China: Walmart to release a mobile shopping app

Doug McMillon, CEO at Walmart, has claimed that, via the app, Chinese consumers will be able to order products, such as foods and household products, internetretailer.com reports. He also says Walmart will accept a variety of electronic payment methods so that consumers can pay with their smartphones at Walmart stores. He did not specify the payment systems, although there is rumour around Alipay from Alibaba Group and Tenpay from Tencent.

Walmart entered China in 1996 and now operates 412 stores in 165 Chinese cities. Wal-Mart has had a mobile app that lets shoppers find nearby stores but has not had an app that lets consumers make purchases. Similarly, Walmart operates an informational website at Walmart.cn. The world’s largest retailer by sales staked its claim in online retailing in China by acquiring a 51% stake in Yihaodian, a retailer mainly of food and household items.