Currently, DFS accepts WeChat Pay at DFS, San Francisco International Airport and T Galleria by DFS, Hawaii, and will roll out to other DFS locations including DFS, Los Angeles International Airport; DFS, John F. Kennedy International Airport and DFS, Hawaii Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in the coming months.
LAS VEGAS – CITCON, the leading cross-border mobile payment company, announced a partnership with DFS Group, to launch WeChat Pay at DFS, San Francisco International Airport and T Galleria by DFS, Hawaii.
As the world traveler's preferred destination for luxurious shopping, DFS is taking travel retail one step further by integrating the most popular and preferred choice of payment, WeChat Pay, used by one billion Chinese consumers, who will enjoy the same payment experience by just scanning a QR code to make a payment when traveling abroad as they do in China. The cross-border payment solutions allow Chinese consumers to purchase a variety of DFS' products via their WeChat mobile wallet with Chinese Yuan.
DFS offers a selection of exceptional products from over 700 of the most desired brands – including LVMH Group brands – as well as personalized high-end services, putting it in an excellent position to capture the tremendous momentum seen in this channel. DFS brings together world-class brands and personalized services in a modern and inviting shopping environment for the world traveler. They operate stores in 13 major airports around the world, providing the ultimate convenience for customers as they travel to and from their destinations, as well as offering downtown T Galleria stores in 18 iconic cities, serving as luxury shopping destinations unto themselves.
"Travel retail is a major growth engine driving the luxury retail sector today, and partnering with CITCON to accept WeChat Pay in multiple payment scenarios allows us to provide an integral and seamless payment experience that Chinese consumers are familiar and comfortable with," said Mike Osorio, Region President Americas, Pacific Islands, Japan at DFS Group, "We put our customers at the heart of our business, and these new innovations, along with our offer of exceptional products and unparalleled services, help us to provide our customers with a delightful shopping experience throughout their customer journey."
China has been the world's number one outbound tourism country for four consecutive years, accounting for over 13% of the total tourism revenue globally. United States has been one of the most popular destinations for Chinese travelers. In 2020, five million Chinese travelers are expected to spend $80 billion in the United States. Travel retail is worth about 15% of the broader personal luxury goods market, and the global value of travel retail itself is set to reach $85 billion by 2020. Chinese consumers will remain one of the biggest drivers of growth in the global luxury market in the foreseeable future.
"The tourism market is evolving. Consumers are moving rapidly from their first overseas trips and first luxury purchases to become extremely sophisticated travelers and discerning consumers," said Chuck Huang, Founder & CEO at CITCON. "Providing a good customer service with Chinese-tailored solutions is especially important and payment plays a key role in today's new commerce environment. CITCON shares the common goal with DFS to bring the innovation of mobile payment to exceed customers' expectations. In addition, the mobile payment solution provided by CITCON enables retailers such as DFS to develop a more interactive mobile marketing and commerce channel to engage with their customers."
"We are thrilled to partner with DFS Group to pilot launch WeChat Pay at two of the most popular U.S. destinations for Chinese travelers, in addition to the earlier launch on its WeChat Mini program which allows customers to easily pre-order and pay for their purchases using WeChat Pay and pick up at DFS stores. We look forward to the greater partnership with DFS to expand the WeChat Pay acceptance at more locations in the near future," said Wei Jiang, COO and President at CITCON.
Currently, DFS accepts WeChat Pay at DFS, San Francisco International Airport and T Galleria by DFS, Hawaii, and will roll out to other DFS locations including DFS, Los Angeles International Airport; DFS, John F. Kennedy International Airport and DFS, Hawaii Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in the coming months.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
