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OSK develops WeChat app for Chinese target groups

WeChat mini program for Fraport

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Since China is already extremely important as a market for Europe and will continue to gain in importance, the communication channels preferred there are also increasingly coming into focus. Frankfurt Airport is adapting to this development and now enables Chinese travelers to shop conveniently in their favorite app: WeChat. Via a customized mini program within this popular application, they can reserve products — and then pick them up at the airport in a convenient and time-saving manner. In designing and implementing the mini program, the airport operator relied on OSK’s many years of expertise when it comes to China.

Interdisciplinary team designs custom fit solution

Mini programs are apps that work within the Chinese all around app, WeChat, and can be used to integrate a wide range of functions — from calling a cab to booking a doctor’s appointment.

With its own mini program, Fraport wants to offer customers from China another channel to make their reservations in addition to the online store. The IT experts at OSK Berlin worked closely with the customer to design and implement a custom fit solution. With consulting support from OSK’s Beijing office, OSK Cologne’s China experts supplied all the necessary texts, graphics, and content pieces. The unique challenge in developing the application for Fraport was to cast the functions in a specific mold, to adapt the programming to the WeChat environment, and to create links to existing airport systems. The user interface and convenience functions also had to match the usage habits of the target group.

The mini program, which went online in early November 2021, is the latest solution in the context of WeChat communication for Chinese travelers, which OSK has been implementing for the airport operator, Fraport, since 2019.

Numerous convenience features

Since WeChat is one of the most used apps of the target group, the choice of a mini app as a channel was obvious.

With its numerous convenience features, the airport application presents the product range of the duty-free stores, highlights product campaigns and enables product reservations. In addition to the technical implementation, OSK was responsible for the graphic design as well as the actual content — such as illustrations, icons, and texts — of the mini program.

The interplay of OSK Berlin’s IT expertise and our agency’s China expertise was once again a decisive added value for this project, that will also be valuable for future projects.