Method of operating a duty-free store at an airport with a product storage area and product pickup area

A method of running a duty-free retail operation at an airport, the airport comprising a secure zone and a non-secure zone, which are separated for passengers by a security checkpoint, the method comprising:

• providing a duty-free store in the non-secure zone;
• displaying products for sale in the duty-free store, the products for sale comprising a first product and a second product;
• displaying unique product identification codes in connection with products displayed therein, the unique product identification codes comprising a first unique identification code associated with the first product and a second unique identification code associated with the second product;
• providing a product pickup area;
• providing a product storage area configured to store copies of the products displayed in the duty-free store, the product storage area being inaccessible to customers;
• receiving, by a computing system associated with the duty-free store, a first request for initiating a purchase transaction, the first request being created and sent from a mobile computing device of a first customer in relation to the first customer's capturing of the first unique identification code using the mobile computing device, the first request comprising first product information indicative of the first product;
• in response to the first request, creating a first database entry associated with the first request, the first database entry comprising the first product information;
• in response to the first request, sending to the mobile computing device transaction information associated with the first database entry for use in initiating a payment transaction for a sale of the first product;
• performing a payment transaction for the sale of the first product using the transaction information and referring to the first database entry;
• upon completion of the payment transaction, providing the first customer with pickup information for picking up a copy of the first product within the secure zone;
• subsequent to completion of the payment transaction, initiating retrieval of a copy of the first product from the product storage area for delivery of the copy to the product pickup area;
• and
• delivering the copy of the first product to the first customer at the product pickup area.