SOUTH KOREA. The Shilla Duty Free has made it possible for customers to purchase goods directly via its official WeChat account, saying it is the first Korean travel retailer to do so.
Shoppers can buy within the WeChat app if connecting from The Shilla Duty Free’s WeChat official account to its online store. Previously, customers were only able to sign up for membership and participate in events, but product purchases had to occur separately in The Shilla Duty Free mobile app.
The retailer said: “With this new service, The Shilla Duty Free is able to provide a one-stop shopping experience for its Chinese customers, [with] membership sign-up to product purchases within the WeChat app. In addition, the login status will remain active if logged in from The Shilla Duty Free’s WeChat official account, eliminating the need to log in each time customers visit.”
The Shilla Duty Free has partnered with popular Chinese mobile transaction service WeChat Pay since 2016, and run marketing programmes including direct advertisements and promotional events via the platform. Shilla has had an official WeChat account since 2011, which it uses to communicate with its Chinese customers.
To celebrate the launch of the new service, The Shilla Duty Free said it will be providing additional WeChat benefits and rewards for those customers who log into The Shilla Online Duty Free through its WeChat official account. WeChat Pay will be the only available payment method.
A spokesperson for the retailer said: “With this new service, we expect Chinese tourists to have more access to The Shilla Online Duty Free. We will continue to develop customised services that cater to different demographics of people.”
