Tag: alipay

Mobile commerce explodes in China

| November 27, 2013

Chinese mobile commerce is showing strong growth

Mobile commerce has gained a great deal of momentum in China recently. Consumers throughout the country are beginning to embrace mobile technology and smartphones and tablets are beginning to play a major role in the lives of many people. As mobile devices become more important to consumers, they are beginning to purchase products using these devices rather than shop in physical stores. A new report from the Development Research Center of the State Council, suggests that mobile payments have taken hold with many Chinese consumers.

Report highlights the growing popularity of mobile payments

According to the report, mobile payments are expected to reach $130.4 billion by the end of the year, more than five times the payment volume recorded from mobile devices throughout China in 2012. The report suggests that consumers throughout the country are showing favor for mobile commerce because of the convenience it brings to the shopping experience. Businesses are also powering the adoption of mobile commerce among consumers by offering shoppers special discounts for purchases that they make from mobile devices.

Alipay accounts for a third of all mobile payments in China

Mobile Commerce - ChinaDuring the “Double Elevens” event, which is similar to Cyber Monday in the U.S. and elsewhere, mobile payments through Alipay, the country’s most prominent mobile commerce platform, reached more than $870 million in transactions. Alipay accounted for one third of all mobile payments made in China, an 800% increase over the mobile payments it accounted for in 2012.

Internet access is exposing more people to mobile commerce

As the mobile Internet becomes more accessible to a wider range of consumers, the growth of mobile commerce throughout China is expected to accelerate. Several Chinese technology firms have taken a strong interest in mobile commerce due to the economic promise it represents. Popular applications like Wechat are beginning to receive mobile commerce features, turning them into somewhat impromptu mobile payments platforms and further increasing the exposure that consumers are experiencing in regards to mobile commerce.

New mobile payments system launched in Beijing

| April 18, 2013

Mobile Payments BeijingAlipay puts a new twist on mobile payments

Alipay, a leading third party online payment solution provider in China, has launched a new payment system in the Beijing Subway. The system is designed to accommodate those interested in mobile payments, allowing them to use their smartphones or tablets to pay for public transit tickets. Such a payment system is nothing new, especially in the realm of public transportation, but the way that Alipay’s system facilitates mobile payments certainly breaks away from the established norm.

System uses sound waves to facilitate payments

Alipay’s mobile payments system uses sound waves in order to facilitate mobile transactions. The system relies on the Alipaw wallet, a digital wallet application that was released in January of this year. The application emits white noise, which is registered by the payment system, which then initiates a transaction. This white noise mechanic was initially meant to facilitate peer-to-peer transactions, but Beijing Subway saw significant promise in the applications capabilities.

Alipay Wallet application heavily influenced by growing demand for mobile commerce services

The new system has been launched in two stations in the Beijing Subway. More systems are expected to be installed throughout the subway network in the near future. Alipay notes that the growing importance of mobile payments in the lives of consumers was a strong inspiration for the development of this new payment system. The Alipay Wallet application is available to both Android and iOS consumers, but the latter group is noted as a major contributor to the development of the application’s sound-based mechanics.

Application meant to make mobile commerce more accommodating to iOS consumers

NFC technology has long been a cornerstone of mobile payments, but this technology is not available for iOS devices due to Apple’s disapproval of the technology. As such, iOS consumers have had to rely on alternatives in order to participate in mobile commerce. The sound-based features of the Alipay Wallet are meant to make it possible for iOS consumers to make mobile payments easily without having to worry about having access to NFC technology.