Alipay, a unit of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, has partnered with Wirecard to enable Chinese tourists visiting Europe pay with their smartphone and Alipay app at authorised point of sale (POS) retailers.
Under the deal, German payments company Wirecard will provide barcode payments technology which retailers can integrate into existing POS systems.
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The solution can be installed directly on the merchant’s POS system or externally between the merchant’s POS system and the receipt printer, Wirecard said.
Customers paying for goods via Alipay Wallet have to show the barcode on their smartphone display to the retailer, who scans a barcode symbol with a checkout scanner.
Commenting on the partnership, Alipay head of Europe Rita Liu said: "In Wirecard, we have found a strong and flexible partner. Our plan is to enable an easy rollout of our payment and value-added services solution to various merchants in Europe. We are therefore confident that many users will be using our new, convenient and cashless offer when travelling to Europe."
Wirecard executive vice president at mobile services Jorn Leogrande said: "With our innovative ConnectedPOS technology, we can easily integrate Alipay payments in Europe without the need to alter POS software or terminal infrastructure.
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By GlobalData"Alipay is the preferred online and mobile payment tool for many Chinese users and merchants. This cooperation unlocks further sales potential from the growth market of Chinese tourists and business people. After a successful start, we plan to expand our offer for Alipay customers, for example by including integrated tax refund services."
Alipay currently has 400 million active users in China, representing an estimated 80% of the mobile payments market and 50% of the online market.
