Passengers at Frankfurt Airport can now pay at around 100 tills in all 28 Frankfurt Airport Retail (FAR) shops using their mobiles and the two largest Chinese mobile pay apps Alipay and WeChat Pay.
FAR is offering customers another payment method as part of their shopping experience, with a particular focus on Chinese travelers. Both mobile apps allow customers to carry out online payments easily and efficiently. To do this, they simply have to scan the QR code provided using the corresponding app and enter the payment amount. WeChat Pay is provided by the social platform WeChat which, aside from payments, is used for communication, entertainment and the exchange of information. Previously, Chinese customers generally used China Union Pay credit cards in FAR shops. Together with the two new apps, FAR is now covering the three biggest payment methods in China.
Georg Fuhrmann, Mmnaging director of FAR, said, “The mobile payment methods of Alipay and WeChat Pay available at Frankfurt Airport make us even more attractive to the Chinese travellers, a very important target group for us. In addition to this, the platforms are opening up completely new possibilities for addressing customers directly and for advertising attractive purchasing incentives in the form of discounts and extra benefits.”
FAR uses the app from payment service provider Wirecard to integrate Alipay and WeChat Pay into its till system. According to Wirecard, more than one billion people are now using the two mobile applications. Due to the major influence of the Chinese tourism market, the acceptance of the two payment apps is also growing globally at rapid speed.
After the successful start at Frankfurt Airport, the mobile payment app solution in the Heinemann Shops is to be introduced to another twelve European airports and then globally.