• Published on 5 August 2024
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Central Retail drives innovation, as Alipay+ tourist transactions double

Central Retail Corporation Public Company (CRC) is leading the way in the retail and wholesale industry by successfully digitalising and engaging more tourists through its strategic partnership with Alipay+, the cross-border mobile payment and digitalisation solutions operated by Ant International.

While Chinese tourists continue to be one of the biggest spenders at Central Retail’s stores, the number of transactions via other Alipay+ partners have doubled in Q2 vs Q1 2024, with top spenders coming from Hong Kong SAR, Malaysia,  Philippines and South Korea, via AlipayHK, Touch ‘n Go eWallet, GCash and Kakao Pay.

Central Retail started to accept Alipay for Chinese tourists in 2015 and expanded its partnership with Alipay+ in July 2023 to cater to the new digital-first habits of today’s travellers, accepting 13 international mobile payment apps, from eight destinations, across all its 3,000 stores in Thailand.

Piyawan Leelasompop, head of corporate marketing at CRC, said: “Our goal has always been to provide a superior shopping experience to all our customers, and with the changing expectations of tourists today, our partnership with Alipay+ has allowed us to leverage innovation to take our engagement with tourists to the next level. By accepting multiple leading international payment apps via Alipay+, it enables us to reach more tourists from top inbound destinations to Thailand and make every transaction seamless, quick and familiar.”

Further strengthening its retail and wholesale innovation, Central Retail will join the Amazing Thailand e-card, an exclusive tourist privilege programme, which Alipay+ launched in collaboration with the Tourism Authority of Thailand in June 2024. The Amazing Thailand e-card will enable Central Retail to connect with tourists directly in-app, increasing the visibility of its stores, and offering additional promotions and more targeted engagements. It will first be available on Alipay for Chinese tourists, and further rolled out to other Alipay+ partners.

Piyawan said: “Now as we gear up for the year-end travel season, we’re furthering our partnership with Alipay+ with more targeted in-app marketing, which has allowed us to directly engage with tourists through their e-wallets and offer more relevant campaigns. Central Retail’s stores are the favourite shopping destinations for Chinese tourists, and through the new Amazing Thailand e-card and ongoing joint campaigns such as for the upcoming Golden week, we aim to introduce the most exciting campaigns for them. We will continue to enhance our payments and in-app marketing capabilities to reach more Chinese and other international tourists, drive customer satisfaction, offer the best and most personalised rewards, and boost the growth of our stores.”

Central Retail’s extensive network of stores enable Alipay+ partner users to use their home payment app wherever they go in Thailand and for day-to-day conveniences. This year, tourists have been spending the most at Central Retail’s stores in Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai. While retail remains the most popular activity for tourists, spending at supermarkets is one of the fastest-growing categories, with transactions at Tops increasing by more than four times in Q2 vs Q1 2024. Other than Central and Robinson Department Stores, Alipay+ is also accepted at Central Retail’s stores like Supersports, Tops, Power Buy, B2S, OfficeMate, Tops Vita, Matsukiyo and Muji.

Sittipong Kittiprapapong, general manager for global merchant partnership in Thailand, Ant International, said: “Thailand is one of the most popular destinations for global tourists, and Central Retail, as the leading retailer in Thailand, boasts stores that are must-visit spots, whether they are shopping malls or convenience stores. Since we partnered with Central Retail to enable more cross-border mobile payment, we’re proud to see that our joint effort is bearing fruit, with strong transaction growth across multiple retail categories and in different top cities, which shows that tourists have a preference for paying with their home payment apps while overseas. Our recent introduction of the Alipay+ D-hub and Amazing Thailand e-card reflect our ongoing effort to drive travel and retail innovation alongside our local partners, and we look forward to digitalising even more of the travel ecosystem and enhance the travel experience in Thailand.”

Central Retail and Alipay+ has a series of exciting deals and promotions ready to attract more tourists and boost transactions, including Amazing Thailand Card, Summer and Golden Week Campaign (July to October 2024), and Year-end Campaign (December 2024 to February 2025).

These campaigns are designed to draw tourists and encourage them to shop at Central Retail’s stores, further reinforcing Central Retail’s top position in the retail and wholesale industry.

Re-disseminated by The Asian Banker