Chinese Tourists Cause Demand for Mobile Payment

BEIJING – Chinese consumers nearly expect mobile payment from vendors these days. And CNBC says that they’re taking their habits abroad, which is causing many businesses in popular tourist destinations to step up their mobile payment offerings.

A study by Nielsen found that nearly 75% of supermarkets and convenience stores in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand accept Chinese mobile payment. And 88% adopted the technology in the last two years. Of those who adopted it, 40% have experienced a boost in traffic.

The two biggest merchants are Alipay, run by Alibaba-affiliate Ant Financial, and WeChat Pay, tied to Tencent’s Chinese messaging app. Alipay requires a Chinese mobile number and bank account—so the technology isn’t accessible to locals in the tourist areas quite yet.

The upcoming Chinese New Year will spark a big boost in international travel. Thailand is expected to be the top tourist destination for Chinese next month, with Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and the U.S. close behind. Travel booking site Ctrip expects 7 million Chinese tourists to travel during the holiday.

The Nielson report also said roughly 60% or more of Chinese people surveyed said they used mobile pay during trips last year to the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France, Germany or Italy.

Payment trends and other retail innovations will be discussed at the 2019 NACS Convenience Summit Asia,  held at The Langham Shanghai Xintiandi in Shanghai, China, March 5-7, 2019.

Attendees will experience a robust conference featuring inspiring speakers and case studies and stimulating discussions on critical industry topics, plus interactive store tours.

The Summit will provide networking and collaboration with retail leaders and C-suite executives from Asia and throughout the world, deliver thought-provoking education, showcase the ways strong retailers succeed and feature diverse retail formats of some of Asia’s strongest retailers.

Global