Affinity China, American Express program to help Hawaii retailers lure Chinese customers

Christine Lu is CEO of Los Angeles-based Affinity China, which is partnering with American Express on a program that will help Hawaii retailers lure high-spending Chinese customers to their stores.

Los Angeles-based Affinity China and American Express are partnering to offer a program that will give Hawaii retailers and hoteliers an opportunity to lure independent, affluent Chinese visitors to spend money at their businesses.

The program will be announced at a ?China Ready? seminar hosted by the Hong Kong Business Association of Hawaii on July 24 at the Ala Moana Hotel.

Affinity China CEO Christine Lu said anyone who is trying to sell to the Chinese, and especially retailers and hoteliers, would benefit from attending the seminar. It is not necessary to attend the seminar in order to participate in the program, though.

Affinity China is partnering with American Express and its Global Travel Card program, which allows Chinese travelers to deposit up to $40,000 in U.S. currency onto a prepaid travel card that can be used anywhere in the world American Express is accepted.

The ?17 Hawaii? program, which sounds like ?I want to go to Hawaii? when spoken in Chinese, will help guide Chinese visitors to Hawaii businesses and hotels participating in it. It launches the first week in October during Chinese Golden Week, and will continue as a year-round program.

It will be marketed in China and amplified by Chinese celebrities traveling to Hawaii with Affinity China and by Chinese media partners helping to promote the 17 Hawaii program, Lu said.

?For the merchants, the benefit is knowing when that customer comes in, they either have an app or American Express card already loaded and they?re ready to spend. It?s really meant to drive [business] and engagement to the stores,? Lu said.

The 17 Hawaii program will launch in Hawaii first, followed by a rollout to key cities on the Mainland by Chinese New Year 2014.

Stephanie Silverstein covers tourism, retail and money for Pacific Business News.

Source: http://feeds.bizjournals.com/~r/bizj_pacific/~3/j5fI4AZVFLc/affinity-china-american-express.html

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