E-commerce prices beat duty free offers according to report

Wednesday, July 25, 2018 - 11:11 by Graham Miller

A new study has compared the prices that people will pay if they buy specific products online against the cost of picking them up at duty free outlets in airports. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the analysis found that consumers stand a better chance of saving money if they make purchases from e-commerce sites, according to Travel Weekly.

The report, commissioned by PriceSpy, revealed that shoppers could save up to £100 when using the web to buy electronics, rather than seeking them out while visiting travel hubs like Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted.

Duty free outlets market themselves as being an affordable alternative to high street stores, but with significant price reductions available via safe shopping online, they are no longer representative of the same value as they were in the pre-internet age.

It is not just gadgets that are cheaper on the web, but also a range of other products, including perfumes and aftershaves as well as food and drink. In fact nine out of 10 products identified as being available in duty free stores were offered for less online.

Report spokesperson, Olof Karp, said that it should be apparent to consumers that there is now little point to waiting until they get through to the duty free shops in an airport departure lounge in order to purchase any products that are on their radar. The ‘duty free’ tag is now little more than an exercise in marketing, rather than something which has any meaning for the price-conscious shopper.

Meanwhile people who do choose to make online purchases will not only be getting better value, but will also be contributing to the country by paying VAT, which is something worth celebrating in its own way, especially if no one is left out of pocket.