Chinese customers will doubtless be pleased to see their tax refund forms filled out automatically with the aid of this app.

Tax free shopping refund specialist Premier Tax Free has teamed up with leading online Chinese travel agency Ctrip to provide mobile tax free solutions for Chinese tourists and merchants.

The companies report that its new mobile app service is expected to be available later this year for use in interacting with Ctrip’s 300m-plus customers, as the new partners prepare to offer Chinese tourists ‘a more convenient tax refund service’ – along with a tax refund bonus incentive if they pay their tax free refund into a Ctrip wallet.

BETTER SHOPPING EXPERIENCE…

Premier Tax Free said: “This mobile tax free pass [app-Ed] will improve the shopping experience for Chinese tourists by making it easier to plan their shopping trip and get their tax refund, all on their mobile device. Using the Ctrip app, customers can easily register and then locate the merchants where they can shop tax free.”

Watches of Switzerland and Aurum Group COO Tony Broderick, beieves Premier Tax Free’s new app will make a major contribution to service offered in store. Shown here, the Watches of Switzerland outlet in Heathrow Terminal 4.

The tax refund company says that according to its latest estimates, the growth of Chinese tourists travelling to Europe in 2017 will increase by 26% over last year, with even higher growth expected during the Golden Week holiday period [which is taking place in October now-Ed].

It says this new mobile tax free pass targets Chinese tourists’ high mobile usage behaviour and will save customers valuable shopping time by auto-completing tax free forms at the point of sale. Customers will also receive rewards when opting to use their tax refund within Ctrip, while they can also track the status of their refund in real-time.

Commenting on the development, Patrick Waldron, CEO of Premier Tax Free, said: “We are excited to be jointly investing with Ctrip to develop an integrated Fitch solution ahead of a pan-European roll out.

IMPROVED COMMUNICATION AND SERVICE

“It will improve the tax free shopping experience for customers, while also supporting our retail partners in driving greater revenues from international shoppers.

Chinese customers like one-to-one service and many find it preferable to work with Mandarin-speaking sales staff in premium fashion and jewellery shops in particular.

“As the leading online travel agency in China, Ctrip is an innovative and successful brand that connects us and our retail customers with some of the most influential shoppers in the world.”

Adding his comments, Tony Broderick, COO of the Aurum Group and Watches of Switzerland said: “Chinese shoppers in particular are increasingly important to us and the in-store customer experience we offer is a priority focus area for us, so much so that we employ Mandarin speakers to help them to shop.

“The Ctrip app will make a valuable contribution to helping our Chinese customers make the most of the time they spend with us.”

See also: https://www.trbusiness.com/regional-news/international/6m-chinese-to-spend-100bn-in-this-golden-week/128246