Following a successful partnership between SIX and Alipay, Chinese travellers will now be able to use their trusted and convenient way of paying through the Alipay mobile app at the world’s most popular high-end retail stores in Europe. Wolford and Samsonite are amongst the big names that not only appeal to Chinese shoppers but also benefit from the strong purchasing power of this market group.
“We are very proud that some of our long-standing merchants are eager to participate in the field tests in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, the UK and France. It is clear there is huge customer demand for Alipay payment facilities, but most importantly for a solution, like the one from SIX Payment Services, that works effortlessly in stores”, said Roger Niederer, Head Merchant Services at SIX Payment Services.
By using the fully POS-integrated automated solution from SIX, retail stores across Europe are able to accept payments made with the Alipay mobile app without any extra effort for their staff or the customer at the check-out. Transactions are fast, secure and the familiar customer journey is convenient for Chinese tourists who visit Europe to shop and see the sights.
SIX helps Alipay and the merchants by offering cCredit, the only solution that provides ECR-integrated check-out facilities for the Alipay mobile app just as for all other payment methods. Merchants will not need to re-train their staff, ensuring that the new payment method will fit neatly into their daily operations.
Graham Carter, Vice President Direct to Consumers at Samsonite said: “We are delighted to be integrating Alipay into our payment options and providing our Chinese customers a recognisable and trusted payment option. Our staff can give our visitors from China greater choice at the check-out and simply offer Alipay alongside our other payment options.”
With two-thirds of Chinese people expecting to increase their travel budget in the next 12 months and their reputation for being the world’s biggest spenders on international tourism, this initiative is aimed at increasing the appeal of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations and providing Chinese travellers with a seamless payment experience.
Axel Dreher, CEO of Wolford, commented: "We are pleased to expand our payment choices for our customers with Alipay, supported by SIX Payment Services and we look forward to providing our stores with a recognizable and trusted payment option for our Chinese visitors. This collaboration also provides us access to the world’s largest consumer group and its marketing programmes.”
As a bonus, retailers that accept Alipay have access to Alipay’s marketing and promotion schemes reaching more than 700 million active users in China.