DFS Group first partnered with WeChat pay in 2017.

DFS Group has become the first travel retailer to be featured as a best in class example for its use of WeChat Pay’s Mini Program. 

The retailer launched its first Mini Program on WeChat in San Francisco International Airport back in 2017.

DFS is featured as part of WeChat Pay’s annual Co-Creation of Smart Life campaign, which is intended to promote the use of seamless mobile payment solutions to support the development of smart cities, smart transport and smart retail.

STRONG PRAISE

WeChat Pay acknowledged DFS’ quick adoption of the technology and its commitment to continually elevating and innovating the “app within an app” to benefit its Chinese customers.

DFS is now featured as part of WeChat Pay’s annual Co-Creation of Smart Life campaign.

The Co-Creation of Smart Life campaign is WeChat Pay’s biggest annual event. Merchants who are featured for their best in class use of the Mini Program app are promoted via online and offline channels to over 100 million viewers. China Southern Airlines, JD.com, KFC and Airbnb are among the other companies to receive WeChat Pay’s best in class recognition in 2019.

Since first partnering with WeChat Pay in 2017, DFS has created several Mini Programs to engage with its travelling customers and enable more seamless commercial integration online and offline.

One program rewarded customers who shared their shopping profiles, enabling better personalisation of communications to drive engagement and sales. Another, invited customers to sign up to the retailer’s Loyal T customer rewards programme from their mobile device anywhere in the world and instantly receive a virtual membership card.

In order to mark the May Day shopping period, DFS introduced a “friend pickup” service where customers could ask a friend living in or travelling to Hong Kong to collect goods for them.

DFS is now planning to add a further Mini Program for its Loyal T customers. This will enable them to learn about campaigns, promotions and special events before departing on a trip, have a more time-effective experience once they are in-store and benefit from more personalised after-service once returning home.

DK Ding, Vice President Digital and E-commerce Development, DFS Group said:  “The WeChat Mini Program has been a cornerstone of DFS’ customer strategy since we launched our first one in 2017. Since then, we have developed multiple impactful Mini Programs, finding new ways to enhance our customers’ digital experience with us while showcasing the wide range of products and experiences available in our stores.”