FRANCE. Chinese shoppers who visit Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport can now pay for items using Chinese mobile payment application Alipay.
The implementation of the platform at 83 duty free outlets operated by Société de Distribution Aéroportuaire – the joint venture between Lagardère Travel Retail and airport operator Groupe ADP – was completed in time for Chinese New Year.
Lagardère Travel Retail deployed Alipay with the support of its bank, BNP Paribas, and payment services provider Ingenico Group. Alipay is operated by Ant Financial, which is part of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group.
More than 450 million people use Alipay worldwide, according to the company’s website, and the introduction of the technology is part of the retailer’s efforts to meet the demands of its key Chinese consumers.
The duty free operator also renewed the terminals of its affected shops with the latest Ingenico payment terminals, which are fitted with large touchscreens and combine multiple payment methods.
Catering for the Chinese tourist
In December Helsinki Airport adopted Alipay, and airport operator Finavia said that its aim was to improve the service experience for Chinese passengers – its fastest-growing customer group and biggest spenders.
Among the shops accepting Alipay at Helsinki are Iittala, M-Box, Finspiration, Lindroos and Moomin, although Finlavia said its target was for all the airport’s commercial operators to accept it.
DFS Group also partnered with Ant Financial last year to launch Alipay at San Francisco International Airport, while select retailers at Auckland Airport now accept payments using the application.
