Wellness and shopping: the new frontier of Changi pharmacies
Today, travellers find on the shelves not only medicines and travel products, but also last-minute souvenirs and historical health-related brands. A mix that makes pharmacies increasingly popular as a pre-flight shopping stop.
Purchasing preferences are evolving. Traditional drugs, once protagonists, are now only the third best-selling category. At the top of passengers' choices are medicated oils and vitamins, purchased both for personal use and as gifts. To respond to this trend, brands offer practical pre-packaged boxes, which allow you to take home useful and meaningful gifts in a single solution.
To ensure maximum accessibility, Changi's pharmacies are strategically distributed across all four terminals, with two outlets each, located at opposite ends of the transit areas. A location designed to ensure that every passenger always has a shop just a few minutes from their gate.
With the Changi 1st initiative, the airport has created an experiential retail platform that allows brands to offer immersive pop-ups and exclusive launches. A recent example is the collaboration between Guardian and Tiger Balm at Terminal 1, on the occasion of the SG60 celebrations. The pop-up told the centenary history of the brand, offering sensory experiences and an exclusive "Tourist Favourites" box, available only in Changi. Changi Rewards members were also given the chance to win Tiger Balm merchandise through a guaranteed prize raffle.
The success of Tiger Balm demonstrates how wellness brands can win over travelers with curated experiences, following in the footsteps of perfumes, cosmetics and wines & spirits.
Sales of pharmaceuticals in Changi have grown to the point of entering the top 10 of the most purchased categories in 2024. The growth was driven in particular by travellers from China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Australia and Malaysia. Among these, Chinese passengers are the main protagonists, driven both by the strong culture of giving and by the growing attention to wellness and health products.
The evolution of pharmacies at Changi Airport represents a new frontier of airport retail, where well-being, tradition and gifting are intertwined to offer travellers a complete experience. From simple points of sale, pharmacies thus become true travel destinations, confirming Changi as one of the most innovative and attentive airports to the needs of the modern passenger.
