[THE INVESTOR] Shilla Duty Free said on April 14 it has launched a mobile app and an internet mall targeting Japanese clients as its main customer base from China has dwindled.
It is the firm’s second mobile shopping mall for foreigners after the China-focused mall that opened in 2014.
Chinese travel agencies have in recent months suspended sales of tour packages to South Korea as part of the Beijing government’s retaliation against Seoul’s decision to deploy the THAAD missile defense system.
The new platforms allow Japanese customers to use Naver’s flagship Line messenger to carry out transactions. Line has become a major mobile messenger platform with more than 200 million users around the world and has a strong presence in Japan.
By Song Seung-hyun and newswires (ssh@heraldcorp.com)