Central Retail and Ant Group introduce Alipay+ for Asian tourists in Thailand

Central Retail Corporation Limited (CRC) in collaboration with Ant Group has introduced Alipay+, a comprehensive international digital payment platform. The service launched by Piyawan Leelasompop, Deputy Managing Director of Marketing at CRC, facilitates seamless transactions for Asian tourists from China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and South Korea through their existing local mobile wallets.

The tie-up with Ant Group will enable visitors to pay for purchases at CRC-partnered retailers all over Thailand, without the need to carry cash or exchange for Thai currency. With over 3000 payment points in the country backed by CRC, customers can conveniently pay through Alipay, AlipayHK, Touch ‘n Go eWallet, and Kakao Pay. The platform aims to cater to diverse shopping needs at Central Department Store, Robinson Department Store, Super Sport, Tops, Power Buy, B2S, Office Mate, Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Tops Vita, and Muji. Piyawan said…

“This partnership enhances the digital payment options for CRC customers, aligning with the behaviour of people who prefer cashless transactions. It focuses on Asian tourists travelling to Thailand, to make their experience more convenient, and accommodate foreign visitors who shop and pay via Alipay+ through Local Mobile Wallet with CRC partner merchants.”

By expanding the service to include visitors from other countries, both in the Asian and European zones, CRC aims to grow its reach. In addition, the increased service meets tourism statistics that depict a high growth rate of Asian tourists visiting Thailand. During the first half of this year, more than 12.46 million tourists stopped in Thailand, predominantly from Malaysia, China, Russia, South Korea, and India. This number is predicted to hit 25 million by the end of this year, with various CRC merchants witnessing a sharp rise in tourists, reported KhaoSod.

Piyawan added…

“The launch of the Alipay+ digital payment service elevates the CRC Ecosystem to be more comprehensive, bringing the best technology and systems from around the globe to grow together in Inclusive Growth, for both customers, brands, and partners. This is in line with the CRC Retailligence strategy to grow within the next five years, and aspire to become the leading Next-Gen Omni Retailer in Asia.”

Sitthipong Kittipraphaphong, General Manager, Global Merchant Partnership, Thailand, Ant Group, said…

“This is another crucial collaboration between Ant Group and CRC, jointly presenting modern and convenient services to tourists who are customers of CRC to make cross-border digital payments via mobile. At the same time, Alipay+ enables CRC partner merchants to receive more digital payments via mobile from the group of Asian tourists.

“Alipay+ is a cross-border digital payment platform and a marketing solution designed to help various businesses perform diverse digital payments via mobile phones. We intend to support these businesses to reach over a billion global regional and global consumers through an easy and comprehensive system.”