Engagement, experience and exclusivity – Harding+ on driving the next wave of cruise retail growth

UK/INTERNATIONAL. Having won a series of big cruise retail contracts in recent years, Harding+ today manages a business worth over £300 million (US$393 million) in annual turnover.

The focus in a growing channel – passenger volumes in the cruise market are set to expand +12% year-on-year in 2025 – is to ensure the guest audience is exposed to more visible, high-quality shopping environments, alongside elevated brand experiences.

Based on 30,000 onboard guest surveys and its experience in running 300 shops across 85 ships, Harding+ said recently that key strategies for driving growth this year will include prioritising brand experiences, personalisation and the rising family dynamic.

The combination of extended customer dwell time (seven to 14 days), integration into the holiday sense of place and targeted audience engagement for each cruise line and destination are critical elements, each playing a part in driving the market forward.

In this Q&A, Commercial Director Linzi Walker (pictured) tells us how Harding+ is leveraging these dynamics to grow the business, and how cruise retail can build on its current strong momentum.

What does Harding+ see as the biggest drivers of shopper interest and spend in 2025?

Linzi Walker: The secret to driving guest engagement and boosting onboard spend sounds simple: know your audience and tailor the experience to them. It’s hard to deliver however as cruise retail isn’t one-size-fits-all – it changes from fleet to fleet, month to month and even from ship to ship. That’s why we work closely with our cruise line partners and tap into multiple data sources to really understand who’s sailing.

By merging cabin demographic data with sales insights, tracking booking patterns and gathering feedback through pre-cruise surveys and onboard focus groups, we’ve built a clear picture of guest shopping behaviours. This allows us to create retail experiences that feel personal, immersive and memorable.

For example, for luxury cruisers, shopping is all about exclusivity and experience, so we bring in Fine Jewellery Trunk Shows, rare gemstone collections and expert guest jewellers to elevate their shopping journey.

On family-focused ships, it’s about engagement – think interactive retail zones, extended assortments for younger guests and character-led activations like our P&O Cruises mascot bear to make shopping fun. For younger adults on short getaways, social shopping is key, so we create Instagrammable moments and pop-ups that make retail an experience worth sharing.

Destination-led retail is another major focus. Guests want meaningful souvenirs that connect them to the places they visit, so we curate exclusive, locally inspired collections that bring the essence of each port on board.

Exclusivity is a huge driver of interest – after all, with global ecommerce, guests can buy almost anything, anywhere. So we ensure our retail offering stands out. A great example is our collaboration with Carnival Cruise Line and Jack Daniel’s, where we hand-selected four unique Single Barrel bourbon casks. Three were bottled exclusively for individual ships, while a fourth was shared across the fleet.

With the retail landscape evolving faster than ever, how is Harding+ tackling the challenge of staying relevant?

This too comes down to data-driven insight and understanding exactly how guests shop at sea. By combining demographic insights with sales trends and wider market analysis, we can craft a retail experience that feels fresh, exciting and – most importantly – perfectly in tune with the cruise journey.

But great retail isn’t just about what’s on the shelves – it’s about curation, experience and engagement.

Take luxury watches, for example. Some guests know exactly what they want and make a purchase within the first day, taking advantage of our competitive pricing. Others prefer to browse, learn about the craftsmanship and take their time before making a decision.

We use that knowledge to shape our activations – whether it’s a VIP preview event on embarkation day, an expert-led brand showcase mid-voyage, or a personalised follow-up toward the end of the cruise. It’s all about creating meaningful touchpoints that align with how guests like to shop.

We also make sure there’s always something new to discover. Just like guests are exploring new destinations and experiences throughout their cruise, our retail spaces evolve daily.

Our teams onboard work tirelessly to create fresh activations, promotions and eye-catching displays, ensuring that every visit to the retail area – or even just a casual pass-by – feels like an opportunity to uncover something new or unexpected.

What does a good brand partnership look like in the cruise channel today?

For brands unfamiliar with our industry, we start with the big picture: a rapidly growing sector set to welcome 37 million guests this year, with a significant portion being first-time cruisers.

The guest demographic is also evolving – the average age is dropping as more families and multi-generational groups come on board, making cruise retail more diverse and dynamic than ever. And retail performance speaks for itself – last year, for instance, our fashion brand Kendall and James sold 700,000 units, averaging one product per minute.

It’s more than the numbers though, as cruise retail is unique. Unlike traditional travel retail, where customers pass through in minutes, cruise guests are with us for a week or longer, in a holiday mindset – relaxed, open to exploring and ready to indulge. It provides a great opportunity for brands and there are not many retail sectors these days that can say that.

For us, however, a strong partnership with a brand goes beyond just getting their products onto the ships – it’s about jointly committing to elevating the guest experience. The most successful brands embrace cruise retail opportunities fully – whether that’s through exclusive collections, immersive activations, founder meet-and-greets or destination-inspired retail moments.

The key is in creating something surprising and amazing that enhances the holiday fun for the guest. When retail becomes part of the adventure, that’s when we see real engagement, excitement and results.

Of the latest Harding+ projects (or those in the pipeline), which stand out in terms of quality of space, immersive environments and breadth of offer?

The launch of Sun Princess last year was a game-changer for cruise retail. We literally broke down walls – both physically and conceptually – to create an open, immersive shopping environment with flexible showcase zones and evolving pop-up spaces that keep retail fresh throughout the voyage.

The sales results speak for themselves, proving that this dynamic approach to design resonates with guests.

Beyond Sun Princess, 2024 saw the debut of two standout ships: Cunard Queen Anne and Viking Vela. On Queen Anne, we collaborated closely with Cunard to craft a retail space that honours the brand’s storied heritage while feeling modern, light and beautifully designed.

Meanwhile, on Viking Vela, we introduced The World of Viking – a Nordic-inspired showroom open 24/7, featuring signature Viking products such as the brand’s iconic restaurant china and stateroom blankets. Guests can shop anytime via a specially programmed iPad, with direct-to-cabin delivery for a seamless experience.

Right now, a major focus for us is transitioning the legacy P&O Australia fleet to Carnival Cruise Line, ensuring that CCL Adventure and CCL Encounter feel like true extensions of the Carnival brand. This transformation requires a massive cross-team effort to create an authentic, high-energy retail experience that aligns perfectly with Carnival’s guest expectations.

Beyond new ships, we’re continuously evolving our retail spaces across the fleet. A far-reaching programme of store refits and upgrades is underway, ensuring that every ship delivers the best possible guest experience – wherever it’s sailing and whoever is on board.

And underpinning it all is our pioneering AI-driven supply chain technology. Our partnership with Dataviva and machine learning allows us to replenish stock with pinpoint accuracy – delivering the right products, in the right quantities, at the right time, anywhere in the world.

At the same time, we’re cutting down on ‘pallet miles’ and reducing carbon emissions, proving that innovation and sustainability can go hand in hand.

*This is an edited version of an article that appeared in The Moodie Davitt Magazine for March. Click here to access the full digital version (page 28).

**Harding+ is a Platinum Partner for The Retail Days at Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami, the biggest annual gathering of the cruise industry worldwide, which takes place on 7-10 April. Click here for more.