For many Chinese tourists the choice of payment options at a merchant influences their purchase decisions. Worldline, the European market leader which SIX Payment Services belongs to since late 2018, is integrating WeChat Pay, one of China’s most popular mobile payment systems, into the payment solution at its POS-terminals. Therefore, Chinese tourists, who spent almost CHF660 million in Switzerland in 2018, are now more likely to make additional purchases in Swiss stores using WeChat Pay which has 800 million users.

Any merchant accepting WeChat Pay payments are at a distinct advantage when it comes to Chinese tourists as WeChat Pay is extremely popular among its Chinese user base. Accepting Chinese mobile payment brands increases their propensity to spend by 91%*. WeChat Pay compatibility also boosts the chances of impulse purchases. “Merchants would like to offer their customers the smoothest user experience. We support them in achieving this. Since the integration of Alipay and WeChat Pay, Chinese customers in Switzerland can pay just as easily as they can at home”, commented Marc Schluep, CEO of Worldline Switzerland. A prime destination for tourists, Switzerland can now pride itself in offering the latest mobile payment technology.

Chinese tourists are becoming more and more important for the Swiss economy. In 2017, they spent an average of several hundred Swiss francs per day, plus another CHF1,300 in retail stores. Next year, the number of nights that visitors from China spend in Swiss hotels is forecast to grow by a further 13%.

WeChat Pay is part of WeChat, a product of the Chinese internet group Tencent. WeChat began as a messaging service akin to WhatsApp and today has approximately one billion active users. Meanwhile, a whole raft of other features have been added to the application.

Worldline is WeChat Pay’s preferred Acquiring partner in Europe, and so merchants using Worldline’s services can seamlessly add this proven payment system to the options they offer their customers. No additional steps are required to pay using WeChat Pay - scanning the QR-Code is all that is needed. The necessary technology is already integrated in Worldline’s payment solution and the software update is automatically rolled-out to the terminals.

*Source: Nielsen “Outbound Chinese Tourism and Consumption Trend: 2017 Survey”