disinfecting hyper-connected kiosks clientele
hyper-connected clientele
At payment terminals and in-store, mobile payment
is attracting not only Chinese tourists, but a new
hyper-connected clientele.
The hyper-
connected clientele
by Mathias Michelangeli,
Senior Business Developer, Limonetik
China has expanded into mobile
payment faster than any other country in
the world. And Chinese tourists stick to
their habits when they travel.
According to Neilson, In 2019 69% of
Chinese tourists used mobile payments
(mainly Alipay and WeChat Pay) while
shopping abroad, up 4% on the previous
year. Merchants outside of China
therefore have a strong incentive to
offer this payment method.
The main challenge is to entice
Chinese tourists, create a competitive
advantage, provide a tool to attract new
customers who use mobile payment,
reduce waiting time at checkout, provide
omni-channel shopping and improve the
customer experience.
In recent years, the travel habits
of Chinese tourists have changed
considerably. Data has shown they
travel less in groups and visit fewer
countries per trip (generally around four,
including France, Italy and Switzerland).
The result of this behavioural change is
twofold: there are a growing number of
individual travellers who prefer theme
trips and an increase in “repeaters”, that
is, tourists who follow the trends started
by influencers. This hyper-connected
customer base is, in fact, rooted in socalled
e-tourism or M-tourism.
From M-tourism to M-payment
Ardent users of technology, these
consumers have become “prosumers”
– consumers who produce information,
in this case, related to tourism. They
express, exchange, and share their
opinions on their smartphones over the
social media, replacing the traditional
not-very-interactive tour guides with
smart devices, which have conversational
capability.
Chinese tourists also prefer to make
purchases using their smartphones.
Many consider travelling with cash as
impractical, not to mention unsafe.
They prefer paying by mobile phone,
which is more convenient and secure.
In Nielsen's 2019 study, New Trends for
Mobile Payment in Chinese Outbound
Tourism, when asked what criteria
influenced their shopping habits abroad,
Chinese tourists rated payment method
at 37%, ahead of product quality (36%)
and price (36%). In the same study,
“89% of Chinese tourists said they
would make more purchases if more
merchants offered mobile payment
solutions”.
Some merchants have incorporated
these findings into their sales strategy.
They are implementing solutions
designed to satisfy consumers who
are passionate about technology
and maintaining their independence.
McDonald's, for example, has installed
self-service kiosks for customers to
order meals. Menus are translated into
the local language and visual content is
tailored to the culture of each country.
This strategy solves the problem of the
language barrier with staff, simplifies
ordering and payment procedures, and
increases the accuracy and efficiency of
service.
At airports, kiosks have been set
up to facilitate VAT refunds, thereby
reducing waiting time at the counter.
Another example is IPM, a business
that provides interactive terminals
called Easykiosks that can deliver public
transport passes or SIM cards. The IPM
system drastically reduces waiting time
at checkout and improves the customer's
shopping experience. In the not-sodistant
future, kiosks and terminals will
all be offering new international payment
methods through mobile payment. Or
maybe the future is already here.
Digital marketing boosts
mobile payment
By leveraging the power of digital
marketing and the blend of media and
interactive channels, merchants can
increase their visibility and improve
their sales tenfold. By informing
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