Nielsen: Chinese Tourists Love Mobile Payments
If you’ve looked at Alipay over the last several months and wondered just where this mobile payments system wouldn’t actually expand into, then you’re a lot like me. Seeing them expand into retailers, airports, and just about everything short of pay toilets has been a dizzying and almost unnerving experience. Now, thanks to a new study Alipay conducted with Nielsen and filled us in on, we get a look at why Alipay’s been expanding so rapidly: because Chinese tourists really want mobile payments.
The centerpiece of the study is a staggering revelation that over 90 percent of Chinese tourists would use mobile payments overseas, if the option to do so were there. That might sound dodgy, but it’s supported: around 65 percent of Chinese tourists already have used mobile payments while traveling overseas. This compares to just 11 percent of non-Chinese tourists, the report notes. Further, those Chinese tourists that actually use mobile payments do so much more often than those non-Chinese tourists.
That combination of facts alone would be a good reason to offer mobile payments to Chinese tourists in as many places as possible, but the reasoning increases from there: the numbers of Chinese tourists are on the rise. The China National Tourism Administration notes that there were 131 million occasions of Chinese tourists heading overseas, which is up seven percent from the previous year. Spending is likewise up, as 2016 saw spending of $261.1 billion, up 4.5 percent from the previous year.
Basically the developments speak for themselves. There are not only more Chinese tourists, but there are more Chinese tourists spending more money, and who want to use mobile payments when they’re traveling. Add these three points together and you get a clear imperative for mobile payments providers to step up and fill in the gap. Given that Alipay has long been regarded by Chinese users as the “big bucks” alternative, it’s little surprise that it would be the weapon of choice for people who have cash enough to travel overseas and shop while they’re there.
With a steadily-growing pool of travelers to work with who are all eager to spend and want to use mobile payments, it’s a safe bet we’ll continue to see Alipay branch out as time goes on.