An Alipay and Nielsen survey has revealed that overseas merchants are actively exploring digital operations via Chinese mobile payments to increase sales and customer traffic.
This is demonstrated by nearly 78% of UK merchants surveyed saying they are likely to recommend Alipay to their peers, especially for utilizing digital operations to improve efficiency and turnover.
Surveying 4,837 Chinese travelers and 547 overseas merchants, the report finds that Chinese tourists’ usage of mobile payments while traveling overseas continues to increase, with Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Australia, France, Thailand, New Zealand, Canada, the UK, and the U.S. ranked as the “top 10 countries where Chinese tourists love to use mobile payments in 2019.”
This trend is taking hold, with regions like the UK accelerating the acceptance of Chinese mobile payments. Overseas merchants are also going beyond payment to explore more digitalized solutions including digital marketing, with nearly 70% of UK merchants surveyed saying they have already utilized additional services other than payment in Alipay. Nearly 88% UK merchants surveyed who have used additional services on Chinese mobile payment platforms recognized that these solutions
The transaction volume of Chinese mobile payments continues to increase. On average, Chinese tourists paid via mobile 3.4 times out of every 10 payments in 2019, up from 3.2 times in 2018.
European merchants have accelerated the adoption of Chinese mobile payment solutions. In the UK, 61% of local merchants surveyed adopted Chinese mobile payment solutions since 2019, and since then, usage among Chinese tourists has risen. The wider adoption of Chinese mobile payment solutions increases the willingness of Chinese tourist to spend. According to the survey, 92% of Chinese tourists traveling to Europe said they are more likely to pay with mobile phones if more local merchants supported Chinese mobile payment solutions, and 89% said that they are more likely to shop and spend locally.
More overseas merchants may continue to deepen their use of Chinese mobile payment platforms as they go digital - 66% of merchants surveyed hope to carry out more digital store operations and further their stores’ promotional and marketing activities by leveraging Chinese mobile payment platforms.
The improved acceptance of mobile payment solutions has also made it possible for Chinese tourists to bring less cash, with data showing that the amount of foreign currency exchanged by Chinese tourists before leaving for Europe in 2019 fell by 16%.
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