Neiman Marcus is the latest retailer seeking to expand payments options for Chinese consumers traveling in the U.S. who are likely to rely on their mobile devices during a transaction. The company has deployed Alipay in 43 Neiman Marcus locations, 24 Neiman Marcus Last Call stores and two Bergdorf Goodman stores in the U.S.
Alipay users can save money paying with the app by avoiding higher foreign credit card transaction fees. The app’s geolocation-based “Discover” function and push notifications are designed to help users find merchants nearby and receive promotional information.
Neiman Marcus already has received a significant amount of positive customer feedback as a result of launching this partnership, according to David Goubert, EVP of Stores and Retail Experience at Neiman Marcus. Goubert confirmed the company is working to launch Alipay as an online payment option later this year.
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In recent years, Alipay has partnered with other retailers, including Walgreens, Sephora, 7-Eleven and Guess as it seeks to gain traction across North America.Sephora in particular was open about the success of the platform launch in 11 Canadian stores in fall 2018, including running a joint promotion over the 2018 holiday season. After running the promotion — 10% off all purchases of more than $150 made through the Alipay app — the average transaction value from users that claimed the benefit increased by nearly 90%.
Nearly 60% of retailers saw growth in both foot traffic and revenue after adopting Alipay, according to a recent Nielsen report cited in Alipay press releases.