WeChat Pay's European Flagship Smart Airport to open at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol accelerating spread of WeChat ecosystem overseas

AMSTERDAM, May 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- WeChat Pay and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol jointly launched Europe's first flagship WeChat Pay Smart Airport. The flagship exists of three services: WeChat Official Account, WeChat Mini Program and WeChat Pay in Store.  As a result Chinese passengers could enjoy a series of seamless smart lifestyle experiences similar of those in China. With this partnership, Schiphol wants to increase the travel and retail experience of the growing number of Chinese passengers at their airport.

Dave Fan, Senior Director of WeChat Pay, said: "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."

Tanja Dik, Director Consumers Products & Services at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol said: "Schiphol welcomes more and more Chinese passengers every year. In 2018 more than 500,000 departing Chinese passengers passed the airport. 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."

The Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Mini Program not only provides practical airport access information, but also offers (online) shopping services, covering a wide range of products such as beauty, fashion, watches and jewelery, and authentic Dutch souvenirs. Customers can order and pay for their goods using WeChat Pay, and collect at the airport, saving them the time of finding goods and queuing to pay.

Besides the Mini Program, Schiphol sets WeChat Pay experience zones within the airport to provide assistance to Chinese travellers, and also has its merchants ready for WeChat Pay as one of their mobile payment methods. Chinese tourists will also receive coupons for preferred currency exchange rate and discounts, at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

This collaboration is an important step in the process of WeChat Pay's cross-border payment business entering the European market. It will serve as a showcase for WeChat Pay's future entry into other industries focusing on Chinese tourists, including restaurants, retail, and tourist attractions. Continues its ONE FOR BILLION business initiative, WeChat Pay provides merchants with not only an advanced mobile payment method, but also ONE platform which enables long-term communications and customized customer services for BILLIONS of Chinese consumers. 

Almost 1.1 billion active users worldwide 
According to latest data, in 2018, more than 149 million Chinese tourists travelled abroad, and Europe took up 11 percent of it. Capitalizing on the dividends of Chinese tourist traffic will be key in the future competition among European airports and other tourism related industries. WeChat has almost 1.1 billion active users worldwide, of which 800 million have banks cards linked with WeChat Pay. WeChat Pay has officially entered more than 49 overseas countries and regions, making it an excellent way for overseas institutions and merchants such as Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to reach and connect Chinese tourists.

WeChat Pay brings its smart ecosystem to Europe
Customer experience at every step of the travel and shopping journey can affect the final payment, and this wider consideration of users' consumption habits was an important factor for WeChat Pay to establish its ecosystem overseas. In China, smart lifestyle solutions with WeChat Pay at their core now cover tens of millions of stores across all areas of life to satisfy users' everyday needs. Many Chinese people are used to going out without their wallets, and WeChat Pay aims to provide the same convenient experience to them when they travel abroad. As the first stop for Chinese tourists, airports have become the obvious choice for WeChat Pay around which to build a smart lifestyle showcase which Chinese tourists can enjoy as they do at home.

As of April 2019, the number of merchants in the European region offering WeChat Pay as a payment method was 3.5 times higher than that of last year. WeChat has already connected with more than 149 international airports. It offers a wide range of services for different situations, including Code Scan Payment, Mini Program Tour Guides, Mini Program Ordering, and Travel Information and Travel Guides on Official Accounts in different airports. Flagship WeChat Pay Smart Airports have been established at the New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, Japan. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is WeChat Pay's European first Flagship Smart Airport.

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