The move to open Alipay Wallet up to a wider range of merchants, including vendors on the Taobao Marketplace and Tmall.com, is a step toward making the app a more complete platform for (mobile) online shopping and lifestyle services.
Alipay Wallet, the mobile application for e-payments provider Alipay, already includes functions that include making e-payments at brick-and-mortar shops and booking transportation and doctor appointments via smartphone.
Alipay has been recruiting merchants for its wallet app since June and now has over 1,000.
Retailers who set up in-app storefronts are able to sell and market a variety of goods and services to Alipay Wallet users. They also gain access to data analytic tools that allow them to personalize services and product recommendations for individual consumers.
Merchants can also launch marketing initiatives such as offering discounts, coupons and special membership privileges to Alipay Wallet users. In June, Yihaodian, a Chinese online grocery store majority-owned by WalMart, launched a store front on Alipay Wallet, allowing customers to buy groceries from their Alipay Wallet app.
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