Alipay, the payment affiliate of Alibaba Group, announced a tie-up with U.S. flash sale e-retailer Gilt which will add Alipay ePass as a checkout option, making it easier for consumers in China to shop for top designer brands.
The partnership provides a seamless experience for Chinese Gilt members, allowing them to pay through their existing Alipay accounts on the Gilt website. The Alipay ePass solution is capable of providing payment, logistics, and marketing support to help global brands and retailers connect with Chinese consumers. Gilt members benefit as it avoids the complexity of legacy credit card and international cross-border transactions.
This tie-up marked another step of Alipay’s expansion to overseas markets after cooperation with several foreign e-commerce services like iHerb, My Bag, Rakuten and Yahoo! Shopping Japan. Alipay now supports payment in fourteen currencies via cooperation with e-commerce partners in over 40 countries or regions.
Chinese shoppers account for 29% of the global luxury market and spent US$33 billion on overseas websites in 2013, according to a report by The Economist.
The adoption of Alipay ePass’s payment and marketing option is one of Gilt’s methods of deepening its commitment to China. The site has launched a Chinese version, Chinese speaking customer services as well as preferential shipping rates. Gilt currently ships to over 100 countries around the world.
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