Wirecard Enables E-commerce Channel for IKEA Thailand's First Online Store

Tuesday 11 June 2019 13:28
- Wirecard to provide digital payment services for Swedish furniture brand in Thailand, after implementing its platform services in Singapore and Malaysia

- Across Thailand, businesses earned an estimated 3.3 billion euros in revenue through e-commerce in 2018

- Customers benefit from a consistent and integrated payment experience across all IKEA stores in Thailand

Wirecard, the global innovation leader in digital financial technology, enables payments for Thailand's first IKEA online store. With this partnership, Wirecard ensures smooth digital payment transactions for IKEA Thailand and enables customers to conveniently order and pay for their purchases, and have them either delivered or collect them at IKEA stores. As a result, customers across Thailand will benefit from a consistent and integrated payment experience.

E-commerce is becoming more popular in Thailand. Currently, there are 39.8 million e-commerce users in Thailand, with that number expected to increase to 45.3 million by 2022. A sharp increase in the overall number of internet users, along with the spread of e-commerce platforms and improved delivery logistics, have led to an e-commerce boom in the Southeast Asian country. In 2018, total e-commerce revenue in Thailand amounted to 3.3 billion euros, with the top three purchase categories being electronics and media, fashion, and furniture and appliances.

"With the opening of our online store in Thailand, we are bringing affordable, beautiful home furnishing solutions to people in all corners of the country," said Koen Besteman, Head of E-Commerce at IKEA Southeast Asia. "Now, people who live hundreds of kilometres from our big, blue-box stores in Bangkok can find inspiration on our website, shop for any of the 8,000+ products in our range, order, pay and arrange for delivery."

"We are happy to have an experienced partner like Wirecard by our side, ensuring that all of our online customers enjoy a smooth and user-friendly shopping experience," added Koen Besteman.

The announcement is a result of a partnership between Wirecard and Ikano, owner and operator of IKEA stores in Southeast Asia. With Wirecard's business expansion into the Thai market, merchants can successfully launch their e-commerce business that connects to the Wirecard platform, while providing a seamless and fuss-free payment experience for consumers. In addition to Thailand, Wirecard already provides digital payments services for IKEA online stores in Singapore and Malaysia.

"As innovation and technology change customers' expectations and shape the way people shop, it is crucial for businesses to transform to meet the needs of the new generation of tech-savvy shoppers," said Jeffry Ho, Regional Managing Director at Wirecard. "IKEA Thailand has reacted to this demand, and we are proud to be their digital payment partner of choice. Through this cooperation, we are bringing our Unified Commerce shopping experience to even more customers worldwide."

About Wirecard:

Wirecard (GER: WDI) is one of the world's fastest growing digital platforms in the area of financial commerce. We provide both business customers and consumers with a constantly expanding ecosystem of real-time value-added services built around innovative digital payments by using an integrated B2B2C approach. This ecosystem concentrates on the areas payment & risk, retail & transaction banking, loyalty & couponing, data analytics & conversion rate enhancement in all sales channels (online, mobile, ePOS). Wirecard operates regulated financial institutions in several key markets and holds issuing and acquiring licenses from all major payment and card networks. Wirecard AG is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (DAX and TecDAX, ISIN DE0007472060). Visit us on www.wirecard.com, follow us on Twitter @wirecard and on Facebook @wirecardgroup.

About IKEA Southeast Asia

We create a better everyday life for the many people through our IKEA stores and Ikano shopping centres in Southeast Asia. We own and operate IKEA in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and are readying to enter the Philippines and Vietnam - offering well-designed, functional home furnishing products from Sweden at prices so low that as many people as possible can afford them. Our Ikano Centres are anchored by IKEA and create meeting destinations where people can shop, eat and play. We have multiple projects in the pipeline and an ambition to double our business in coming years. We are part of the Ikano Group of companies and the only IKEA franchisee in the world today that is owned by the Kamprad family that founded IKEA.

Wirecard media contact:

Wirecard AG

Jana Tilz

Tel.: +49(0)89-4424-1363

Email: [email protected]

IKEA Southeast Asia media contact:

IKEA Southeast Asia

Corinna Schuler

Tel.: + 65-9112-4812

Email: [email protected]