Yandex.Checkout, an online payments service based in Russia, announced on Thursday it has integrated with WeChat Pay. According to Yandex.Checkout, the new feature will notably be well suited for merchants who are working with Chinese tourists in Russia or looking for an opportunity to start doing so.
While sharing details about the WeChat Pay integration, Anna Kuzmina, Deputy Chief Commercial Officer at Yandex.Checkout, stated:
“Yandex.Checkout is one of the first companies to introduce WeChat Pay to the Russian market, which can be used as an additional advantage for stores interested in selling goods and services to Chinese tourists. Russia welcomes approximately 1.5 million Chinese tourists annually, and Yandex.Checkout offers a payment method that they are accustomed to. Merchants benefit from WeChat Pay with increasing average check and sales volume when working with tourists from China.”
Yandex.Checkout also reported it has already helped implement payment acceptance through WeChat Pay to the home appliance and digital electronics retail chain Citilink, with 7 large outlets in Moscow and fivve in Saint Petersburg so far. Payments on WeChat Pay are contactless and processed through QR codes. At checkout, the customers simply need to open the WeChat app on their smartphone, let the cashier scan the QR code, and confirm the payment from their phone. The company added:
“Entering into a contract with Yandex.Checkout, companies can implement WeChat Pay inside PoS software or download a special app for Android to a smartphone or tablet. The app allows scanning QR codes for accepting payments.”