Amsterdam Schiphol is first in Europe in WeChat Pay Smart Airport programme

By Luke Barras-hill |

WeChatAmsterdamAirportSchiphol

Amsterdam Schiphol is the first WeChat Pay Smart Airport in Europe.

Passengers at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) are being introduced to a new shopping ecosystem courtesy of Chinese mobile payment platform WeChat Pay.

In a European airport first, travellers including Chinese can benefit from three services: WeChat Official Account, WeChat Mini Program and WeChat Pay instore.

The Mini Program in particular allows travellers to pre-order and pay for goods across a number of categories such as beauty, fashion, watches & jewellery and Dutch souvenirs for collection at the airport without the hassle of browsing and queuing to pay at checkout.

The flagship WeChat Pay Smart Airports platform already exists at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, Japan.

WeChat_smartlifestyleBIG CROSS-BORDER STEP

WeChat Pay experience zones at the airport provide assistance to Chinese travellers through the platform’s integration into the mobile payment network.

Chinese tourists can also receive coupons for preferred currency exchange rates and discounts.

While WeChat Pay’s merchant payment infrastructure already exists in more than 49 overseas countries and regions, the adoption of its ‘smart lifestyle experiences’ at Schiphol – similar to services it already provides in China to tens of millions of stores – is an important step.

This is not least due to its ambitions to penetrate other industries such as hospitality, retail and tourism using its digital network.

Dave Fan, Senior Director, WeChat Pay, commented: “This launch of the WeChat Pay European Flagship Smart Airport at Amsterdam Schiphol is another important milestone for WeChat Pay to establish its ecosystem in Europe.

“From this hub on the European continent, we will continue to deepen the application of WeChat Pay’s smart solutions in all walks of life across the region. We will bring Chinese innovation to the rest of the world, allowing Chinese tourists to travel abroad and enjoy the smart lifestyle they do at home.”

The firm continues to trumpet its ‘One for Billion’ business initiative, enabling merchants to process payments and perform marketing and customer service activities for billions of Chinese customers.

Presentation_SchipholWeChatPay

Dave Fan, Senior Director, WeChat Pay alongside Tanja Dik, Director Consumer Products & Services, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol at the launch event held Friday (17 May).

Schiphol welcomed more than 500,000 Chinese passengers through the airport in 2018 and this figure is increasing every year.

Tanja Dik, Director Consumers Products & Services at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol added: “To meet the needs of our passengers, we are investing in the development and implementation of new concepts with a focus on convenience and customer experience.

“We are very proud of the fact that we are the first WeChat Pay flagship Smart Airport in Europe and that we can offer our Chinese guests all the advantages of using the WeChat services at our airport. As a result of this partnership we provide Chinese passengers with seamless travel services and tailor-made shopping experiences through its Mini Program, almost as if they were in China.”

At present, WeChat boasts more than 1.1bn active users globally, of which 800m possess bank cards linked with WeChat Pay.

The payment mechanism is already connected to more than 149 international airports where it offers services including code scan payments, mini program tour guides, mini program ordering, travel information and travel guides.

Asia & Pacific

Asia Pacific Travel Retail Awards: The Winners

TRBusiness and m1nd-set can today (13 March) reveal the winners of the 2024 Travel Retail...

The Americas

Details emerge of JFK T1 commercial programme and duty free tender

Qualified travel retail operators are being invited to participate in a request for proposals...

International

JCDecaux research offers major passenger insights

New research insights from Ipsos UK compiled for JCDecaux provide a revised outlook of air...

image description

In the Magazine

TRBusiness Magazine is free to access. Read the latest issue now.

E-mail this link to a friend