Sheremetyevo introduces WeChat Pay

Yandex.Checkout becomes a partner of Sheremetyevo Duty Free Heinemann to provide 54 duty-free and retail stores on the territory of the Sheremetyevo International Airport with WeChat Pay. 

This service works as an e-wallet based on the Chinese WeChat messenger. Now, Chinese tourists will be able to pay for purchases in Sheremetyevo Duty Free Heinemann stores as quickly, conveniently, and safely as they do at home

“Sheremetyevo is the leader among Russian airports in terms of passenger traffic from China, both main and transit. Chinese buyers are the key audience for our trading network. Expanding payment options for customers is a prerequisite for quality service in our stores. Given the diverse functionality and the popularity of WeChat in China, payments with this messenger definitely have commercial potential for us. We hope the cooperation with Yandex.Checkout will be long and successful for both parties,” says Vitaly Bavin, CEO of the Sheremetyevo Duty Free Heinemann (Imperial Duty Free JSC).

Payments via WeChat Pay are contactless and processed via QR codes. At checkout, the customers simply need to open the WeChat app on their smartphone, generate the code for the purchase amount in the messenger, let the cashier scan the QR code, and confirm the payment from their phone. No commission is charged from the customer.

According to the WeChat’s data, the company’s messenger is used by 1 billion people every month, and the WeChat Pay service is used by 900 million people. Presently, payments via WeChat Pay are accepted at over 1 million outlets worldwide.

Thanks to Yandex.Checkout, any company can accept payments via WeChat Pay. All you need to do is enter into a contract with the payment solution and install its Android app on a smartphone or tablet. This application will allow you to generate and scan QR codes and use them to accept payments.

Sheremetyevo seek to create comfortable conditions for Chinese passengers: loudspeaker announcements, indoor navigation signs, the official website and a guidebook about Moscow, are available in Chinese.

Sheremetyevo is the only European air hub serving 8 Chinese airlines. The airport ranks first in the world in Chinese-European transfers: in 2018, more than 1 million 190 thousand passengers had a transfer in Sheremetyevo, which is 13.4% more compared to 2017. In 2018, passenger traffic between Sheremetyevo Airport and China exceeded 2 million 362 thousand people, making it 14% more than a year earlier.

Sheremetyevo Duty Free Heinemann is the largest network of duty-free shops on the territory of Russian airports. The network includes 54 outlets located at terminals A, B, D, E, F of the Sheremetyevo International Airport. Sheremetyevo Duty Free Heinemann stores offer perfume and cosmetics, alcohol, apparel, watches, jewelry, and more.

Sheremetyevo International Airport is the largest Russian airport in terms of passenger and freight traffic, takeoff and landing operations, the area of the airport facilities and the capacity of the cargo facilities. The Sheremetyevo route network comprises more than 220 destinations. In 2018, Sheremetyevo handled 45 million 836 thousand passengers what is 14.3 more than in 2017.

Sheremetyevo International Airport is Russia’s first airport to receive the “China Friendly” certificate that ensures the highest level of services for PRC passengers travelling to the Russian Federation.