Bicester Village Shopping Collection partners with Alipay

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
May 18, 2018

Bicester Village Shopping Collection and Alipay have entered into a strategic marketing partnership that will mostly benefit Chinese tourists shopping in Europe.

The move will enable Chinese tourists to use their Alipay mobile wallet accounts to pay in almost 160 boutiques from high-profile brands across all nine luxury villages in the group’s European portfolio.

The cashless mobile payment is used mainly by Chinese consumers, and its launch underlines the importance of these tourists to European and British brands. According to recent figures from Visit Britain, more than 250,000 Chinese tourists visited the UK in 2016, and spent more than £500 million. Meanwhile, estimates from the French Tourism Bureau Atout France consider that almost two million Chinese tourists visited the country in 2017. 

“We are continuously looking for new ways to deliver an outstanding guest experience across The Bicester Village Shopping Collection,” said Marcelo Molinari, global tourism director at Bicester Village Shopping Collection, which owns Bicester Village in London, Kildare Village in Dublin and La Vallée Village in Paris.

“We know that an increasing number of our Chinese guests prefer to use their smartphones to make payments and facilitate their shopping experience, which is why we are delighted to be partnering with Alipay and embracing the future of retail.” 

Pamela Hsieh, head of marketing, EMEA at Alipay added that the marketing partnership will empower retailers, as they will find it easier to engage with the growing number of high-spending Chinese tourists visiting Europe.
Alipay will be accepted in 300 boutiques at The Bicester Village Shopping Collection by June.