France’s Printemps accepts payments via Alipay

From now on, Chinese consumers don’t have to carry large amounts of cash to go shopping in Paris.French department store Printemps has partnered with Wirecard to offer a new payment solution to customers using the mobile app Alipay, becoming the first department store in France to accept this payment solution.The department store can now integrate Alipay payments directly into its central management system, allowing the offer to be enrolled in over time. The system will be rolled out at all 18 Printemps stores by the end of the year. In addition, Wirecard is taking charge of the entire payment process with Wirecard's Connected POS technology."Chinese tourists are an important target clientele for Printemps, which is why we are developing various unique offers and services to ensure the best response. Today we are especially proud to be offering them the exclusive opportunity to make purchases at Printemps through the Alipay application," said Annalisa Loustau, chief marketing officer for the Printemps group.Rita Liu, director of Alipay Europe, continued: "For our customers, this roll out is synonymous with greater added value, as they can now pay with the same method they use at home. Paris is one of the most popular destinations for Chinese tourists. Through our marketing platform, Global Lifestyle Platform, we can provide them with relevant information, such as promotions, notifications and commentary, even before they arrive in Paris. We are confident that the new Alipay offers rolled out with Printemps, in terms of payment methods and marketing, will be quickly adopted."Christian Reindl, executive vice president of sales consumer goods at Wirecard, added, " We believe the increasing number of Chinese tourists travelling to Europe presents an opportunity for significant growth, particularly in the luxury goods sector, and we are also planning many other collaborations in this sector."