Global Blue & Alipay Enhance the Mobile Refund Experience for Chinese shoppers
Global Blue, the leader in Tax Free Shopping, and Alipay, the world-leading payment and open digital platform, are teaming up to launch Alipay Easy Refund, a unique and innovative solution that is expected to greatly improve the overseas shopping experience for Chinese travelers.
Since November, Alipay users have been enjoying the option to manage their Tax Free Shopping transactions at over 200,000 Global Blue affiliated retailers across Europe - in a more seamless and convenient way. This will enable Chinese shoppers to:
- Benefit from eligibility reminders: From January 2024, travelers will receive an in-app notification of eligibility after using Alipay as a payment method and for the collection of tax refund in store. After scanning their Alipay QR Code in store, travelers will then be able to view all of their Tax Free transactions directly within their Alipay app.
- Benefit from an instant refund: Powered by Alipay+ and Global Blue digital technologies, Alipay users will be able receive a refund in-store or at any point during their trip before the exit point, through their Alipay app for an enhanced and faster refund experience. This service innovation is expected to further unleash the purchasing power among consumers and removes the need to queue for a refund at airports. Alipay and Global Blue will also remind users in app to complete their Tax Free form validation at customs upon their departure from the European Union.
- Stay informed throughout the Tax Free Shopping process: Real-time notifications within the Alipay app will ensure a seamless and reassuring experience. For instance, Chinese shoppers will be able to access their transaction status and receive real-time notifications throughout the completion of the refund.
Beyond simplifying and personalizing the process for Chinese shoppers, this innovation also brings benefits to retailers. It improves their performance thanks to a higher number of Tax Free transactions due to the app's built-in eligibility detection. Early 2024, customers will be able to enter their details in their native language on the Tax Free Form, leading to more successfully completed refunds. Last but not least, it enables potential second purchase from the shoppers with early refund.
Savvy international shoppers are eager to use mobile services to save time and benefit from an enhanced shopping experience. With Mobile Customer Care, we are already connecting with around half of our worldwide customers daily, and through our strategic partnership with Alipay we extend that further by co-creating innovative solutions that cater to the needs of both our retailer partners and our consumers.
As part of wider partnership between Global Blue and Alipay+, we are pleased to launch this unique and innovative feature starting with Alipay users, ensuring they could have a transparent and peace-of-mind shopping experience by offering them the option to receive instant refund in-store or at any point during their trip.
Going forward, we are looking forward to introducing the easy refund solution to more Alipay+ partner e-wallets and in regions beyond Europe together with Global Blue’s strong brand network, so that more consumers and retailers could benefit from the force of innovation.
Media Contacts
Virginie Alem – SVP Marketing & Communications
Mail: valem@globalblue.com
Sarah Dai – Ant Group
Mail: sarah.dai@antgroup.com
About Global Blue
Global Blue pioneered the concept of Tax Free Shopping 40 years ago. Through continuous innovation, we have become the leading strategic technology and payments partner, empowering retailers to improve their performance and shoppers to enhance their experience.
Global Blue offers innovative solutions in three different fields:
- Tax Free Shopping: Helping retailers at over 300,000 points of sale to efficiently manage 35 million Tax Free Shopping transactions a year, thanks to its fully integrated in-house technology platform. Meanwhile, its industry-leading digital Tax Free shopper solutions create a better, more seamless customer experience.
- Payment services: Providing a full suite of foreign exchange and Payment technology solutions that allow acquirers, hotels, and retailers to offer value-added services and improve the customer experience during 31 million payment transactions a year at 130,000 points of interaction.
- Complementary RetailTech: Offering new technology solutions to retailers, including digital receipts and eCommerce returns, that can be easily integrated with their core systems and allow them to optimize and digitalize their processes throughout the omni-channel customer journey, both in-store and online.
In addition, our data and advisory services offer a strategic advisory to help retailers identify opportunities for growth, while our shopper experience and engagement solutions provide data-driven solutions to increase footfall, convert footfall to revenue and enhance performance.
For more information, visit https://www.globalblue.com/about-us/media
About Ant Group
Ant Group aims to build the infrastructure and platforms to support the digital transformation of the service industry. Through continuous innovation, we strive to provide all consumers and small and micro businesses equal access to digital financial and other daily life services that are convenient, sustainable and inclusive.
For more information, please visit our website at www.antgroup.com or follow us on Twitter @AntGroup.
