AUSTRALIA. Heinemann Australia has “bolstered payment options” for Chinese consumers at its Sydney Airport stores by accepting Alipay.
The move will likely be welcomed by Heinemann’s Chinese customers in the run-up to China’s new year celebrations on 5 February.
Heinemann Australia runs duty free operations across seven stores at Sydney, the busiest airport in Australia, which handles about 15 million passengers annually. Almost half of the 1.4 million Chinese visitors who arrive in Australia each year travel through the airport.
Chinese visitors spent about A$10.4 billion (£5.8 billion) in Australia in 2017, a figure predicted to rise to A$13 billion (£7.3 billion) by 2020.
Last month, Heinemann’s shops at Gold Coast International Airport also began to accept Alipay, following a deal signed last year between Alipay, the Chinese-run mobile and online payment platform, and Australian commercial bank Tyro.
Heinemann Australia is a wholly owned subsidiary of Gebr. Heinemann.
Alipay is China’s most popular payment method, with more than 900 million registered users. It was founded by Jack Ma, the billionaire creator of the shopping site Alibaba.
Heinemann Australia Managing Director Richard Goodman said: “We are excited to partner with Tyro yet again in launching Alipay in our Sydney stores, better reaching our Chinese customers. We look forward to introducing exclusive offers over the Chinese New Year period to Alipay users, in partnership with Sydney Airport.”
Sydney Airport General Manager Retail Glyn Williams said: “We’re proud to offer a highly tailored experience for Chinese passengers at Sydney Airport including retail, food and dining options, targeted content through [social media tool] WeChat and Chinese ‘wayfinding’ via eDirectories and Baidu maps.”
Tyro CEO Robbie Cooke said that Alipay is a “compelling payment solution” for those looking to access the “lucrative Chinese visitor market”.
Chinese tourists are far more likely than non-Chinese tourists to use mobile payment platforms such as Alipay, with 66% using them compared to 11% of people from outside China, according to Nielsen.
The same study found that more than 90% of Chinese tourists would consider using Alipay when travelling abroad and more than 90% would spend more if using the platform were an option.
