To satisfy its hyper-connected Chinese customers, Lagardère Travel Retail France is deploying WeChat Pay, the ubiquitous secure electronic payment service in its 14 Duty Free and Fashion shops at Nice Côte d’Azur airport. With more than 800 million users, WeChat Pay is very widely used in China, where more than 70% of transactions are now conducted via mobile devices.
It is only natural for Lagardère Travel Retail France to offer this seamless service to Chinese passengers, which will enhance their shopping experience.
This adoption of WeChat Pay is part of Lagardère Travel Retail France’s Asian client base growth strategy. More and more Chinese tourists are coming to France, with a forecast of 5 million visitors by 2020. Today, the introduction of WeChat Pay bolsters an ambitious offer which includes Chinese sales advisers who have already been recruited to meet the needs of these customers and ensure that they have a privileged shopping experience.
“This solution is a perfect fit with our promise to offer passengers entering our shops a creative, expert service which offers a simplified and pleasant shopping experience” says Anne-Gaël Normand, Director of Aeroboutique Shopping Operations at Lagardère Travel Retail France
With this new initiative, Lagardère Travel Retail France shares Nice Côte d’Azur airport’s ambition to aease the shopping experience in Nice and make it uniquely special for all Chinese travellers by developing new services to enable them to gain time and comfort.
Chinese passengers also have access to a dedicated website via the airport’s free WiFi, also available in Mandarin. This site gives them quick access to all the “essentials” for arrivals and departures (real-time flight information, transportation, information about VAT refunds, links to tourist sites, etc.).
Other services with special meaning for these customers have been rolled out in departure lounges, such as the provision of Chinese noodles, a link to the China Daily website on shared tablets, and the Côte magazine in Chinese (“Wan Jia”).
Since 2018, airport signage has been translated into Mandarin and a dedicated welcome booth is available in each terminal with an interactive Mandarin-only display point.
Lastly, Nice Côte d’Azur airport has also provided an E-concierge service in Mandarin which can be downloaded on smartphone to answer the various questions Chinese visitors may have.
Dominique Thillaud, Chairman of the Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur board, says: “To perfect our welcome of Chinese visitors arriving in Europe for the first time, we felt it was vitally important to improve our communication, and make their journey as fluid as possible. Lagardère Travel Retail France’s adoption of WeChat Pay is an additional step that shows that Nice Côte d’Azur airport is now fully ready to welcome Chinese passengers arriving directly from China.”
The Group chose the Sixième Son agency to compose a piece of music that would reflect its exceptional region, its spirit of innovation and its sense of operational excellence. The unique and personal result is designed to follow passengers throughout their journey.
The airport, Aelia Duty Free shops and L'Oréal Paris are offering you the chance to come up and enjoy an exceptional experience.
Marjorie Poli, Coordinator at Nice Côte d'Azur Airport's Operations Control Centre, is taking part in the 33rd Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles, the official start of which is scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday 13 April, from the start village in Monaco (Espace Fontvieille).