UAE/CHINA. Dubai Duty Free has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Chinese internet services company Tencent Holdings. The world’s leading travel retailer at a single airport said it aims to “leverage Tencent’s expertise and digital platforms in China, while building upon Dubai Duty Free’s global status as a retail destination”. This will also boost the retailer’s marketing outreach in China.
The collaboration will allow Chinese visitors in Dubai to use Tencent’s Social and Smart Retail Solutions, among them WeChat Pay, WeChat Mini Program and Tencent Cloud. The cooperation will also deepen Dubai Duty Free’s insight into Chinese travellers’ consumption behaviour.
The signing of the agreement took place at Tencent Binhai Tower in Shenzhen, China and the ceremony was attended by Dubai Duty Free Chief Operating Officer Ramesh Cidambi and Tencent General Manager, Hong Kong and Taiwan Office, International Business Group, Norman Tam.
Dubai Duty Free Executive Vice Chairman & CEO Colm McLoughlin said: “China is an important market for us and Dubai Duty Free is continually looking at ways that will further enhance our appeal to Chinese travellers. With its long-standing reputation for innovation, Tencent is an exciting partner for Dubai Duty Free and we look forward to working with them in the coming year.”
Ramesh Cidambi added: “I was very impressed during my visit to the Tencent offices in Shenzhen and to see first-hand this remarkable success story. We believe that this collaboration with Tencent will dramatically increase our engagement with Chinese travellers, which is something we have been focused on for some time. We will provide our Chinese customers with product knowledge and insights that will enhance their travel experience in Dubai. We look forward to launching a number of future forward initiatives in the coming weeks.”
Norman Tam said: “We are excited to partner with Dubai Duty Free to strengthen their marketing outreach efforts to consumers in China, with the Middle East being one of the major travel destinations among Chinese tourists. Building on the success of our collaboration with Dubai Tourism, we are well positioned to support Dubai Duty Free in understanding their consuming preferences and better connecting with Chinse travellers, leveraging our Social and Smart Retail Solutions. We look forward to working closely with Dubai Duty Free to enrich the travel and shopping experience of Chinese tourists.”
With 1 billion monthly active users, Tencent-owned WeChat offers a strong integrated platform to raise brand awareness among Chinese travellers. Tencent’s Social and Smart Retail Solutions will help Dubai Duty Free “optimise its return on media investments and reach out to key target audience segments,” said the retailer.
