WECHAT PAY FACILITATES CHINESE TOURIST PAYMENTS IN THAILAND
WHAT IS WECHAT PAY?
WeChat Pay is the payment method integrated in the Chinese messaging application WeChat of the giant Tencent. This is an option to activate inside WeChat, messaging application to the 850 million users.
In 2016, the total transactions on WeChat Pay was $ 550 billion.
See Number of Chinese Tourists in Thailand
WECHAT PAY OPENED INTERNATIONAL
Thanks to the WeChat Pay system which is open internationally, Chinese tourists can directly make regulations.
This will allow a fast payment, via a platform with which the Chinese have total confidence.
Moreover, at the time of payment, the buyer will be able to follow the account of the brand or the shop on WeChat, which will allow the seller to remain in contact with the buyer to better offer him other offers or services.
CHINESE TOURISTS AND THAILAND
Thailand has been the hot destination for Chinese tourists in recent years.
The most numerous tourists in Thailand are the Chinese and especially during the Songkran festival, which is the high season for Chinese tourists.
Songkran is above all a meeting and reunion for Thai families.
It is a tradition for young family members to pour scented water to jasmine on the hands of their elders to ask them for their blessing for the coming year.
It is this ritual that is at the origin of the aquatic war raging in the kingdom for three to four days each year in April.
From the Sanskrit language the word Songkran means to pass or to change. In the context of Thailand, the word implies the passage and movement of the sun, moon and other planets in one of the orbits of the zodiac.
WECHAT PAY: METHOD OF PAYMENT IN THAILAND FOR CHINESE
In early 2016, electronic payment was introduced in stores in Thailand in order to increase sales of Chinese tourists.
WeChat Pay, one of the most popular payment methods in China, has followed the steps of Chinese tourists in Thailand.
During the Songkran festival, many Chinese tourists used WeChat Pay in convenience stores, restaurants, massage parlors … whether in Chiang Mai, Phuket or Bangkok.
Although only 20-30% of payments are paid by electronic payment methods, there is a willingness to change payment because the stores have many Chinese customers.
For example, a Thai restaurant called Thevaros, where WeChat Pay was introduced 14 months ago in the Thai city of Chiang Mai, reported that their sales had increased by about 50% after WeChat Pay .
The goal of Wechat Pay in Thailand is to encourage the Chinese to buy through this relatively simple application to pay.
ADVANTAGES OF USING WECHAT PAY IN THAILAND
For Chinese tourists :
- Chinese tourists routinely purchase high-tax products in China from their family or friends. The establishment of a WeChat account by the shop will enable them to share with them available products, their price and receive a transfer of money for their purchase.
- Chinese tourists no longer need their wallet or cash to buy.
It is therefore a practical and quick way. - It’s an economic way : no commission
For sellers in Thailand :
- Helps sellers communicate with their customers and improve their service based on customer feedback.
- The volume of transactions in Thailand has increased dramatically in the new Chinese Lunar Year and the Thai New Year Songkran in 2017.
