Charles & Keith outlet in NEX shopping mall, Singapore.
Ask any Singaporean to name a local brand, and Charles & Keith will definitely come to mind. Founded in 1996 by brothers Charles and Keith Wong, the brand has expanded its global reach to over 40 countries, including China, France, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and many Southeast Asian countries. Last year, Charles & Keith garnered further publicity when Game of Thrones actress Maisie Williams carried its bags throughout the Emmy weekend. In China, Charles & Keith is known as 小CK, and has already garnered a loyal following. It has its own WeChat Official Account in China, allowing WeChat users to browse through their products and purchase them directly through the mobile app.Charles & Keith's WeChat Official Account
In the midst of Singapore’s subdued retail climate, more local retailers are turning to other sources of sales, especially from mainland Chinese tourists. China is the number one market for arrivals to Singapore, with over 2.6 million visitors from China from January to November in 2016, according to an article from The Straits Times. The growing number of incoming Chinese tourists presents a huge potential for retailers in Singapore. Learning from the success of their China counterpart, Charles & Keith Singapore is using WeChat Pay as a start to infiltrate the Chinese market. WeChat Pay is a mobile-payment service available for WeChat users, allowing Chinese tourists to pay using Renminbi, while Charles & Keith Singapore will receive the money using local currency.A display sign on the cashier counter informs customers that Charles and Keith accepts Alipay and WeChat Pay.
FOMO Pay assisted the Charles & Keith Singapore team by helping them reach and connect with more Chinese consumers using social media, and conducted extensive internal training prior to the launch of WeChat Pay in-store. “After integrating with FOMO Pay, the result is immediate! We saw our transaction volume growth in a very short period of time,” said Arun, Senior Information Technology Manager, Charles & Keith Singapore.