Octopus tries to win e-wallet users with HK$8 lobsters, as Hong Kong mobile payment war heats up with Chinese rivals Alipay and WeChat Pay
Local service provider is playing catch-up with firms from across the border as electronic payment market rapidly expands in city
The battle for Hong Kong’s e-payment market heated up on Thursday morning as 150 shoppers queued in the rain to snap up lobsters for just HK$8 as part of a promotional campaign by Octopus.
The local service provider sought to entice customers to sign up to its e-wallet as mainland Chinese rivals Alipay and WeChat Pay compete for everything in the city from taxis to food retailers.
Shoppers willing to pay by scanning a QR code with their smartphone using Octopus app O! ePay were offered an American lobster for only HK$8 at Heng On street market in Ma On Shan. The sea creatures usually go for about HK$180 apiece. The first 88 customers secured the deal, and there would be new offers on each of the following eight days, according to market operator Uni-China Market Management.
A fruit stall owner surnamed Ho said: “QR codes are easier for us to use as we don’t need to install a device at our stall as we do to charge Octopus cards.”
He was referring to Octopus’ stored-value contactless payment cards, which were launched in 1997 and have since come to dominate e-payments in Hong Kong, being used by residents to pay for everything from subway rides to snacks and drinks.
But Octopus has been playing catch-up in recent months to get vendors to use smartphone-based payment methods. It introduced the QR code feature last November, after AlipayHK began working with Po Tat Market in Kwun Tong to encourage shoppers to pay via QR code.