 

Immersive Activations

• Masterclasses with brand founders and experts
• Interactive brand zones that educate and involve
• Storytelling that creates “Instagram moments”
• Cross location links, from shops to bars to cabins…

Smart Partnerships

• Creating high dwell time concepts for brand understanding/conversation
• Linking brands together to draw in the right audience (eg whisky + watches)
• Creating concepts that celebrate a wider world/entertainment association 
• Category retail contribution that blurs the commercial and the artistic  

3. Embrace data for the insight advantage

Cruise retail offers unprecedented insight opportunities through integrated data capture across the entire guest journey.

Nothing in cruise is random, and everything with Harding+ is grounded in listening, analytics and guest centric understanding. 

Data sources to access:

• Pre-cruise: Booking behaviours, preferences, demographics
• Onboard: Purchase histories, interaction patterns, social engagements
• Post-cruise: Satisfaction scores, loyalty indicators, referral behaviours, highlights

Harding+ analytics depth:

• Regular guest surveys to identify trends, needs, wants and expectations 
• Real-time behavioural tracking across 300+ stores for rate of sale, promotional impact, time of cruise purchasing and additional retail insights
• Predictive modelling for inventory and experience optimisation

4. Plan to collaborate and partner

Success at sea is inherently collaborative. True cruise retail success emerges when brands, retailers, and operators work as one seamless unit, sharing data, insights, and creative strategies. 

A partner-first culture is the secret sauce that turns a simple storefront into a dynamic model of shared success

Integration Touchpoints:

• Pre-departure: Digital teasers and exclusive pre-cruise offers.
• Embarkation: Welcome experiences and journey mapping.
• Daily operations: Create series of brand events to ensure browsing and shopping is a key part of every cruise experience..
• Debarcation: Lasting impressions through post-cruise engagement.

Partnership Model Benefits:

• Shared data intelligence: Informs agile decision-making.
• Exclusive product development: Creates unique SKUs and experiences for the cruise market based on deep knowledge of what works.
• Co-marketing amplification: Maximises reach and ensures integrated storytelling.

Proven Results:

• Partners see higher sell-through rates vs. standard retail placements
• Majority of integrated brands report exceeding of sales targets
• Co-created experiences generate significantly more guest engagement

5. Align with technology for the smart and the seamless 

Technology within the cruise ship model isn’t about replacing the personal touch. It’s about enhancing the in-journey experience with smart, scalable solutions, to make the complex simple.

Harding+ tech-powered advantages:

• AI-driven forecasting and logistics:  Predictive inventory management tailored to guest profiles and itineraries, now supported by end-to-end automated stock management systems including dynamic price label technology. Delivers amazing levels of availability on ships that are constantly moving (in excess of 90%); also frees up more time on board for staff to bring your brand to life for the guests on board.

• Interactive/omnichannel digital touchpoints: Pre-cruise apps, in-cabin ordering, QR codes, and onboard websites enhance ease-of-use and access for experienced guests and those new to cruise. Together with live digital screens to direct, excite and promote key activities to guests.                                                                                            
• Augmented reality & gamification:  AR try-ons, virtual consultations, and gamified experiences boost engagement and dwell time.

6. Understand the evolving audience 

It’s time to move on from the outdated image of a cramped duty-free shop catering to an older crowd. Today’s cruise guest is dynamic, diverse, and digitally savvy – and they expect a retail experience to match.

Demographic Reality:

• Gen Z and Millennials are the fastest-growing segments in cruise bookings
• Families represent a significant and growing portion of cruise guests, with 73% of trips involving families of at least two generations 

• The average age of cruise guests is now 46
• More than third are under 40
• 31% of cruise guests are ‘new to cruise’ as the sector expands (often much more than this on certain cruiselines / itineraries)

Values-Driven Purchasing: Modern cruise guests increasingly prioritise:

• Sustainability: Environmental responsibility in brand choices
• Authenticity: Genuine brand values and stories
• Innovation: Unique experiences over standard products
• Firsts: what they can’t access/haven’t seen elsewhere

Digital Fluency: Today’s cruise guests actively:

• Research products via mobile while onboard
• Compare options and seek recommendations in real-time, engaging deeply with knowledgeable sales staff, experts and ambassadors
• Share purchases and experiences on social media

Call to action questions?

Are you wanting to speak to today’s diverse, experience-hungry cruise guests, knowing you can select the right cruise ships to match your precise targets?

Do you want to tell your story in more depth to these audiences than your current retail offer might allow?

Do you have products, values, or stories that you want to surprise and delight these audiences with?

7. Work with the only 100% sector specialist

Harding+ leads cruise retail innovation across 300+ stores on 82 ships, partnering with world-class brands and retailers to define the future of onboard commerce.

We are the only 100% specialist cruise retail business, whose mission is to make every cruise better and to ensure guest centricity is at the core of all we do

Our Formula for Success:

 Data Obsession

• Insight-driven decisions at every level
• Real-time optimisation based on guest behaviour
• Predictive analytics for inventory and experience planning

 Design Agility

• Spaces that evolve with the journey
• Cultural authenticity meeting brand consistency
• Flexible formats for diverse ship environments
• Boundary breaking seamless stores

 Guest-Centric Focus

• Emotional connections over transactional efficiency
• Curated experiences that create lasting memories
• Service excellence that exceeds land-based retail
• “Wow” retail that exceeds expectations 

 Technology Leadership

• Innovation that enhances rather than replaces human interaction
• Seamless integration across all guest touchpoints
• Scalable solutions that grow with partner success
• Automated efficiency as an industry first, with results to match

8. Take the first steps

Whether you’re an established retailer, an emerging brand, or a distributor, a tailored action plan is key to capturing the cruise retail opportunity.

Contact Marketing Director Katie Floyd to start a conversation and rethink the map katie.floyd@hardingretail.com