February 16, 2018
Primer Group of Companies, an ever expanding retail and distribution company of the world’s top and premium consumer brands and industrial products, joins Asia United Bank’s (AUB) roster of accredited merchants for mobile payment facility WeChat Pay.
WeChat Pay is the mobile wallet inside Chinese social messaging app WeChat, which allows Chinese tourists in the Philippines to conveniently and seamlessly make cross-border payments. Launched in the Philippines last November 2017 for the first time by AUB, one of the fastest growing universal banks in the country, WeChat Pay is a fast, secure, and convenient way to pay for shopping, dining, hotel and airline bookings, and other tourism-related activities of the Chinese, now the second largest inbound tourists in the country.
“Primer Group is pleased to partner with AUB as this alliance paves the way for us to deliver superior customer experience through convenient, seamless, and secure mode of payment. By taking advantage of opportunities offered by new payment gateways, we are better poised to strengthen our position as one of the leading authorities in the retail industry, given our deep basket of travel and outdoor gear brands composed of both heavyweight and up-and-coming labels,” said Jimmy Thai, President and CEO of Primer Group of Companies.
The Chinese tourism market in the Philippines has enjoyed a tremendous growth of more than 30 percent in recent years, trailing Koreans in the number of visits to the country. In 2017, Chinese tourist arrivals reached almost the 1 million mark
The Chinese tourist segment is the largest user base of WeChat, which has 963 million monthly active users as of its most recently reported quarter, closing in on a whopping 1 billion users. Developed in its home market of China by developer Tencent, WeChat has gone beyond popular voice and text messaging features to include games and mobile payment.
“In the dynamic and fiercely competitive retail sector, it’s a must to cast a wider net and allow shoppers to purchase at their utmost convenience or at a mere click of a button,” said Mags Surtida, Head of AUB Credit Cards Business. “WeChat Pay is all about that: catering to a steadily thriving tourist base with an innovative, flexible way to pay.”
The following are Primer Group’s store branches where WeChat Pay will be rolled out starting this February:
National Capital Region
Manila
Robinsons Ermita: Backjoy, Bratpack, Columbia, DC, FitFlop, GRIND, Native and Regetta Canoe (Kiosk), Res|Toe|Run, Roxy, Sneakpeek, Stance, Mitchell & Ness (Kiosk), The North Face, The Travel Club
Lucky Chinatown: Res|Toe|Run, The Travel Club
Pasay City
SM Mall of Asia: Backjoy, Columbia, DC, FitFlop, Hedgren, Native, Roxy, The North Face, The Travel Club, Sledgers, Quiksilver
Newport: Res|Toe|Run, The Travel Club
Makati City
Glorietta 3: Flossy (Kiosk), Salomon, GRIND
Glorietta 4: Delsey, Dr. Martens, Native, Res|Toe|Run, The North Face, The Travel Club, Sledgers
Greenbelt 3: FitFlop, The Travel Club, Stance (Kiosk)
Greenbelt 5: Bratpack, Columbia, TUMI
Visayas
Cebu City
SM Cebu: Backjoy, Billabong, Columbia, DC, Dr. Martens, FitFlop, Fox, Hedgren, Herschel, Native, Quiksilver, Sea to Summit, Sledgers, The North Face, The Travel Club, Volcom
Ayala Center Cebu: Bratpack, DC, Delsey, FitFlop, Flight 001, GRIND, Herschel, Res|Toe|Run, Recreational Outdoor eXchange (R.O.X.), Sledgers, Sneakpeek, Stance, The Travel Club, TUMI
WeChat Pay accommodates both big and small merchants, where they can enjoy next-day payments from AUB. Merchants only need the AUB mobile app or a web-based payment portal , a smartphone, and internet connection to process WeChat Payments. AUB offers training and test transactions prior to payment acceptance.
Interested merchants may fill out the Contact Form at www.aub.com.ph/wechatpay or email aub.wechat@aub.com.ph.