Businessman eyes up Alipay opportunities
Duncan Spear is adamant Christchurch Airport is helping his business achieve its goal of capturing more of the chinese tourism market.
Puzzling World in Wanaka was one of the first businesses to sign up to Alipay through a Christchurch Airport-lead programme. Between April and June 2018 they processed 211 Alipay transactions, totalling $7,500.
Owner Duncan Spear says it was a great result, considering it was their quietest time of year.
“Alipay has allowed us to remove barriers around issues using credit cards or cash for payment, by utilising a form of currency that is easily understood by the Chinese consumer. This allows us to concentrate on the delivery of our product and also provides another tool in our service offering that is appreciated.”
Spear said Alipay was also helping him and his team to achieve their stated goals of capturing more of the Chinese market and ensuring any business adaptations were tech savvy/efficiency-led.
Alipay users receive a notification whenever they approach an Alipay registered business, like Puzzling World. So when users touched down in New Zealand for their holiday, they would know exactly where Alipay was accepted.
“Knowledge of our Alipay service before they reach our front counter can only be beneficial as it offers the consumer choice,” said Spear.
Spear said the speedy payment notification via iPaynow was great and meant there were no delays for the business or the Alipay user.
“Alipay has opened our eyes into the world of mobile payment platforms and from 2019 we expect to deal with more transacting with us using this medium.”
