Visa has launched the Visa Checkout platform in Hong Kong today, following a gradual worldwide launch first initiated in July, 2014 in the US, Canada and Australia. Visa Checkout is designed to be a quick and easy way to pay online, on any device in just a few clicks. Advantageously, Visa Checkout stores billing and shipping data so that shoppers can check out in seconds on any device.
“Consumers in Hong Kong are tech-savvy and more connected than ever. Internet penetration stands at 79 percent and nearly four in five own a smartphone. Ecommerce is on the rise as well, with mobile shoppers making 23 percent more purchases on the go as compared to 2014 and cross-border purchases increasing by nearly the same amount,” said Visa.
“As more and more people across our region turn to their mobile devices to shop, the time has never been better to introduce a streamlined way to pay on similar devices with a brand that consumers already know and trust,” said Caroline Ada, Country Manager, Hong Kong and Macau, Visa. “With Visa Checkout, consumers not only can pay in just a few clicks, they can also enjoy a peace of mind of using one of the most secure online payment services in the world.”
CONVENIENCE AND EASE
Visa Checkout is a streamlined checkout experience that is intuitive to use and saves shoppers time. Users simply enter a username and password to pay, rather than a 16-digit credit card number and expiry date at every transaction. Online purchases can easily be completed by using a smartphone, tablet, laptop or PC. The platform is designed so that customers never have to leave the merchant’s website to complete a purchase.
For online merchants, Visa helps provide a quick and easy checkout experience to enhance satisfaction and encourage customers to return to the site for repeat purchases. “Visa Checkout drives higher conversion rates, a 66 percent improvement over traditional checkout. Moreover, customers using Visa Checkout have higher-than average transactions and complete more transactions overall,” explained Visa.
Visa Checkout is now accepted at a wide variety of online merchants in Hong Kong, including Broadway Circuit, DimBuy, Hong Kong Airlines, PARKnSHOP and Zuji, providing the public with greater convenience and ease in paying for movie tickets, travel, fashion items and groceries online.
“Going for movie is a popular leisure activity for Hong Kong people. With Visa Checkout, movie lovers, even with a small screen on their smartphones, can organise cinema trips and purchase movie tickets with just a few clicks,” said Grace Cheung, General Manager of Broadway Circuit. “We are keen to provide our customers an enhanced and seamless online purchase experience, so they can enjoy convenience and great movies at any time.”
PARKnSHOP’s, Head of eCommerce, Rex Wong added: “The checkout expedites online payment, and PARKnSHOP has been offering online purchase services since 1998. We’re delighted to make Visa Checkout available to our valued customers who deserve a simple way to purchase groceries and daily necessities online. Hong Kong people are extremely busy, so by offering a quick and easy online payment solution, our customers can enjoy everyday shopping on our e-marketplace.”
In addition, Visa Checkout is available to thousands of online merchants through payment gateway provider CyberSource, a wholly-owned subsidy of Visa Inc., and the leading payment gateway provider in Asia, AsiaPay.
Since its launch in 2014, more than seven million users in 16 markets around the world have signed up for accounts. More than 250,000 large and small merchants and 470 financial institution partners from around the world offer Visa Checkout. These represent some of the biggest retailers on the internet; including Abercrombie, Orbitz, Shutterfly and Virgin America.
