Sinopec launches online payment service
China Petroleum, or Sinopec, the country's biggest shale gas producer, launched smart services on Wednesday by allowing drivers to pay charges via mobile platforms after buying gasoline in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.
The move, in cooperation with Tencent Holdings Ltd, one of the country's leading Internet service providers, is seen as part of efforts by Sinopec to provide convenient online services for customers, according to the company.
Customers in Shenzhen are allowed to pay fuel bills and buy goods at the city's 94 gasoline stations via WeChat, a major instant online message platform developed by Tencent, according to the company which said the service will be expanded nationwide in the near future.
"As a traditional gasoline provider, we will introduce more online-to-offline services to cater to the growing demand from our customers," said Zhang Wensheng, deputy general manger of Sinopec's Guangdong division.
According to Zhang, the company has introduced an "Internet plus oil sales" strategy by launching an O2O shopping mall, a mobile application and a one-stop mobile service platform in the near future.
"More O2O services will help boost efficiency and better provide services for our customers," said Zhang.
Sinopec has more than 2,500 gasoline stations and 2,200 grocery stores in Guangdong, serving more than 80 percent of drivers in the province.